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As professional engineer you spend at least 25 per cent of your time communicating with clients and col leagues through your writing. It's important that your writing communicates well. Avoiding some of the more common errors and poor practices will improve the clarity and effectiveness of your documents.
Avoid the passive voice
Take the following example: "The 33 acres surrounding 1000 Blank Avenue were tested by representatives of the MOE and found to have a considerable magnitude of local contaminants. As a result, the buildings in close proximity to the property will be contaminated as well."
The passage, while not incorrect, uses awkward and wordy phrases such as "considerable magnitude" and "in close proximity." It is also written in the passive voice, which is when the subject of the sentence is acted upon, rather than doing the acting.
Changing the passive voice to active voice and defining an acronym like "MOE" for readers possibly unfamiliar with the term, results in the following, more direct sentence:
"Representatives of the Ministry of the Environment tested the 33 acres surrounding 1000 Blank Avenue and found the land considerably contaminated. As a result, the buildings close to the property will also be contaminated."
Using the active voice in a report will sound stronger, more direct and more convincing. The active voice also makes the writing...