Good
Style - Writing for Science and Technology
Reviewed by Lynne Burnham [1992]
John Kirkman needs no introduction to the readers of Communicator.
He has drawn on his varied experience to write a book for people who want
to improve their writing style, and, although the book is aimed specifically
at those who write about science and technology, reading it would benefit
any writer.
Unlike many style guides, Good Style is not a set of standards to
follow when writing for a particular journal or paper, such as The Economist
Style Guide or The ACS Style Guide (American Chemical Society).
So the book does not contain lists of conventional writing procedures for
set publications, but gives advice to authors about the styles of writing
they can employ, depending on the purpose of their communication. The book
is concerned with the style that readers of technical text prefer, as opposed
to what has been traditionally imposed on many authors. Preferences that readers
have for one style over another are based on the results of four surveys John
Kirkman conducted: the first three on text from technical reports or papers
and the fourth on text from a technical manual.
Participants in all the surveys were asked to read samples of the same text
written in six different styles, and then to evaluate which style they preferred.
The first three appendices contain the text used from the technical reports
and papers, and the fifth contains the text from a technical manual. The fourth
and sixth appendices include the results of the surveys, feedback from the
readers, and an assessment by John Kirkman of readers' preferences. The surveys
are integral to the book and are referred to by John Kirkman to emphasise
points, especially if the points contradict traditional editorial policies.
The sections of the book are:
- Style as choice
- Style in general
- Avoiding distorted English in computer-related text
- Different styles for various applications
- Writing for international audiences
- On avoiding ambiguity
- Appendices
The first chapter is a short discussion on the style technical readers prefer:
do they prefer the active voice in a lively style of writing, or the more
traditional land impersonal) passive voice? John Kirkman has based his answer
to these questions on the results of the four surveys he conducted.
The second chapter covers a range of topics including sentence length and
complexity, jargon and "fashionable" words, as well as elements of grammar
and linguistics. Although this is the longest chapter, it is split into manageable
sections that make the information easy to digest. This arrangement is particularly
useful for browsing.
John Kirkman is aware of the increasing demand for technical authors to write
computer-related texts, and he has acknowledged this by including the third
chapter especially for such authors. Some of the aspects he covers include:
jargon in the computer industry, how the distortion of English can cause difficulties
for readers, and the importance of word order in sentences.
Chapters 4-6 give advice on using style as a tool for writing about the following
three categories: instructions and procedures: descriptive and explanatory:
and correspondence. He explains why tense and mood should be kept consistent,
when the use of imperatives would benefit a reader, and what "playscripts"
are and when they can be used effectively.
Chapter 7 is aimed at those who write for an international audience, and
highlights the difficulties of writing for a reader not sharing the writer's
native tongue. John Kirkman's main message is the importance of considering
the level of understanding your audience may have of your native language
and then writing with an emphatic awareness of their particular wants or needs.
He also considers the need for accepting restrictions on language and using
controlled English.
The last chapter is about ambiguity and asks is ambiguity totally unavoidable?
John Kirkman thinks it is impossible to avoid ambiguity entirely because everyone
will read a sentence in its context and draw their own inferences. However,
he does not condone ambiguity that is caused by unacceptable writing practices
(slovenly punctuation. or being evasive are but two of his examples). This
chapter concentrates a lot of attention on "how to choose the right word in
the right place," and the consequences of failing to do so.
John Kirkman recommends those who are new to technical writing to read the
appendices first, so that they can start to think about the effects different
styles will have on their writing. I did this and found Appendices 4 and 6,
which contained the results of the surveys and readers comments on the styles
they preferred, helped me understand what style is and what the features are
that make up a particular style. Appendix 6 was of particular interest to
me because it covers aspects of linguistics and grammar.
Good Style is a revised and extended version of an earlier book, Good Style for Scientific and Engineering Writing (Pitman 1980).
A lot of the original material remains unchanged, and people who own a copy
of the first Good Style may not think it is worth buying an extended
version of almost the same book. However, for those who are writing text to
accompany computer products this book will be particularly useful because
a lot of the new material that is included is specifically aimed at them.
Good Style is a comprehensive book that effectively explains what
style is, and contains lots of examples throughout to illustrate exactly what
constitutes a good or bad style of writing.
Following his own advice, John Kirkman has written a book containing plain
language and using sentence structures that assist the explanations of his
various concerns making them easier to follow. The book is aimed at a wide
audience, from experienced writers with specialist knowledge of a subject,
to those who may just be starting a career in technical writing.
In a world where language and technology are always changing, everyone will
find this book has a purpose: to guide the inexperienced, to refresh those
familiar with what style is (but who have not given much thought to their
own for some time), or to inform both about new attitudes to style.
E and U N Spon, 1992, ISBN 0419 17190 8
Available from Amazon.co.uk |
