English 222: Technical Writing: Writing Definitions Unit

Writing Definitions Unit Overview

Good technical writing is always reader-focused. In order to understand a document, though, readers must understand the terms and phrases used in that document. To ensure understanding, then, good technical writers always try to define important terms, especially those which are new or specialized.

To develop your definition writing abilities, we’ll work on several different types of tasks.

Writing Definitions Unit Materials

• Task: Writing a Simple Definition
• Lecture: Definition Principles from Writing Simple Tool Use Descriptions
• Lecture: Writing Effective Definitions
• Assignment: Definitions of Major
• Task: Defining Terms Related to College Life
• Wikipedia (a community web site of elaborated definitions)
  • Wikipedia entry on “IUP”
  • Wikipedia entry on “computer programming”
  • Wikipedia entry on “technical writing”
• The H2G2 Project (a more fun community web site of elaborated definitions based on Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy)
  • H2G2 definition of IUP (a fairly positive definition)
  • H2G2 definition of “computer programming” (a somewhat critical but light-hearted definition)
  • H2G2 definition of “technical writing” (another sarcastic definition)
• Task: Writing Elaborated Definitions
• Assignment: Definitions of Terms

Technical Writing Definitions

• Formal Definition of “Technical Writing” (by Dr. Pagnucci)
• Online Definition of “Technical Writing” (from Wikipedia)
• Humorous Definition of “Technical Writing” (from The H2G2 Project)