A technical description can be about almost anything that you are familiar
with. A calculator, a machine, a computer, a coffee maker, a fire alarm, or
a scientific process such as chromatography.
For example: Do you have a transistor radio, a tape recorder, or a CD
player? A technical description would tell the reader the following sorts
of things -
1. What is it?
2. Who made it?
3. What colour it it?
4. How big is it?
5. How heavy is it?
6. How much does it cost?
7. Does it have any special or unusual features?
The length of the description would probably be somewhere between 200 and
350 words. Here are some short examples, to show you various styles of English:
Spelling and grammar are important, and so too is the style of language
employed. Have a look at the following descriptions.
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(a) If you need a good calculator, the Excel 405-B is the one for you. It's packed with features, but won't take up much space on your desk. Best of all, it won't cost you a fortune. At less than thirty-six bucks, it's a steal! | |
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Comment: |
This is the sort of English that you find in advertisements. However, it's not the sort of language that you would normally use in your job or studies. |
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(b) If you want a good calculator, I can really recommend the Excel 405-B. It has lots of useful features, and is small enough to carry in your coat pocket. It only cost me about $35. | |
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Comment: |
This is informal but very acceptable English. Unfortunately, the description does not tell us anything about the "useful features" of the calculator. |
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(c) The Excel 405-B Scientific Calculator has 132 standard mathematical functions, memory, and a 12-digit display. It permits the special use of either scientific or engineering notation, and also has a selectable statistics mode. It is not programmable. It measures 150 x 80 x 20 mm, weighs 175 grams, and uses a single AA battery. The cost is $35.95. | |
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Comment:
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This is formal English, but not "too heavy". It gives the main facts that you need to know about a calculator. However, it is very "dry" language: it's not very interesting. |
Generally, the sort of language to use is something like (b) and (c): the
sort of language that you'd find in articles in a magazine such as Time, or
product brochures.
Bruce
1st October 1997
e-mail
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