Ex. 22. Translate the sentences.

1. Боюсь, решение не будет принято до следующего утра.

2. Тебя когда-нибудь кусала собака?

3. К сожалению, меня не часто приглашают на вечеринки.

4. У него вчера не было машины. Её ремонтировали в автомастерской.

5. Где мой велосипед? Он исчез! Его украли!

6. Вам вышлют результаты экзамена, как только они будут готовы.

7. Когда я ему позвонил, он был занят: у него брали интервью.

8. Тэда ужалила пчела, когда он сидел в саду.

9. Я думаю, тебе нужно подстричься. Когда ты был в парикмахерской в последний раз?

10. Каким иностранным языкам обучают в вашем университете?

11. Над ним часто смеются. Он такой забавный.

12. Я обещаю, за ребенком хорошо присмотрят.

13. Моя комната очень чистая: постель заправлена, пол подметен, посуда вымыта.

14. Нас попросили приехать в 8 часов, но мы опоздали на поезд, так как застряли в пробке.

• WRITING

Read the article about how to write a geed instruction and then make up your own “How to” considering the advice given in the text.

The Elements of Good Instructions

People often complain that most directions are impossible to follow. In fact, this type of complaint is often leveled against may types of Technical Writing, and often justifiably so. The reason for the complaint, though, is that too many writers ignore some of the most fundamental rules to writing effective instructions:

Basic Assumptions for Writing Instructions

• readers will not read all your instructions

• some people will try to work without reading the instructions at all (reading the instructions is often a last resort)

• you need to keep instructions short and simple

• don't over assume about your reader's ability (or patience)

• think carefully about the type of reader you will have for the instructions

Write for the User

• make sure your instructions are helpful and written for your users

• be specific

• provide encouragement (for example, "If you hear a chime, you've done part A correctly and are now ready for part B. Good work!")

• define terms that readers may not know

• pace your instructions carefully (don't say, "do step 1, then step 2, then step 10;" if you jump over too much information, your readers will get lost)

• anticipate problems and places where your readers might get lost; warn your readers if they are likely to find something confusing (for example, "at this point, be sure not to select option 3--instead choose option 2; option 3 is for later")

• summarize information (for example, "you've now covered part one, ignition, and the machine should now be running")

• test your instructions to make sure they work; many sets of instructions are hard to follow because no one ever bothered to test them and so simple problems with the directions were missed

• ask someone else to test your instructions, too, to make sure you haven't assumed too much information; it has to be clear to your user, not just to you

Quantity of Instructions

• shorter is better and less confusing

• 10 steps or less is the ideal

• if you have 15 or more steps, try to divide the task in half

• if you have too many steps and someone makes a mistake late in the process, they may have to go all the way back to the beginning and completely restart

"Chunking" Information

• break large sets of instructions into smaller units; this is called "chunking"

• this allows people to have places to stop and track their progress

• smaller units organized around a common theme are easier to understand

• smaller units of instructions also won't tire your readers out as quickly

• small units look, and actually are, easier to do

Layout

• don't forget about the rules of document design

• use headings to organize your instructions

• use bullets for lists

• use numbers for sequential lists of information

• include diagrams and other visuals aids to clarify meaning

Progress Checking/Landmarks

• readers are more likely to be able to successfully follow directions if they can check their progress as they go

• include landmarks that tell readers they are on the right track (for example, "after pressing F2, you will see a blue screen")

• make sure your landmarks are easy to spot

• permanent landmarks are better than temporary ones (don't say, "you will see a blue screen" if sometimes the screen will be red)

• you can also use landmarks to warn people (for example, "do not press delete or you will erase your disk") or to let them know if they've gone off track (for example, "if you see a red gas station, you've driven too far")

• you also want to give readers a chance to test how well they are following your directions (for example, "if you've done these first 5 steps correctly, you should hear a bell chime")

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