What's the difference between a definition and a description? How do you write clear, easy-to-follow instructions? What's an abstract -- is it, for instance, the same as a summary? Whether English is your first or second language, as a students of technical writing you'll need answers to questions like these. In Getting Technical: An Introduction to Technical Writing, Miranda Oliver provides you with the answers. She also shows how to communicate detailed technical information in a concise, straightforward way. Her book takes nothing for granted. Starting with instructions on how to write clear, coherent paragraphs, she carefully explains and demonstrates the techniques successful technical writers use and their reasons for employing them. But Getting Technical doesn't stop there. It includes practice exercises and answers so that you can evaluate your own progress. This book, through its clear organisation, logical presentation and simplicity of language, takes the time to show you both the hows and the whys of technical writing, a field that currently holds out the promise of employment to someone eager and willing to learn.