CS790 Technical Writing for Computer Scientists Summer 2007

1. CS790Technical Writing for Computer ScientistsSummer 2007 Sue Moon KAIST

2. Course Overview • Goals • To help students improve their technical writing skills • Not to master writing • Approach • Write short paragraphs and learn basic elements in writing • Compose longer writings with better constructs • Learn how to self-edit

3. Grading Policy • Quiz • 1 per week (20%) • Final quiz will have double weight • Prof. Moon (40%) • 2 short essays • 1 1000-word essay • Prof. Cha (40%) • 1 500-word essay • 1 1000-word essay

4. Classroom Participation • Messenger for students to submit writings in class? • Thru MS Messener • What to bring • Notebook w/ e-dictionary

5. Syllabus • Elements of style review; write a cold-call request. • 500-word essay on a common topic • Write research statements to be used in CV • How to write a paper; 1000-word essay on a common topic • How to edit a paper; 1000-word essay on a common topic

6. Homework Submission Guide • When emailing, put [CS790] in the subject • Your email might not be filtered to the right folder w/o it • When submitting a hard copy • Put in a box in front of Prof. Cha’s office

7. Today’s Class • Write a cold-call request (1hr) • Review “the Elements of Style” • Additional tips in technical writing • Review and revise a student’s writing in class.

8. What Is a Cold-Call Request? • A request you send to an unknown person • You write a cold-call request: • To ask for a paper or software not available online • To ask for an opinion or information • To ask for a review of a paper • To invite to serve on a committee • To invite for a talk

9. Considerations • How much does the person know about you? • Name, affiliation, area of research • How much do you know about the person? • Title, affiliation • Why are you writing this request? • Why did you decide to ask the person, not someone else? • Why should the person reply to your request? • How important is your request to the person? • How prestigious is your offer?

10. Write a Cold-Call Requestof Your Choice(1 Hour)

11. I. Elementary Rules of Usage • Form the possessive singular of nouns by adding ‘s. • In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last. • Enclose parenthetic expressions between commas. • Place a comma before a conjunction introducing an independent clause. • Do not join independent clauses with a comma. • Do not break sentences in two.

12. I. Elementary Rules of Usage • Form the possessive singular of nouns by adding ‘s. • In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last. • Enclose parenthetic expressions between commas. • Place a comma before a conjunction introducing an independent clause. • Do not join independent clauses with a comma. • Do not break sentences in two.

13. I. Elementary Rules of Usage • In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last. • red, white, and blue • He opened the letter, read it, and made a note of its contents.

14. I. Elementary Rules of Usage • Place a comma before a conjunction introducing an independent clause. • The situation is perilous, but there is still one chance of escape. • He has had several years’ experience and is thoroughly competent.

15. I. Elementary Rules of Usage • Do not join independent clauses with a comma. #1: Mary Shelley’s works are entertaining; they are full of engaging ideas. #2: Mary Shelley’s works are entertaining. They are full of engaging ideas. #3: Mary Shelley’s works are entertaining, for they are full of engaging ideas. #1 suggests the close relationship between the two sentences in a way #2 does not attempt. #1 briefer and thus more forcible than #3.

16. I. Elementary Rules of Usage • Use a colon after an independent clause to introduce a list of particulars, an appositive, an amplification, or an illustrative quotation. • Use a dash to set off an abrupt break or interruption and to announce a long appositive or summary. • The number of the subject determines the number of the verb. • Use the proper case of pronoun. • A participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence must refer to the grammatical subject.

17. I. Elementary Rules of Usage • Use a colon after an independent clause to introduce a list of particulars, an appositive, an amplification, or an illustrative quotation. • Use a dash to set off an abrupt break or interruption and to announce a long appositive or summary. • The number of the subject determines the number of the verb. • Use the proper case of pronoun. • A participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence must refer to the grammatical subject.

18. I. Elementary Rules of Usage • Use a colon after an independent clause to introduce a list of particulars, an appositive, an amplification, or an illustrative quotation. • Your dedicated whittler requires: a knife, a piece of wood, and a back porch. • But even so, there was a directness and dispatch about animal burial: there was no stopover in the undertaker’s foul parlor, no wreath or spray. Join two independent clauses with a colon if the second interprets or amplifies the first. requires three props:

19. I. Elementary Rules of Usage • The number of the subject determines the number of the verb. • One of the ablest scientists who (has/have) attacked this problem • None of us (is/are) perfect. • None (is/are) so fallible as those who are sure they’re right. have is are

20. I. Elementary Rules of Usage • Use the proper case of pronoun. • Sandy writes better than I. • Polly loves cake more than me.

21. II. Elementary Principles of Composition • Choose a suitable design and hold to it. • Make the paragraph the unit of composition. • Use the active voice. • Put statements in positive form. • Use definite, specific, concrete language. • Omit needless words.

22. II. Elementary Principles of Composition • Use the active voice. • My first visit to Boston will always be remembered by me. • I shall always remember my first visit to Boston. • At dawn the crowing of a rooster could be heard. • The cock’s crow came with dawn. • It was not long before she was very sorry that she had said that what she said. • She soon repented her words.

23. II. Elementary Principles of Composition • Put statements in positive form. • He was not very often on time. He usually came late. • She did not think that studying Latin was a sensible way to use one’s time. • She thought the study of Latin a waste of time. • Applicants can make a good impression by being neat and punctual. • Applicants will make a good impression if they are neat and punctual • Plath may be ranked among those modern poets who died young. • Plath was one of those modern poets who died young.

24. II. Elementary Principles of Composition • Choose a suitable design and hold to it. • Make the paragraph the unit of composition. • Use the active voice. • Put statements in positive form. • Use definite, specific, concrete language. • Omit needless words.

25. II. Elementary Principles of Composition • Omit needless words. • owing to the fact that since (because) • the fact that he had not succeeded his failure • the fact that I had arrived my arrival

26. II. Elementary Principles of Composition • Avoid a succession of loose sentences. • Express coordinate ideas in similar form. • Keep related words together. • In summaries, keep to one tense. • Place the emphatic words of a sentence at the end.

27. II. Elementary Principles of Composition • Avoid a succession of loose sentences. • Express coordinate ideas in similar form. • Keep related words together. • In summaries, keep to one tense. • Place the emphatic words of a sentence at the end.

28. II. Elementary Principles of Composition • Keep related words together. • You can call your mother in London and tell her all about George’s taking you out to dinner just for two dollars. • For just two dollars you can call your mother in London and tell her all about George’s taking you out to dinner.

29. IV. Words and Expressions Commonly Misued • Like Not to be used for the conjunction as. Like governs nouns and pronouns; before phrases and clauses the equivalent word is as. • We spent the evening as in the old days. • Chloe smells good, as a baby should. • Split infinitive • to diligently inquireto inquire diligently • to further investigate to investigate further

30. V. An Approach to Style • Place yourself in the background. • Write in a way that comes naturally. • Work from a suitable design. • Write with nouns and verbs. • Revise and rewrite. • Do not overwrite. • Do not overstate. • Avoid the use of qualifiers (very, little, some). • Do not affect a breezy manner. • Use orthodox spelling.

31. V. An Approach to Style • Do not explain too much. • Do not construct awkward adverbs. • Make sure the reader knows who is speaking. • Avoid fancy words. • Do not use dialect unless your ear is good. • Be clear. • Do not inject opinion. • Use figures of speech sparingly. • Do not take shortcuts at the cost of clarity. • Avoid foreign languages. • Prefer the standard to the offbeat.

32. Tips on Technical Writing • Do not use contractions • don’t do not • Numbers • Two instead of 2 at the beginning of a sentence • 190 instead of one hundred ninety • x > 1 is plural; x <=1 is singular. • 2 turtle doves, 3 French hens, 4 calling birds, 5 golden rings, … • Do not use /; use or. • Limit use of quotation marks, italics, and capital letters.

33. Common Mistakes in Technical Writing • Use multiple terms for one idea • relay nodes, relaying nodes, relays • Use undefined terms • shortest-path subgraph • effective links • Put things out of order • Use a term before defining it • Mix past, present, and future tenses • Stick to the present tense • Mix upper and lower cases • Proper nouns vs emphatic words

34. Homework #1 (Due 6/28) • Revise today’s version and submit (v2)