A report is a text that factual and objective an event or. an action (z.B. a traffic accident). The opinion of the author does not appear in it. The aim is to inform the reader about a topic exactly to inform. Therefore, unimportant information is omitted. There are Different Types of reports – you may have encountered one of the following yourself: Accident report, police report, travel report, internship report or newspaper report.
Note that the report from Introduction, Main body and Conclusion exists.
The W-questions
Now what information is important for writing a report? These so-called W-questions Must never be missing from your report!
- Who? (Who was present/involved?)
- What? (What happened?)
- When? (date and time of the event)
- Where? (place where the event happened)
- How? (How did the event happen? How was the course?)
- Why? (For what reasons did it happen? What were the causes?)
- What were the consequences? (What effects does the event have?)
The correct order
The important thing to remember when writing a report is Order. Include the W-questions in your report as follows:
In the Introduction the answers to the W-questions belong to the Who? What? When? Where? On Wednesday afternoon, 11. January 2015 about 17.00 o’clock, a serious traffic accident between a 26-year-old motorcyclist and an 18-year-old female driver occurred at the intersection of Berliner Strabe and Im Erlich in Heidelberg.
In the main body you write the answers to the W-questions: What? How? Why? According to initial information, the young woman allegedly overlooked the motorcyclist and took his right of way. The collision occurred. Eyewitnesses informed the police and rescue service.
At Conclude do you address the following W question: What consequences? Both drivers were taken to the local hospital with serious injuries. Her condition remains critical. The material damage amounts to about 15.000 euros.
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The language of the report
The language of the report is always factual and clear. It goes with a report not (as in a narrative) to create suspense. Remember, then, that in a report the reader is informed factually about an event or action.
Right:On Wednesday afternoon, 11. January 2015 about 17.00 o’clock, a serious traffic accident occurred at the intersection Berliner Strabe/ Im Erlich in Heidelberg between a 26-year-old motorcyclist and an 18-year-old female driver. According to initial reports, the young woman allegedly failed to see the motorcyclist and cut him off in the right of way. This is when the collision occurred. Eyewitnesses gave first aid and informed the police and the rescue service. Both drivers were taken to the local hospital with serious injuries. Her condition is still critical. Why the woman overlooked the motorcyclist is not yet clear. The property damage amounts to about 15.000 euros.
colloquial language, literal speech, conjecture and Your own opinion have in a report nothing to search. Avoid this therefore!
So don’t write:On Wednesday, sometime in the afternoon, a nastily brutal traffic accident occurred at an intersection in Heidelberg, Germany, in which a poor novice driver presumably took the right of way from a cool biker. "The young woman failed to see the motorcyclist and cut him off in the right of way," Police Chief Peter Birch announced. Fortunately, eyewitnesses immediately provided first aid and informed the police and rescue service. I’m glad I wasn’t on the scene, since I can’t see blood. The young female driver and the motorcyclist were quickly taken to hospital. The property damage is – hold on to yourselves! – a proud 15.000 euros. Crass, or?
The tense
The tense used in a report is the Past tense. After all, it is reported of something that has already happened and therefore already Past is.
Examples:
On Wednesday afternoon, 11. January 2015 at 17.00 o’clock, occurred a serious traffic accident occurred at the intersection of Berliner Strasse and Im Erlich in Heidelberg.
At the same time came it comes to the collision.
Eyewitness Informed the police and rescue service. Both drivers Were seriously injured and brought to the local hospital.