Tutorial on Usage
in Scientific Writing
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Usage refers to the way that we use words. For example, when is it proper to use affect as opposed to effect? Likewise, when should you select principal and when you choose principle? Because English contains words from so many different languages, learning all the usage rules of English is challenging. In effect, English has few rules for grammar, but many rules for usage [1-4].
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Besides choosing the correct root word, usage also encompasses selecting the proper form of each word. For instance, usage includes whether to use criterion (the singular form) as opposed to criteria (the plural form). Likewise, with verbs, usages includes determining the correct tense--for instance, whether to select "The results showed..." as opposed to "The results show...." In science and engineering, the difference as far as meaning in this last example is stark.
Not all usage errors strike audiences the same way. For that reason, this tutorial focuses on two types of issue: ones that could unsettle your readers, such as not knowing the difference between affect and effect, and ones that occur so often in scientific writing that they warrant learning (for example, the difference between compare with and compare to. Finally, the tutorial focuses on errors made by those for whom English is the native language. Because people with different first languages face different obstacles when learning English, a usage guide that would encompass all the errors made by people for whom English is a second language would be exhausting. For such engineers and scientists, I encourage you to consult an expert in your language. |
1. Take Usage Skills Test
This quiz tests your practical knowledge of usage by having you identify common usage errors that occur in professional writing. Take the quiz and then check your answers in the key, Recognizing and correcting errors is an important part of understanding punctuation. Also important, though, is using your understanding of usage to master strategies important in scientific writing. The following films interweave the teaching of usage with valuable strategies for avoiding ambiguities.
This quiz tests your practical knowledge of usage by having you identify common usage errors that occur in professional writing. Take the quiz and then check your answers in the key, Recognizing and correcting errors is an important part of understanding punctuation. Also important, though, is using your understanding of usage to master strategies important in scientific writing. The following films interweave the teaching of usage with valuable strategies for avoiding ambiguities.
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2. Word Choice: View Films and Perform Exercises
These films discuss word pairs that engineers and scientists commonly confuse. One example would be affect and effect. Another would be that and which. Usage #1: Word Choice (Basic) Usage #2: Word Choice (Advanced) |
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References
- Michael Alley, The Craft of Scientific Writing, 4th ed. (New York: Springer, 2018), Appendix C
- Patricia O'Conner, Woe Is I: The Grammarphobe's Guide to Better English in Plain English, 3rd ed. (New York: Riverhead Books, 2009).
- Cheryl Glenn and Loretta Gray, The Writer's Harbrace Handbook, 5th ed. (Boston: Cengage Learning, 2012).
- William A. Sabin, The Gregg Reference Manual: A Manual of Style, Grammar, Usage, and Formatting, 11th ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010).
