Frequently misused words and Phases in …...All Topics Related to the Two Goals of Being Short and...
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Frequently Misused Words and Phases in Biomedical Writing Dr Steve Wallace
Transcript of Frequently misused words and Phases in …...All Topics Related to the Two Goals of Being Short and...
Frequently Misused Words and
Phases in Biomedical Writing
Dr Steve Wallace
Reasons for Major Revision or Rejection of Taiwanese
Journal Papers
4%
9%
7%
8%
13%
2%
16%
English Errors
27%
7% 7%
Faulty methodology
Inadequate references
Poor quality supporting figures
Outside the scope of journal
Not enough contribution to field
Authors did not follow manuscript instructions
Poor writing style and use of English
Title not representative of study
Subject of little novel interest or not generally
applicable
Poorly written discussion
All Topics Related to the Two
Goals of Being Short and Being
Clear
Two goals in technical writing, to be clear
and to be short.
Outline of Today’s Seminar1) Frequently misused words and phrases
in biomedical writing
2) Pronouns, articles and phrasal verbs in
medical writing
3) Preposition mistranslation problems of
Chinese medical writers
4) Conciseness and clarity in medical
writing
5) Conventions of writing for medical and
biomedical journals
6) Common grammar errors in medical
writing
Outline of Speech
Misused words in Taiwanese technical
papers
Casual English to avoid in medical
writing
Commonly mistranslated phrases
Commonly Misused Words in
Taiwanese Medical Papers
The following is a list of words that are
commonly confused or misused, even by
native English speakers.
acute
The word acute is sometimes used
incorrectly to mean severe.
The terms acute and chronic are correct
when describing the duration of symptoms,
diseases, or conditions.
An acute condition is one that lasts for a
short time, while a chronic condition is one
that lasts for a longer time.
acute (continued)
Example:
“An acute asthma attack in a chronic asthma patient.”
The sentence refers to an asthma attack of relatively short duration (an acute asthma attack) in a patient who has been suffering from asthma for a long time (a chronic asthma patient).
since / becausesince (conjunction): from the time in the
past when
Example“He had wanted to be a biologist since he was 12 years old.”
since (conjunction): because
Example“Since the data were incomplete, the paper could not be published.”
Some style guides prefer that writers use the word since to refer only to time.
“The study could not be performed since
the equipment malfunctioned.”
“The study could not be performed
because the equipment malfunctioned.”
since / because
incidence / prevalence
Incidence and prevalence are statistical measures of disease occurrence. They are closely related but not synonymous.
Incidence refers to new cases, whereas prevalence refers to existing cases.
Period prevalence is the number of existing cases during a particular period of time, whereas
Point prevalence is the number of existing cases on a particular date.
The prevalence rate for asthma increased
from 38 cases per 100,000 in 1990 to 40
cases per 100,000 in 1991.
The incidence rate for asthma increased
from 38 cases per 100,000 in 1990 to 40
cases per 100,000 in 1991.
incidence / prevalence
The incidence of HIV infection in young
adults aged 21 to 24 years was 0.1% in
the United States in 2004.
The prevalence of HIV infection in young
adults aged 21 to 24 years was 0.1% in
the United States in 2004.
incidence / prevalence
less / fewer
Use less for singular, non-countable
nouns (e.g., less water, less mass).
Use fewer for plural, countable nouns
(e.g., fewer glasses, fewer data).
The patient reported drinking fewer water
this week than she had the week before.
The patient reported drinking less water
this week than she had the week before.
incidence / prevalence
The patient reported drinking less glasses
of water this week than she had the week
before.
The patient reported drinking fewer
glasses of water this week than she had
the week before.
incidence / prevalence
affect / effect
As verbs: affect means to influence; effect
means to cause.
As nouns: affect means an emotional
feeling; effect means result.
affect / effect
“The addition of MX-68 to cultured rat cells
affected polyglutamate formation” (i.e.,
could have either increased or decreased).
“The addition of MX-68 to cultured rat cells
effected polyglutamate formation” (i.e.,
caused).
interval / period
Interval: the time between two specific
events
Period: the time during which events occur
can / may
Can: refers to the power or ability to do
something
May: refers to either the possibility or
probability to do something
Continual and Continuous
Continual
intermittent, occurring at repeated intervals
Continuous
uninterrupted, unbroken continuity
common / popular
Popular is often mistakenly used to mean
common, prevalent or widespread.
This can be inappropriate since popular
actually means liked or preferred.
How would you change
this sentence?
Strain of the ACL of the knee is a popular
injury among budo practitioners.
Strain of the ACL of the knee is a
common injury among budo practitioners.
How would you change
this sentence?
Cancer was the most popular cause of
death in this population.
Cancer was the most common cause of
death in this population.
respectively
Frequently misused leading to confusion.
Can be used to save words.
Do not use if it does not conserve words.
Use to refer to two corresponding lists, but
not more.
How would you change
this sentence?
Original: “Air and hydrogen detector flows
for the first run and the second run were
set at 85 and 4 mL/min, respectively.”
Modified: “Air and hydrogen detector
flows were set at 85 and 4 mL/min,
respectively.”
How would you change
this sentence?
Original: “Samples for d2H and d13C analysis
were weighed between 0.55–0.60 mg into silver
cups and 1.2–1.4 mg into tin cups, respectively.”
Modified: “Samples for d2H analysis were
weighed between 0.55–0.60 mg into silver cups
and samples for d13C analysis were weighed
between 1.2–1.4 mg into tin cups.”
Etc.
The terms “etc.” and “and so on” are
frequently used unnecessarily.
“The two groups of data were compared
using a variety of statistical methods
including a t-test, chi squared analysis,
etc.”
The tests referred to here by “etc.” are not
part of a natural series and therefore are
not obvious to the reader.
Etc.
Etc. can only be used when the contents
of a list are obvious to the reader.
However, etc. is an imprecise expression
and should generally be avoided in
scientific writing.
When giving a partial list use such as or
including at the start of the list, and put
nothing at the end of the list.
How would you change
this sentence?
Trp is involved in substrate binding in most
glycosyl hydrolases, including lysozyme,
cellulases, xylanases etc.
Trp is involved in substrate binding in most
glycosyl hydrolases, including lysozyme,
cellulases, and xylanases.
How would you change
this sentence?
(A, B, and C, etc.)
(such as A, B, and C)
How would you change
this sentence?
Physical factors (joint laxity, knee
muscular force, etc.) were compared to
activity scores.
Physical factors (such as joint laxity and
knee muscular force) were compared to
activity scores.
such as / namely
Use “such as” to provide examples
“… other factors, such as nutrient status,
primary production, microbial biomass,
and coagulation processes.”
Use “namely” to further define
“… calibrated against certified reference
materials, namely C36 n-alkane and
phenanthrene, obtained from…”
e.g. and i.e.
Try to avoid using e.g. (for example;
from the Latin exempli gratia) and i.e.
(that is; from the Latin id est).
Use i.e. when the list is specific and all-
inclusive, or when clarifying or defining
something.
Also avoid “and so on”, “and so forth”,
and “and the like”.
How would you change
this sentence?
Change in height (e.g., height velocity)
may only be transiently reduced in
asthmatic children.
Change in height (i.e., height velocity) may
only be transiently reduced in asthmatic
children.
How would you change
this sentence?
Lysosomal cysteine proteases have been
implicated in specific pathological states
(e.g., arthritis and cancer metastasis).
Lysosomal cysteine proteases have been
implicated in specific pathological states
(i.e., arthritis and cancer metastasis).
that / which
Use “that” to introduce defining or
restrictive clauses.
Use “which” to introduce non-defining or
nonrestrictive clauses.
Because “which” is used non-restrictively,
writers need to ensure that it is clear what
noun a “which” refers to avoid unclearness.
that / which
“The samples that showed a change in d2H between precursor and product were analyzed by 2H NMR.”
( Not all samples showed a change in d2H; those that did were submitted to 2H NMR. )
“The samples, which showed a change in d2H between precursor and product, were analyzed by 2H NMR.”
( All samples showed a changed in d2H and were submitted to 2H NMR; “which” clause disposable. )
between / among
Use between for comparisons of two
groups and among for comparisons of
more than two groups.
How would you change
this sentence?
“…the only difference among the
precursor molecules and the product
molecules…”
“…the only difference between the
precursor molecules and the product
molecules…”
How would you change
this sentence?
“…significant differences were observed in
the d2H values between bio-, fully- and
semi-synthetic ephedrines.”
“…significant differences were observed in
the d2H values among bio-, fully- and
semi-synthetic ephedrines.”
Do not use “at” for days
We use “at” for a specific time:
at 12:01
We use “in” for a month:
in June
We use “on” for a day:
on Wednesday, on day 17
How would you
change this sentence?
Graft rejection was observed at days 115
and 125.
Graft rejection was observed on days 115
and 125.
How would you change
this sentence?
Significant recovery was observed at
day 7, and the patient was discharged
at day 12 of admission.
Significant recovery was observed on
day 7, and the patient was discharged
on day 12 of admission.
remarkable / marked
Remarkable is commonly wrongly used to
indicate a change that is notable but not
significant.
The correct word is marked.
How would you change
this sentence?
“There was a remarkable increase in
binding.”
“There was a marked increase in binding.”
Avoid Casual English
Casual language should be kept for
conversation or other forms of writing.
Casual English must be replaced by the
correct term, which is often shorter.
Casual Conversation
Transitions Should be Avoided
Indeed
In fact
On the other hand
As a matter of fact
Accordingly
For instance
Nevertheless
Additionally
Transitional Words
Transitional words allow ideas to flow from one sentence to the next. They are used extensively in Chinese, but do not overuse them in scientific English.
Transitions may:
1. add information (in addition, furthermore, moreover);
2. show an effect or a result (therefore, thus);
3. contrast ideas (however, in contrast, whereas, although) or:
4. summarize ideas (in conclusion, in summary).
Specific Phrases which are
Commonly Mistranslated by
Taiwanese Authors
almost the same
= equivalent, comparable
“Almost the same” is a casual and
inappropriate expression.
Results may be “the same” or
“identical”, or “equivalent” (the closest
expression to the same), “similar”, or
“comparable” in scientific writing.
“Comparable” and “equivalent” are
used for quantitative comparisons.
How would you change
this sentence?
“Patients in groups A and B had almost
the same incidence of vascular
complications.”
“Patients in groups A and B had an
equivalent incidence of vascular
complications.”
How would you change
this sentence?
“Almost the same pattern of Zic 1
expression was seen in wild-type
embryos.”
“A similar pattern of Zic 1 expression was
seen in wild-type embryos.”
On the other hand =
However / In contrast
On the other hand is frequently misused in
English translations from Chinese.
If a comparison / contrast, then use transitions
such as however, or if a difference is being
emphasized, in contrast (but not on the
contrary) may be used.
Overall, on the other hand is rarely used in
Scientific English, the term is more appropriate
for conversation, if you are in doubt, don’t use it.
on the contrary = in contrast
“On the contrary” is a subjective statement that indicates disagreement or opposition to a statement or opinion given by someone else. Therefore it is usually only used in spoken English.
“In contrast” is an objective statementof a marked difference or opposite effect, and should therefore be used in scientific writing.
How would you change
this sentence?
On the contrary, no H3 antibody reactivity
was seen in yeast.
In contrast, no H3 antibody reactivity was
seen in yeast.
How would you change
this sentence?
On the contrary, there were no adverse
effects in group B.
In contrast, there were no adverse effects
in group B.
Do not use the phrase patient
was diagnosed as
The word diagnosis refers to identifying
and confirming the presence of a disease
condition in a patient.
Therefore, a patient cannot be diagnosed
as a disease but can be diagnosed with a
disease or a disease can be diagnosed in
a patient.
How would you change
this sentence?
A patient was diagnosed as gingivitis. Clinical and radiographic examination revealed no attachment loss or bone loss.
A patient was diagnosed with gingivitis. Clinical and radiographic examination revealed no attachment loss or bone loss.
Gingivitis was diagnosed in the patient. Clinical and radiographic examination revealed no attachment loss or bone loss.
