[M.K. Thompson] Message over mechanics

I received a number of questions and comments from readers about my most recent column on writing. Several have been paraphrased below for convenience.

A student wrote: "I`m afraid of sending e-mail and attending English-speaking class because of grammatical mistakes."



Speaking and writing are forms of communication. Their purpose is to share ideas or information with other people. This is true whether you are communicating something very important like a new scientific breakthrough or doing something very ordinary like ordering lunch.

The "rules" of communication, language, and grammar exist to help you communicate your thoughts as clearly as possible. Just as a wrong note played in a song will distract you from the music, poor grammar can distract your audience from your message. But it is rarely bad enough to make the song, or the message, unrecognizable. It almost never causes your audience to stop listening.

In all forms of communication the message transcends the mechanics. An e-mail written with imperfect grammar but excellent clarity of thought will usually be understood, while a document with excellent grammar but poor organization may be completely incomprehensible. Focus on creating and conveying your message. Once your thoughts are well constructed, you can modify or correct the format.

Everyone makes mistakes. Native speakers and professional writers make grammatical errors too. Don`t let fear rob you of a fantastic opportunity to learn - or to have lunch.

Is sending e-mail is really better than writing in a diary? What are the advantages to sending e-mail?

Writing an e-mail and writing in a diary are fundamentally different activities. The purpose, audience, content, and style are all different.

When you write in a diary, you write for yourself. The prose is usually written as a stream of consciousness narrative. You transfer your thoughts to paper as they occur. There is little or no organization or editing. There is no need. You will understand what you have written even if no one else would.

An e-mail, by its very nature, is intended to be read by others. You are delivering new ideas and information for a specific purpose. You must provide enough details for your audience to understand that purpose. You must attract and retain your audience with the style and tone of your prose. There are immediate and tangible benefits to both you and your correspondents if your writing improves. There are real consequences for a failure to communicate.

Learning is always easier when there is an immediate need for the subject matter being taught. E-mail can provide this. A diary cannot.

An engineer wrote: "I definitely agree that, as you said, abundant practices will improve writing skills, but I think there is a limitation in developing just by writing a lot. Are there any books you would recommend for better writing, or is there more specific advice you can give to me?"

The book that I use the most is the "Mayfield Handbook of Technical and Scientific Writing." It contains everything from how to structure documents to the nitty gritty details about grammar and punctuation. It won`t teach you how to write fiction or how to do expository writing, but it is very helpful if you are trying to write a lab report, a resume, or a job acceptance letter.

The greatest resource to improve your writing is not a book - it is other people. Our thoughts are not always transferred correctly to paper. And we often see what we meant to say instead of what we actually said. Friends, family members, colleagues, and professional editors will only see what is written on the page. They can help you to understand where your writing has been successful and where more work is needed.

A writing review should take a top down approach. First, look at the topic. Is the overall message of the document appropriate? Next, ask if the overall message is clear. If your reader cannot summarize your work in a few sentences then you have not done your job. Ask if your reader is convinced. Did you provide enough evidence or justification for the conclusions that you have drawn? Ask if they were they interested. Did they enjoy reading your work?

Once you have established that the overall style and content are acceptable, you can work on individual sections or paragraphs. Correct the grammar and punctuation last. There is no point in fixing comma faults if the entire piece must be rewritten.

You never outgrow peer review. The most famous, successful, and influential scholars I know still have colleagues and loved ones review their work before submission. Peer review has another advantage. As you become a better editor, you become a better writer. As usual, helping others tends to help yourself. Have more questions? Send them to mkthompson@an.kaist.ac.kr.



Mary Kathryn Thompson, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. She can be reached at mkthompson@an.kaist.ac.kr. - Ed.