Any Secrets?

Well, you have to first determine what you are passionate about. If you do not have an innate sense of curiosity about things and the universe around you, then you will always struggle with this field of learning. You might want to reconsider your major and your career goals.

However, if you are passionate about the subject, then most of the battle is already won. Now it is a matter of tactics. The best resources are the instructors. After all, they know what they are looking for and they just happen to have a broad experience in the subject. I am sure you will get a lot of advice from many people on how they got through it, but there are many ways to do this and you just need what works best for you. Start with the experts.

So, start with the professors and find one that is willing to spend a little extra time to coach you along. You want someone that does more than answer a single question. You need someone that can point you down the right path. However, you are the one that has to do the work. You must demonstrate superior will to succeed and put that will into action. That requires an attitude shift so that you leave no stone unturned and relentlessly work at exceeding expectations. In other words, be a winner! Many times instructors will give you subtle clues that you must unravel rather than a complete answer. Life is a mystery and you must have a sense of wonder to unravel it.

Any student that demonstrates that kind of drive will find it easy to get the help they need to succeed. Professors are busy people, but almost all are willing to go an extra mile for those students they feel are worth the investment. That is the key word here; investment. If you work harder and tenaciously go after knowledge, people will line up to invest in your future.

Maybe not the answer you were expecting, but you need to first do a little introspection to know yourself and build up some resolve to excel. Then, don't let anyone or anything get in your way. If you are like me, you may have to work harder to get that grade than your peers, but that kind of hard work will serve you much better in the world than a high IQ.

i 100% agree with the anonymous hero, develop a dirty habbit of asking quistions whenever you are in doubt however silly it might be learn to say could you please explain me this again i didnt get what you said. and see for yourself the change in your self once again dont be shy in asking quistions and dont feel you are inferior to boys are somebody. you are as smart and clever as any one you can think of!Mind you iam a gent.

Best of luck

nameless joe

im a girl... ????? y do u need 2 menshun u r a gurl? is it cos u want sympafy? y r u doing the subject if u dont hav any interest? nobody els can no what intersts u - only u can. yr non interest will bite u when u get yr results = wasted years = wasted evrybdy els's time = loser. wake up, get real, do something that interests u n get out the way of ppl who wld luv to do that sbjct.

I agree with Electroman in post #9. In response to pg2 post which stated

"im (sic) a girl... ????? y (sic) do u (sic) need 2 menshun (sic) u (sic) r (sic) a gurl (sic)? is it cos (sic) u (sic) want sympafy (sic)? y (sic) r (sic) u (sic) doing the subject if u (sic) dont (sic) hav (sic) any interest? nobody els (sic) can no what intersts (sic) u (sic) - only u (sic) can. yr (sic) non interest will bite u (sic) when u (sic) get yr (sic) results = wasted years = wasted evrybdy (sic) els's (sic) time = loser. wake (sic) up, get real, do something that interests u (sic) n (sic) get out the way of ppl (sic) who wld (sic) luv (sic) to do that sbjc (sic) t."

(sic) is an editors abbreviation used when quoting somebody to indicate that the spelling was incorrect in the original text.

Congratulations the 33 errors in spelling, that I can see, in a paragraph that is 87 words long has to be a record of some sort. I find this type of abbreviated writing offensive, highly self centered and ignorant. You might think it save time but it doesn't. The small amount of time saved by you is offset by the increased time the 4,000 or so CR4 people wasted trying to translate your pseudo English into an understandable form.

You weren't even consistent as in your haste you abbreviated mention to menshun, what sort of a saving is that? Are you that lazy that you couldn't move you fingers a few millimeters and type the correct characters.

I would be one of the worlds worst spellers but even I can do better than you pg2 and if you can't be bothered to type out what you are trying to say in full don't even bother in the first place. I would hazard to say that you would not come close to the 50,000 plus words a month that I write and post at CR4 so if I can take the time to write in full and then proof read everything then so can you.

I absolutely hate this sort of crap and find it wasteful, distracting, meaningless, difficult to understand and just plain ignorant. The English language is an extremely powerful tool so stop wasting everybody's time by chopping it to pieces and use it the way it is meant to be used.

Perhaps writing itself is a major impediment for you; it's very difficult and frustrating to focus on the topic itself when also focused on the very process of trying to read or write about the topic. Perhaps after some remedial writing courses, including both in rhetoric and in creative writing...until you get that aspect firmly and confidently in your grasp...you will find that the workbooks have become easier to understand; and your answers easier to formulate and deliver. And don't worry about progress in the discipline you've chosen in the meantime--there's no rush really and, being female, you might find more latitude will be given to you (to your efforts and persistance) than to...much of your competition. You might also come to find that other pursuits--even writing itself--are more to your liking. Ultimately, choose for yourself; not for what anyone else (other than a qualified aptitude test specialists) tells you you ought to try to do. Unfortunately (or fortunately), you might also have to turn a deaf ear to much of the "noise" that is directed at women these days.

The key is knowing how the assignment is graded, in many cases large final year reports, will be broken down into sections for technical content, presentation, readability, correct structure of the report (all required report sections are present, headings and numberings are correct) and not to forget spelling, punctuation and grammar. In some cases technical content may be worth as little as 15% of the final mark, so there is another 85% to make up somewhere else.

This is not to be considered as an easy way-out by being able to neglect the technical aspects in lieu of the other points. It is about gaining understanding into how projects are to be put together (organisational skills are a required discipline for any industry) i.e. Including a literature review of appropriate texts will often credit marks, but in doing it correctly, it ensures that you researched the appropriate material and have evaluated the information.

In taking care and pride in your work, you naturally gain confidence and self discipline, will worry less about failing and be able to learn a lot more.

Engineering is a hard discipline to follow, we allow ourselves to be pushed, often by others into working conditions that do not suit everyone. I graduated in the last 5 years and many of my friends who graduated alongside me have turned away from engineering, as it does not always offer the freedom they wanted. I my case I left the UK to find the responsibility and experience I wanted. As I found that many employers were unwilling to take risks, in employment of young engineers and seemed afraid of individuals who they consider to only want Chatership (PE).

When you are in an educational environment, you are too often told how important this stage is to your life, but when you move past it you look back and wonder what all the fuss is about. I know its hindsight, but it's only now can you see that there are many ways to achieving what you want from engineering.

What the others have posted is all true but I believe what you are asking is not how to learn and understand the subjects but rather how to write up the technical reports that are required and so important to your marks.

If that's the case there is no easy answer but I can give you a few guidelines. To any piece of writing there are three main parts, the introduction, the body of the text and the conclusion.

Lets now look at what I mean by an introduction, body and conclusion. In this response the first two paragraphs are the introduction and what is done in the introduction is to define what you are going to explain and set the stage for the rest of the document. As you can see in the introduction her I have tried to clarify the question you asked then gave you a brief description of the answer.

The body of the document then contains all the details that are associated with the particular topic you raised in the introduction. In the document the third, fourth and fifth paragraphs are the body where I explain what the introduction, body and conclusion contain.

The conclusion is the rounding off of the paper, paragraph six in this document, and answers any questions you have raised in the introduction. It should also contain any conclusions that can be drawn from the information you have presented in the body of the text.

If you look at it as a question the introduction asks the question, the body contains all the information that is needed to answer the question and the conclusion answers the question.

thanks for your answer.. but can the conclusion recomfirm the objective of the report? for example: this experiment proves that xxx is proven. is this the correct way? and for the intro part, can we refer back to the text or do we really need to come up with our own word?

"can the conclusion recomfirm the objective of the report? for example: this experiment proves that xxx is proven. is this the correct way?"¹

Absolutely, you will see this sort of thing frequently.

"for the intro part, can we refer back to the text or do we really need to come up with our own word?"¹

Yes the introduction can refer back and quote form other texts. As you can see when I have referred to your text I have simply copied and highlighted it by using a bold and italicizes font. You may also see the two superscript numbers ¹ that are at the end of each quote. These refer to the bibliography that you put at the end of the document describing where you got the quote.

If you do use quotes then it is always a good idea to try and say it using your own words and use the quotes to support what you are saying. For example

Whilst electrical engineering is a difficult subject and maydayrocks has indicate she is finding it hard going the following statement;

"i just wanna ask whether is there any secrets or technic where u could write a technical report or an experiment report?"²

seems to indicate to the major problem is not being proficient in the art of technical writing.

As you can see I have said the same thing using my words and backed it up with a quote from you. Again note the little number at the end of the quote that refers to the notes at the bottom of the post where I have stated where quote originated. I have also supplied hyperlinks to the original text and hyperlinks can be useful if the work is to be published on the net but useless if it is printed so don't wory too much about them.

English is a very powerful language and once mastered is a great tool. It is also probably the most difficult language to learn and become proficient in. By the way is the majority of your work to be in English or some other language?

In summary the whole idea of any piece of writing breaks down into three parts where you first say you are going to say it, secondly say it and finally say you have said it.

Don't despair, I also found technical writing difficult but with practice and experience it becomes easier. The more you read the better too as even a bad paper will teach you how not to go about technical writing.

I hope this has been a help and wish you the best in your studies.

1. maydayrocks post #19 CR4 discussion Any Secrets? 1^st February 2007
2. maydayrocks initial post CR4 discussion Any Secrets? 29^th January 2007

The conclusion of the experiment usually confirm the object of the experiment, but it may not always appear to be the case. The result of the experiment usually have a small amount of error in it because we live in the real world (error can be introduced by inaccurate measurement, fiction, human error, etc.) But regardless what the result of the experiment is, as long as you report included the data and explain why you think your result is what it is, meaning, your result from your experiment had prove or had disprove the objective, then your instructor will give you full credit.

One thing too, alway calculate the percentage of error in your conclusion. Usually, if your result is within 10% of the objective, then you have proved the objective. However, if your percent of error is greater than 35%, then chances are you have disprove the objective. In that case, you must explain where that difference come from.

Lastly, (and this is from my personal experience) the introduction portion of your report usually is a statement or two about what your experiment trying to do. Usually, it's the objective stated in your own word.

Hope this help, sorry about the delay in reply, I can't alway get to this forum right away.

MidniteFighter

Of Course the subject is hard. It would not be worth doing if it was easy! But you have correctly identified WHY it is hard for you. The lack of interest is simply because it is hard, and therefore you are de-motivating yourself. If you had to learn this discipline to , say, break out of prison, you betcha you would do it! AND, you stuck it out for a whole hear, and half of the next one. So you know what you getting into. Your success to date means that you are very close to making it! There IS a secret to success. And here it is.

Find out what the professors want and give it to them.

Sounds a bit like cheating doesn't it? Or "giving in" to the system. This is not really cheating..it is a matter of falling into line with the standards and formats of this established discipline. Once you have worked out the requirements, the grammar, the direction, the "whatever", than it is, (as Mozart is reputed to say), it is "just a matter of scribbling". Then, you can focus on the "important stuff", the "Technical Content". Half the work, double the grades. Much easier to motivate yourself when you have a string of successes under your belt.

Your gender is no handicap to learning this stuff. However, the only reason it might come into play is that the guys around you are probably going to be more competitive than you are comfortable with. They won't "buck you up" and be as encouraging as a similar group of women would be (or what you might imagine a similar group of women to be like!) School is a pressure cooker which brings out these less than desirable traits. Hard to motivate yourself when those around you are bragging about how well they are doing! Hey, thats just "guy talk". The reality is that they are struggling same as you.

(Then when you graduate, it will become "give the boss what he wants", and then "give the customers what they want". The self examination will be the same. )

And remember, there is no shame in failure...only in not doing the best you can. People's minds grow and mature, and you develop other interests. I found that in 6 years of teaching electronics, there were no stupid people...just people whose talents lay in other fields. Engineering may not be YOUR field...maybe it will be business, or construction, or banking...all of which are just as "hard". A good academic councilor will advise you on a career change if you need it..but don't make that decision on your own. You are too close to the problem (smile).

Regards and good luck.

thanks . i'll try my best. thanks for all the advice. by the way, are you also a lecturer? which college or university are you lecturing now? hehe... all the best too you too^^

Is this a serious request - If so God help the Engineering profession! Your posting reminds me of the old tag - "Last week I couldn't spell enjineer, and tis week i are wun".

I would suggest young lady that you look for a lest demanding profession.

Guest, I would have thought your post is more appropriate to post number 3 by pg2...

He appears to have the communication skills of a 12 year old!

John.

Electroman

Regarding pg2 post and your response, I don't know if pg2 is twelve years old or not but he/she obviously subscribes to the current text-messaging simplifications and phonetic system of spelling, whereas the original poster seems to have true difficulties with the language.

Being an old geezer, I tend to make general assumptions about intelligence and competency based on someone's use of language, both written and oral. Those were skills required of us in my youth. Those assumptions may not be as valid today. Pg2 may in fact be a younger person of very high skill and competency in our wired/wireless world. I bet pg2 can do things on a cell phone keyboard that I can't even imagine.

Lonnie

Lonnie, what is the point in writing a technical report?

It is a form of communication to your co-workers is it not? If your writing and communication skills are lacking then you are not communicating your work to others...

Can you imagine having a colleague write an important report for your perusal and find that its written in the style of pg2's post! I would be the first to tell him to re-write it in English before submitting it to me!!

Its not a case of language, we have many people speaking different languages on CR4 but we still understand them, rather its a case of poor communication caused by pg2's lack of due care or thought for others who have to try to read his illiterate scrawl...

True he may be brilliant in some areas that I am hopeless in... But if he can't communicate his ideas to others then his brilliance is a wasted talent is it not?

John.

John

Thank you for the response. Please don't think that I was chiding you or castigating you in any way regarding your comment on pg2's post. My comment was much more in the nature of sharing an observation that troubles me. I tend to be an observer of people and so pg2's literary style caught my attention.

I do not have survey statistics to back me up but it seems to me that the majority of young people (15-25 perhaps?) spend a great deal of time communicating, apparently very effectively, in the style illustrated in pg2's post. I presume that many if not most of these people have participated at least to some extent in the educational process and presumably have been taught to read and write English. It seems to me that they are choosing to communicate in this fashion. If so, that does not qualify as "illiterate"--unless we define "literate" as doing it the way we were taught (which seems right and just to me).

It is interesting to observe that Spain has a governmental body whose sole business it is to determine correct usage of the Spanish language. It is also of interest to note that nobody in South America seems to give a damn. Shall we declare ourselves to be similar arbiters of correctness in this case? IMHO (see I can do it too), someone surely ought to enforce a standard of technical correctness, but it may be like standing in the Mississippi river with one's arms outstretched trying to hold back the flood.

You are absolutely correct in declaring that the ultimate purpose is to communicate effectively. What shall we do when we find it necessary to communicate our ideas to a majority who do it like pg2? It could never happen? I don't know. we have already abandoned so much of what used to constitute "education". And here in the USA we have already chosen to become effectively bi-lingual rather than require our "immigrant" friends from the south to become proficient in English. It's like a bad sci-fi story and I have written far too much already.

You appear to be one of perhaps a half dozen commentators who speak out effectively in most threads that I scan. Perhaps your influence can be felt for good in this regard. Respectfully,

Lonnie

"IMHO (see I can do it too), someone surely ought to enforce a standard of technical correctness, but it may be like standing in the Mississippi river with one's arms outstretched trying to hold back the flood."

Firstly it would like to point out that the use of acronyms can be CRIMINAL. Confused Regional Interpretation of Multilingual International Nomenclature & Acronymic Language.

Secondly if whenever this sort of pseudo English crops up at CR4 it gets jumped on and the folly of their ways is pointed out immediately then maybe we can at least have one site on the planet that shows how powerful and concise the English language can be when used correctly. As I stated earlier those that use it believe it to save time but in reality the multiple readers end up spending far more time translating it to a useable form that could ever be saved in the initial typing. Hopefully with future improvements in voice to text systems the use of this abbreviated form of English will become redundant.

"And here in the USA we have already chosen to become effectively bi-lingual rather than require our "immigrant" friends from the south to become proficient in English."

I am interested to hear that Australia is not the only country that is having problems with people not being able to speak English. Recently the Australian government introduced an English skills assessment program that checks all would be skilled immigrants to see if they are proficient in English. If they do not pass the written and spoken test they don't get a visa and there has been a push to see this expanded to all immigrants. It sounds oppressive but it dose make sense.

By the way did you know that the word "and" is a conjunction or word that is used to join two ideas within a sentence and therefore can never be used at the beginning of a sentence?

Masu

Thank you for the reply. During the last couple of minutes a thousand ideas concerning use of language and historical precedents, outdated grammar rules as well as grammar rules that are NOT outdated, writing for print as opposed to writing conversationally, choosing an appropriate level for the material and the venue, appropriate form and structure, readability and sensibility, and etc. and etc. have been going through my head.

You or I or many others could probably pick any paragraph of any comment in any thread on this site and "improve" it but I don't think that would really promote the interaction that is going on here. I am a newcomer to this site but I have certainly been enjoying it. Even as I am enjoying engaging yourself in thoughtful conversation.

Communicating detailed technical information in an accessible manner is perhaps the most difficult writing imaginable. Statistically that would seem so since there is so much of it done poorly. I sound arrogant don't I? I apologize.

Bottom line...If my use of the word "and" was the biggest flaw that you discovered in my thinking and writing, I am just tickled pink! What a nice compliment! Have a great day...or night...or whatever time it is in Australia.

Lonnie

Hi Lonnie,

"Communicating detailed technical information in an accessible manner is perhaps the most difficult writing imaginable. Statistically that would seem so since there is so much of it done poorly. I sound arrogant don't I? I apologize."

I can assure you that you do not sound arrogant, it's more likely to be me with my nit picking pedantic grammatical corrections.

You are absolutely correct when you state that technical writing is the hardest and most difficult form of the language. It is a great pity that secondary educators seem so intent in studying the drunken ravings of authors like F. Scott Fitzgerald rather that teaching the structure of the languages and writing techniques. Trying to figure out what he actually meant through the drunken haze when the wrote The Great Gatsby was a monumental waste of time effort and paper.

This seeming oversight meant that like every other engineer of my age I had no option to bumble my way through and develop my own style of technical writing. Technical writing is a tool that I use every day, the study of the book The Great Gatsby is something I have only ever referred to a waste of time.

English literature should have been a subject that I studied after I had the tools I needed rather instead of.

The problem seem to be not only an Australian problem as the proliferation of poorly written, confusing, ambiguous, manuals has reached pandemic proportions world wide. However educators continue skip over the subject of English grammar and spelling in favor of dubious pseudo literary works while tolerating gibberish like pg2s post.

I agree with you that because of the internet and cellphone text messages, people now a day tends to type in short hand (I think they call this form of communication internet English or something similar.) However, for most of us, it is a common courtesy to type in the "formal" English, that is not to say that we can't use "u" for you once in a while. However, if the whole post is written strictly out of "internet English", then where do we go from there?? Do we accept this type of writing in a school paper?? Or in the Newspaper?? I think not!

MidniteFighter

Whilst I agree with all that's been said about the use of 'Text grammar' or 'mobile phone text' etc...

I do think that here in the UK the education system has sadly declined to the extent that, as a lecturer told me recently, nowadays a student at university must not be judged by their use or lack of use of English grammar when they submit a report to their lecturers!!

Apparently, as the syllabus is now set by a single group of people, English is just another subject and therefore lack of use of correct English in another subject should not be the cause for the lecturer to mark them down...

That lecturer then explained that he had several final year students doing degree courses which will require their ability to write reports etc... they will be passing their degrees even though a couple are dyslexic and the rest couldn't spell or use punctuation!!!

Also, because the lecturers shouldn't assess their English writing skills, they are letting students through courses that would have been helped by the lecturer suggesting that extra time spent on tuition in English language is needed.

So I don't blame the student its the system that's letting them down...

John.

PS I use abbreviations as well as shorthand for some communications, but not for important reports etc...

The lack of an ability to express oneself using written English seem to be a multinational problem and it has been getting worse for some time now. I find it a great concern when younger people say that the way they learnt about English grammar was through the study of a second language. If it is so important in a second language then why not in a first language?

My personal opinion is that English should be broken up into a core subject that covers grammar, spelling etc and then electives like English literature, drama, poetry, technical and report writing etc. Done this way the students could select the subjects they would need to develop the tools for their future studies and work.

As for spelling I must admit that I would be one of the worst spellers on the planet. That's what I thought until I started work and found people coming to me for help spelling. I believe the problem is that engineers and scientific people are comfortable with the laws of nature that are rigidly adhered to. When the come across spelling rules and find that there are as many exceptions as applications then just can't get their head around it. I personally find spell checkers an absolute necessity but not as a tool that automatically corrects mistakes. Whenever possible I use them to just tell me that I have made a mistake and then attempt to fix the mistake myself. I only go for the list if I get stuck.

All I can say is that the overemphasis of English literature at the detriment of the structure and use of the English language was a huge disadvantage both as a student and engineer. Regardless of the curriculum I would suggest to any student studying engineering a course in English grammar and technical writing will be time very well spent.

I have to agree with you Masu, I well remember the days at school when the English lessons were about discussing the 'book of the week' Great Expectations, Lord of the Flies, Jane Eyre etc... etc...

Much too much emphasis was on what authors had already written, the story the style of writing etc... and very little on language basics, where words originated from, what style of writing is most appropriate today and for different audiences and so on...

I've always been fascinated with words and names... but only after I learnt French and then German plus a bit of Latin, then it became fascinating to see the derivations and origins of everyday words such as petroleum (I love this example!!) from latin petr meaning rock and oleum meaning oil, in other words 'oil from rock' so that tells you what petroleum is without looking in a dictionary (almost!), shortened to petrol and now, of course to 'gas' for the Americans, which I think is a bit misleading but who am I to say?

I agree with the selecting of the direction of English language studies, however, I can't see it happening...

Oh! and I wasn't very good at spelling or grammar, until I started my own business and found that if you send a letter to a computer programmer, he will always find the grammatical mistakes because the computer languages we were brought up using were terribly pedantic... a misplaced comma could cause a whole program to cease to work! A mis-spelt command would cause a crash etc...

Many hours were wasted de-bugging software for my first computers in the mid 70's, purely because of a comma or spelling mistake!! A pretty good way of making you aware of the language you use everyday I guess??!

John.

"Many hours were wasted de-bugging software for my first computers in the mid 70's, purely because of a comma or spelling mistake!! A pretty good way of making you aware of the language you use everyday I guess??!"

I can remember spending several days trying to debug a program where a comma had been accidentally inserted instead of a period. This was compounded by the fact that the pin on the printer that printed the tail of the comma was jammed and comas looked like periods on the print outs. Oh the dreaded "SYNTAX ERROR"!

I have never had a great deal of trouble learning different computer languages but the written and spoken word is a whole different thing. I think it is to do with the rigidity of computer language grammar and the fact that they all have the same structure compared to the highly fluid and exceptional structure of the literary languages. Same sort of thing as the spelling where there are as many exceptions to a rule as applications.

One of the novels we were forced to study was "The Great Gatsby". To this day I really cant see the relevance of trying to figure out what F. Scott Fitzgerald did or didn't say in his alcoholic haze has to do with the sort of writing I currently use.

"I've always been fascinated with words and names..."

I have also found this fascinating and I believe it has something to do with the way engineers think. I bet you were like me as a child. After half an hour of playing with a new toy you just couldn't stand not knowing how it worked and need to pull it apart. It's the same sort of thing really, we have this hard wired need to know what makes something tick and how it came about.

I firmly believe engineering is something you are born with and it isn't something that can be taught. You can always pick which child in the class is going to be an engineer, there the ones surrounded by their collection of bits and pieces they have taken from dismantled toys.

Engineers seem to have this little voice inside their heads saying

"Go on pull it to pieces, don't resist, you really want to know what makes it work so jut pull it apart"

Masu,

I once took a course in the University for Technical Communication for Engineer, and the first thing they told us was a survey they did asking these questions to the upper managements:

a) How important is it for an engineer to efficiently communicate their ideas to them?

b) How important is it for an engineer to communicate their idea orally?? Written? and,

c) Do spelling matter to them?

And this is what they found. All surveyed said it is very important for the engineers to have efficient communication skills, both written and orally. However, when asked about spelling on a technical paper, only 38% said it was important for the writer to spell things correctly. Most only want a concise paper that convey the writer's idea efficiently, spelling doesn't matter. This fact is a big surprise to me. I don't know this has alway been this way, or is it the acceptable norm due to technology?

MIdniteFighter

Hmmmm that's probably because the survey was answered by 'upper management'...

As we all know from the Dilbert cartoons, which are remarkably accurate in a depressing sort of way, Upper management wouldn't know how to spell 'thermodynamics' (let alone understand what it was) so of course they wouldn't be concerned about a spelling error!!

John

6 mumfs ugo I didnut no what a upher levl maniger wus now I are wun!

When did engineering become "a profession?"

Although you have been provided some good counsel here, I would suppose you are having difficulty finding comfort in general with the overall response. Why? First and foremost, because your very post seems to have a major internal inconsistency. You first ask about secrets (about easy ways it could be supposed) of report writing; but then go on to expound about the difficulties you have with reading and understanding the material in your work book--thus indicating that it is both the writing technique--the syntax--and the subject matter as well with which you have difficulty. One guest seems to have intuited that reading skill might be partially at the root of the matter, and that perception might well be true. So, for the sake of clarity let us proceed on the assumption (whether or not true) that subject matter is not the problem for you, so we can focus on what you explicitly asked: for a "secret" of writing reports. The answer in that case would be that, indeed, there are no secrets. Journalistic styles for engineering as well as other scientific branches are well established and (ideally at least) universally used; so your first step would be to seek out handbooks/style guides in order to learn about the journalistic styles and techniques peculiar to your discipline. By the weigh, this matter of reporting style is something that most (destined to be successful) engineering students will (in times past at least) have first encountered at the secondary school, or even middle school, level; but, granted, people have much wider background entree into advanced disciplines nowadays than in times past.

Now, will merely learning about standard styles and formats be a panacea as regards your reading comprehension and writing difficulties? Sorry to say, no, for there is one ubiquitous variable that also enters into the picture: the high degree of poor writing and inordinate amount of poorly edited published materials--textbooks being no exception--that are foisted (most especially) upon students--especially in the engineering fields! Ironically, the special engineering disciplines which would seem to lend themselves most readily to easy, clear documentation are, as often as not, the ones that present the greatest problems for writers. This aspect, poorly written and edited training material--sad to say--is just something you will have to struggle with--while making use of the interpersonal techniques as described in other posts--until you have gained sufficient subject mastery...to know bad writing when you see it, yet be able to extract intended (read: simplified and succinct) meaning in spite of poor original presentation, text or workbook or otherwise. As you gain proficiency in following established styles (from syle guides) you will find, that with better writing and reading skills, your comprehension of all subject matters--even poorly written matter (as, perhaps, is your workbook)--will begin to improve at (shall we say?) an exponential rate.

Now then, having explained all this, is there any comfort to be taken in your present plight? Yes, I would assert, in that you are not alone in being overwhelmed somewhat by your present difficulties. That is to say, that it is a majority of undergraduate students--and a significant portion of even post-graduate and professional school students--who encounter a kind of "learning curve" shock upon leaving secondary (or prior) schooling behind. Which is to say, that most collegians embark upon their degree programs having never read--anything--to any degree of persistency, or at other than the most rudimentary level, on an ongoing (habitual) basis; they are not, therefore, accustomed to learning from reading but, rather, from being taught what they should have read--unlike college in which, increasingly, it will be expected that the learner will have learned primarily by self teaching (with guidance) based on extensive reading. So, if it is the case with you that your experience with reading has heretofore been shortshrifted, therein lies the key to your "catching up" to the academic levels of proficiency which will be the key to your success both in college and thereafter. You should embark on a "program" of reading--reading in both your field and other areas of literature--as often as you are able and as much as you are able...to the point where reading itself--even of complex material--even of elevated styles--becomes second nature to you. This attainment to adequacy might be called: reading maturation--something that is, or ought to be, a primary end goal of any college baccalaureate degree program. As you are able to read and comrehend ably, you will find yourself automatically able to write better. Judging by the very nature and presentation of your initial post, this, my friend, would be the secret you are seeking. But understand, that it is not a secret for easiness, but rather a secret for competancy...and greater ultimate fulfillment, no matter what your ultimate "chosen" area of expertise turns out to be. Did I also mention...and re-reading...until you get it right?

Your post is, in my opinion, right on target for this young lady. Your comments on the quality of some technical writing as well. We, most unfortunately, have generations of intelligent young people who, for whatever reason, do not have the ability to extract meaning and information from the written page. It is a sad thing. But don't you think you might have expressed yourself much more clearly and succinctly--as a good text book ought to? Or as expressed in the famous quote (and so applicable to myself), "I'm sorry, I didn't have time to write less."

Lonnie

Regret to have to inform...no. But all writing has its own particular purpose and context. Perhaps you did not perceive that my message to the young student was not intended as text book or as technical writing. Had I known I was in the presence of a natural critic (possibly a technical writing editor?) I might have been compelled to take a different approach? Nah!

Guest

I am sorry. I did not mean to offend you. I was kinda pulling your leg because you did in fact almost write a book for that young lady. And your sentences were in fact about as convoluted as some textbooks. I'm sympathetic. I tend to do that a lot myself.

Nah, I don't have any credentials worth mentioning. I just enjoy engaging in the conversation and perhaps sharing a bit of experience from time to time.

Think I'll quietly back on out of here. Best wishes to...Guest?

If Maydayrocks is Malaysian as she says in an earlier Thread, I think the fact that she has a better than average grasp of the English language is nothing to take the piss out of. I have worked all over the world and been labeled as a TCN (Third Country National) which is fair enough, if I am not from the Host Nation (HCN) or of the Occupying (First) Nation (FCN who wants to admit it in the 21st century?). But it is the fact the word third indicates to many; Third World and being such I am treated as a second class citizen (you work abroad you accept these things its your choice). After seeing the condition of so many First World countries and I see their democracies and social standards devolving and dividing. The term those who live in glass houses should not throw stones is only more relevant.

maydayrocks, I had a further think about your dilemma and remembered how difficult I found technical writing was when I was a student. Unfortunately much of the teaching of languages today is centered around the study of literature at the detriment of the technical aspects of writing. This seems to be an ever increasing problem in the developed English speaking nations like Australia and the USA.

I had a look on the internet for some guides to technical writing that may be of help and found these.

On Line Technical Writing

Technical Writing Made Easier

Technical Writing for Engineers

I have not read these papers but it may help you understand the concepts behind writing a technical paper and give you something to work with.

Don't worry about the criticism you have had, if you are truly willing to learn and not just trying to get somebody to do your work then CR4 can be a great help. A large part of engineering is experience and there is a broad spectrum of engineering experience hare at CR4 that most are only too willing to share.

thanks for the links.. i'll check them out... thanks a lot again for all your help^^