Technical writers modify their main ideas with prepositional phrases. But their use of an abundance of phrases can result in overmodification and misplacement of modifiers, which can lead to obscuration of meanings and confusion to readers. The writers should reduce such phrasing, strengthen their verbs, and thus clarify their main ideas.
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References
1.
Remember the Tradition?, Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, 7:3, 1977.
2.
Who'll Listen to You?, The Toastmaster, August 1977.
3.
Read It Aloud … to Improve Your Report, Quality Progress, April 1977.
