4dd97SE 10- Common syntax errors

8/7/2019 4dd97SE 10- Common syntax errors

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Common

Syntax Errors



Common Syntax Errors

syntax = [rules for] sentence building

Word ChoiceSentence Structure

Paragraph Structure



Word Choice

A paper will be more readable if words are usedeconomically. Writing concisely may be contraryto common practice in some countries whereauthors are paid by the number of wordspublished! Remember, your goal is to facilitatecommunication, which is accomplished through

concise and lucid writing in a well-organizedmanner.



Delete uninformative words and avoidredundancy

brief in duration (brief)Th e wound was of a serious nature.

(The wound was serious.)Th e rock is red in color.(The rock is red.)W e repeated t h e experiment again and again.(We repeated the experiment.)



Exercise 1:

T ry to eliminate unnecessary and redundant words

past h istory original source

globular in s h ape more preferable t h anadvance planning seem to appear for a period of two days mix toget h er

The work will be completed in t

he not-too-distant future.

Th e reaction rate was examined and found to varyconsiderably.



U se one word to replace a phrase

M any popular expressions can be expressed as asingle word, or are better omitted altoget h er.

at this point of time - nowthe reason was because - becausein the near future - soonin most cases ± mostlyis suggestive of - suggestsas to whether - whether in the vicinity of - near it was evident that - evidently



Avoid grandiloquence or grandiosephrasing

Th e word grandiloquence is itself grandiose. It

implies a pompous style t h at impresses no one andprovokes ridicule. Conciseness and clarity s h ouldapply to scientific writing. Compare t h e followingsentences:



Computations were conducted on t h e dataTh e data were calculated.

It may seem reasonable to suggest t h at t h e necrotic effect maypossibly due to toxinsNecrosis may be caused by toxins. Necrosis (in Greek =Dead) is the name given to accidental death of cells and living tissue.

In studies pertaining to identification of p h enolic derivatives, drying of th e paper gives less satisfactory visualization.P h enolic derivatives are easier to see if t h e paper is left wet. I norganic chemistry , phenols , sometimes called phenolics , are aclass of chemical compounds consisting of a hydroxyl group (-O H )attached to an aromatic hydrocarbon group. The simplest of theclass is phenol (C6H5OH).



Avoid clichés and euphemisms

cliché - [fr] printing plate; negative; p h ototype; =« banalit é » ; c h enqiang landiaoeup h emism - eu (= well), p h em (= to speak);

weiwan de s h uofae.g., eulogy, eup h ony (pleasing sound),eut h anasia (an-le-si)

Clic hé s and eup h emisms are rarely h elpful andoften cryptic (secret, wit h a h idden meaning or ameaning not easily seen).



S ome common eup h emisms are simply awkwardTh e patient expiredTh e patient passed awayTh e patient succumbed

Th e patient breat h ed h is lastTh e patient h as gone to h is rest.

Th ese can be replaced by « The patient died » .



The following terms are usually better omitted or rephrased:a majority of as a consequence of

are of t h e same opinion as a matter of factas seen from our study it is evident t h at

based on t h e fact t h at first of allfor t h e reason t h at h as t h e capacity of in a satisfactory manner owing to t h e fact t h atit h as long been known t h at t h ere is reason to believe

th e question as to w h et h er



U se of synonymsA synonym is a word that has the same or nearly the

same meaning as another word. The principal reasonto employ synonyms is to avoid monotony fromusing the same term repeatedly. For examples:

The subject demonstrated a marked sensitivity to theallergen. After receiving the medication, she showedmarked improvement. This is a marked medicalachievement.

The subject demonstrated a marked sensitivity to theallergen. After receiving the medication, she showedsignificant improvement. This is an extraordinarymedical achievement.



S ynonyms for common words can be found ina thesaurus , a dictionary, and some wordprocessing programs. Understanding t h enuances of synonyms can be difficult for non-native-anglop h one people. Th e best way toimprove your grasp is to read Englis h -languageaut h ors and practice your own writing.



Sentence Structure

A greement of subject and verb

Pronoun reference

A ctive and passive voiceNouns from verbs

(The above has been taught in previous sessions)

A merican and Britis h styles



American and British styles

Britis h writing is different from A merican writingin certain forms of punctuation and spelling.W h atever style is used will not really affect t h ereader¶s understanding of t h e text, but yous h ould be consistent and employ t h e same styleth roug h out a work.



Spelling (American ± British )connection - connexion inflection - inflexiondefense - defence center - centreliter - litre behavior ± behaviour color ± colour distill - distilcatalog - catalogue analyze ± analysecatalyze ± catalyse judgment ± judgementaging ± ageing

practice - practice (n.) practise (v.)acknowledgment ± acknowledgementmeter - metre (unit of measure) meter (instrument)



The digraphs ae and oe in words of Latin or Greek derivation are retained in British style:anest h esia - anaest h esiacesium - caesiumdiarr h ea ± diarr h oeah ematite - h aematiteleukemia ± leukaemiafetus ± f tus

Punctuation:

American - comma after e.g. and i.e.;none in British



Paragraph Structure

In its simplest form, a lucid paragrap h contains atopic sentence and clearly related supportingsentences. Th e topic sentence comprises t h e main

point or idea of t h e paragrap h , w h ile supportingsentences provide detail or ancillary (= supplementary)

information. Th e following are basic guidelines for paragrap h design.

1. Cover only one main point or idea in eachparagraph.

2. Each sentence should establish or support thetopic of the paragraph.



3 . Include information that explainswhy actions were taken.A ll of th e patient data were kept in files. Th e absence of even one clerkcaused delays in t h e mont h ly reporting. Finally, management decidedto interview some system analysts.

(The connection between the three sentences is not clear. Althoughthe meaning can be inferred, it is better to state it outright). See below.

A ll of th e patient data were kept in paper files, w h ich took muc h staff time to maintain. Th e absence of even one clerk would delay t h emont h ly patient reports. M anagement wanted to computerize record-keeping, w h ich would take less time and be more reliable, and finallydecided to interview some systems analysts to develop t h e new system.



4 . Keep a consistent point of viewTh at is, maintain t h e same grammatical voice (activeor passive) t h roug h out t h e paragrap h .

5. U se parallel construction to make theparagraph easier to understand.

In an attempt to avoid monotony, some writers vary

th e sentence construction and t h ereby h inder compre h ension. For example:

A 10 mg dose produces no effect, a 20 mg doseproduces a small effect, but patients s h ow a

noticeable effect from a 30 mg dose.

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4dd97SE 10- Common syntax errors