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English 2311 Students
Instructions/Procedures Assignment
Write a set of instructions OR procedures and a memo of transmittal
to me. The memo of transmittal should do the following three things:
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¤escribe the source of your knowledge of the process
describe your audience
explain how you tailored your writing for your audience.
Instructions
Write a set of instructions in which you describe how to do something. It
can be anything from canning peaches to cleaning trout to planting a garden.
Instructions are usually specific and detailed to help the reader correctly
follow each step. Usually, instructions use imperative verbs (commands
with an understood ou3ubject).
Procedures
Write a set of procedures in which you describe how to do something.
Procedures are usually less detailed than instructions. Procedures are often
used as guidelines for performing a process, particularly when specific
instructions cannot be given. For example, you can write instructions for
planting roses, but you would write procedures for teaching a salesperson
how to approach a customer. The salesperson would apply the procedures
according to the particular situation. Procedures usually use an indicative
verb with a more common subject/verb declarative sentence construction.
Chapter 14 Information on Writing Instructions
You can see examples of instructions on pages 413-416. You should follow
the advice from our textbook about drafting a set of instructions:
Drafting a Title for Instructions (page 407)
Drafting an Introduction for Instructions (pages 407-409)
Drafting Steps in Instructions (pages 409-410)
Using Signal Words for Safety Warnings (pages 405-407)
Drafting a Conclusion for Instructions (page 410)
Conducting Usability Testing on Instructions (pages 411-412)
Audience Analysis
Take into consideration who your reader will be and under what conditions
the reader will be following your instructions or procedures. Some elements
to remember include:
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warnings, cautions, and notes (and reasoning)
theory or principles of operation
how long the process will take
facilities, equipment, and materials
what level of expertise is needed
graphics (illustrations, drawings, photographs)
tips and troubleshooting
need for a glossary
document design (white space, type size, chunking)
purpose of instructions or procedures
Stylistic Considerations
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2.
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4.
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6.
Use short sentences.
Keep subjects and verbs close together.
Use action verbs.
Make instructions sound like spoken English.
Use language your reader can visualize.
Use imperative mood for instructions and indicative mood for
procedures. (Markel and Selber discuss this verb usage on page 409.)

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