2. By the end of the lesson you will learn to:
Understand what are reports
Identify the features of a report
Be familiar with the format of a report
Plan and write a report (based on an actual assignment)
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN TODAY!
3. A report is concerned with everything that you hear,
see smell, touch or taste. Anything that can be verified
as real and concrete.
Usually written for the following reasons:
Document an action, fact or observation
Provide proof of something or to account for some activity.
Recommend a course of action to address problems or issues
highlighted by your observations
WHAT ARE REPORTS?
4. Tone & register:
Formal…no such thing as a informal report!
Formal because it might need to be authoritative and/or convincing.
Language Features:
Reports are written in the passive voice
Reports make use of clear concise verbs
Reports make use of pronouns (not personal pronouns)
Reports are written in paragraphs.
FEATURES, TONE AND REGISTER OF
A REPORT
5. Feature 1: Use of Passive Voice
The focus of the sentence is on the recipient of the action or the
“object” of the sentence.
E.g. “The tree was cut down by the lumberjack”.
Purpose of passive voice: To place emphasis on the issues,
activities or processes that are being addressed.
Gives the report a sense of objectivity.
LANGUAGE FEATURES OF A
REPORT
6. Feature 2: Clear concise verbs
Reports are not written in a casual manner – this means that
there are no verb phrases in the writing. E.g. of a verb phrase
is:
“…data management systems can help out users in diagnosing
problems with data storage…
Reports are written in a formal manner – this means
replacing verb phrases with a concise (single) verb rather
than a phrase:
“…data management systems can assist users in diagnosing
problems with data storage…”
LANGUAGE FEATURES OF A
REPORT
7. Feature 3: Use of Pronouns (other than personal
pronouns)
The use of personal pronouns makes the writing more
informal – The writer wants to build a personal relationship
with his/her readers.
For effective reports, the writer must sound a bit more
detached and not directly involved with the matters being
raised by the report.
E.g. “We have estimated that about 80% of mobile phone
users use the Short Message Service (SMS) to communicate
with their friends and relations…”
Can you change it to a third person pronoun?
LANGUAGE FEATURES OF A
REPORTS
8. Feature 4: Write in paragraphs
All reports (and for that matter) any written piece of work should
be written in paragraphs. Here is the structure of a standard
paragraph:
Topic sentence: The main idea or theme the writer wants to convey.
Supporting sentence(s): Add a point or points to support the stand or
the main idea expressed in the Topic sentence.
Concluding paragraph: Write a sentence that summarises or concludes
the main idea
LANGUAGE FEATURES OF A
REPORT
9. Written in paragraphs:
Logical sequence to improve understanding -
First paragraph clearly states what the report is going to be about.
Second paragraph through to the end must focus on the facts arranged in
systematic order. (Chronologically if required)
Conclusion:
Clearly summarises what is the main idea behind the report and;
recommendations you are prepared to make
(check your question to see if you have covered all the areas)
STRUCTURE OF A REPORT
10. To:(the name of the person the report is sent to)
From:(the person writing the report)
Date: (the date when the report was written)
Title of Heading (Not indented but must be underlined)
Body of the report
(No need for signature line)
FORMAT OF A REPORT
11. Candidates must be able to select what is important
and relevant from the mass of ideas and information
provided in the question.
The points selected should be then included in their
report.
PLANNING A REPORT