Chap 6 : Avoiding Ambiguity & Vagueness

Reference : ebook “English For Writing Research Papers”

18 Subtitle

24 presentation slide

By Haida

MIND MAP

Means :

Ambiguous : when more than one plausible interpretation (Ambi = two)

Comes with two flavors

Ambiguity

Which / who vs. that

In scientific English, which and that have different uses

Examples ‘which’ and ‘that’ :

S1. *Correct the sentences below which contain grammatical mistakes.

S1 mean (i) that all the sentences contain grammatical mistakes, or (ii) that you should correct only those sentences that contain mistakes?

If all the sentences contain mistakes, S1 should be rewritten as S2. If only some sentences contain mistakes, S1 should be rewritten as S3.

S2. Correct the sentences below, which contain grammatical mistakes.

S3. Correct the sentences below that contain grammatical mistakes.

Rule :

1) if simply add extra information you are simply adding extra information (S2) then use which (things) or who (people) preceded by a comma (,).

2) If you are defining the previous noun then use that. Given that not many people are aware of this distinction, it is probably better to rewrite the sentences more explicitly. Thus S2 and S3, become S4 and S5, respectively.

S4. Correct the sentences below, all of which contain grammatical mistakes.

S5. Correct only those sentences below that contain grammatical mistakes.

Cont. Which / who vs. that

Example ‘which’ and ‘who’ which should help to clarify the difference between adding extra information (S6) and making a definition (S7). S6. My sister, who lives in Paris, is a researcher. S7. My sister that lives in Paris is a researcher.

S6 contained between the two commas is not essential. It’s tell the reader that ‘I have only one sister and she is a researcher ‘- the fact that she lives in Paris is just additional information

S7 I am giving very different information. I am telling you that I have more than one sister, and that the sister that lives in Paris is a researcher. Perhaps my other sister is a doctor and I am using Paris to distinguish between my twosisters.

Author not using ‘which’ or ‘that’ S8 would not be considered correct English by most language experts. S8. * This is followed by a characterization of the states poorly represented at

atmospheric pressure. S8 disambiguated

S9. This is followed by a characterization of the states, which are poorly represented at atmospheric pressure. (non-defining)

S10. This is followed by a characterization of all those states that are poorly represented at atmospheric pressure. (defining)

which, that and who

should only refer to the noun that immediately precedes them.

S1. *A group of patients was compiled using this procedure, as proposed by Smith & Jones [2010], who had died under surgery.

S1 gives impression that Smith & Jones died under surgery! This ambiguity arises because the subject (patients) has been separated from its verb (had died) by a subordinate clause (as proposed …). The solution is to keep the subject and verb as close as possible to each other.

S2. A group of patients who had died under surgery was compiled using this procedure, as proposed by Smith and Jones [2010].

S3. Each scheduling service is characterized by a mandatory set of QoSparameters, as reported in Table 1, which describes the guarantees of the applications. (similar examples but less dramatic and less open to ambiguity)

S4. Each scheduling service is characterized by a mandatory set of QoSparameters, as reported in Table 1. This set describes the guarantees of the applications. (more clearly)

Author sometime use -ing form in what is effectively a relative clause that begins with that, which or who S1. Those students wishing to participate in the call for papers

should contact …S2. The professor giving the keynote speech at the conference is

from Togo. S1 could be rewritten as students that / who wish, and S2 the professor

that / who is giving. However, there is no possible ambiguity because the -ing form comes immediately after the noun it refers to.

S3. * Professor Rossi teaches the students having a good level of English. (S3 it is not clear who has the good level of English: the students or Prof. Rossi.)S4. Professor Rossi teaches the students that have a good level of

English. (students that have good English)S5. Professor Rossi teaches the students since he has a good level of

English. (change the structure of the sentence and use since, because or something similar.)

-ing form vs. that

Clear unambiguous writing, verbs should be immediately preceded by their subject S1. * If you take your young daughter in the car, don’t let her put her

head out of the window while driving. (initially seems that driving refers to the young daughter coz the person located in the phrase nearest to the word driving)

S2. * After consuming twenty bottles of wine, the conference chair presented the awards to the fifty best PhD students. (seems like conference chairperson consumed 20 bottles of wine, where as presumably it was the students who did the drinking.)

Sentences should be rewritten: S3. If you take your young daughter in the car, don’t let her put her head

out of the window while you are driving. S4. After the fifty best PhD students had consumed twenty bottles of

wine, the conference chair presented them with the awards. -ing form has been replaced with an active form of the verb (are driving, had

consumed) preceded by the subject (you, students). If use an active form you will be forced to use a subject and this will make your writing clearer.

- ing form vs. Subject + verb

Cont. - ing form vs. subject + verb

* S5. * We cannot understand how psocoptera survive by readingbooks alone. Instead we need to…(is an initial ambiguity as the order of words makes it seems that psocoptera

read books!)

rephrase the sentence by putting the -ing form at the beginning, the true meaning is a little clearer

S6. By reading books alone, we cannot understand how psocopterasurvive. Instead we need to …

clearest way is to avoid the -ing form completely and replace it with a subject + verb construction

S7. If we only read books, we cannot understand how psocopterasurvive. Instead we need to …

beginning a sentence with the -ing form can be dangerous, because the reader doesn’t know who or what is carrying out the activity introduced by the –ing form.

S8. *By sitting and watching too much television, our muscles become weaker.

initially seems that the muscles are watching television, though this is clearly absurd. The solution is to put a subject (we) in front of the verb, as in S9.

S9. When we sit and watch too much television, our muscles become weaker.

Cont. - ing form vs. subject + verb

S1. * This will improve performance keeping clients satisfied.S1 mean: (a) the way to improve performance is if clients are kept

satisfied? (b) as a consequence of improving performance clients will be satisfied?

show the true meaning if, before the –ing form, we insert thus or byS2. This will improve performance thus keeping clients satisfied.S3. This will improve performance by keeping clients satisfied.

S2 means that if clients are satisfied, performance will improve – thus means as a consequence. S3 client satisfaction depends on performance –by indicates how something is done.

simply to break up the sentence or use andS4. This will improve performance and clients will (thus) be satisfied.

It can be disambiguated as in S6 and S7, both of which have the same meaning.S6. … raised prices. This consequently / subsequently caused inflation.S7. … raised prices and so / thus caused inflation.

- ing form with by and thus

It is best to replace the –ing form with and when you are simply giving additional information. Thus S9 is clearer than S8.

S8. * This section focuses on the reasons for selecting these parameters, trying to explain the background to these choices.

S9. This document focuses on the reasons for selecting these parameters, and tries to explain the background to these choices.

the difference between these three sentences

S10. To burn CDs you just need some software. (means If you want to / If your aim is to)

S11. Burning CDs now takes only a few seconds. (refers to the activity of burning CDs)

S12. By burning CDs we deprive artists of royalties. (means If we burn CDs we will deprive artists of royalties.)

Cont. - ing form with by and thus

in scientific English, mistakes with article do not usually have serious consequences. For example:

S1. * The ambiguity is one characteristic of English language. (very poor English, but the meaning is clear)

S2. Ambiguity is a characteristic of the English language. (better version)

three mistakes in S1

1) General (no article) vs. specific (article must be used)

2) A / An (indefinite article) vs. one (number)

one characteristic this sentence the main topic is ambiguity and not the number of characteristics.

Languages – the English we refer to the people and not the language.

a, one and the

S3. A researcher spends many days in the lab.

(talking about a generic researcher, who we have not mentioned before.)

S4. Researchers spend many days in the lab.(same meaning as S3, it means ‘all researchers’, so the non use of the iscorrect)

S5. The researcher spends many days in the lab.(indicates that the researcher has already been mentioned before and that the reader knows which researcher we are talking about)

S6. The researchers spend many days in the lab. (talking about more than one researcher)

S7. We made one experiment before the equipment exploded.(imply that we had planned a series of experiments (at least two), but that these were interrupted by the explosion)

S8. We made an experiment before the equipment exploded.

(no such series is implied)

Cont. a, one and the

Uncountable nouns

Spinach leaves can be clearly separated and counted, but when cooked they becomeone big mass. You cannot clearly and easily identify cooked spinach as separateparts - so you cannot say these spinaches taste very good, but only this spinachtastes very good. Similarly, you can count cars but not traffic, steps forward but notprogress, comments but not feedback.

Cont. Uncountable nouns

when an uncountable noun is referred to in a later phrase with a plural pronoun (they, these, those) or adjective (many, few) it can create confusion for readers.

S1. Such feedbacks are vital when analyzing the queries. At subsequent stages in the procedure, for instance after steps 3 and 4, they are also useful for assessing …

S2. Such feedbacks are vital when analyzing the queries. At subsequent stages in the procedure, for instance after steps 3 and 4, many of them are also useful for assessing …

feedback is uncountable, so it has no plural form.

Not Correct English

Cont. Uncountable nouns

Revised versions of S1 & S2

S3. Such feedback is vital when … At subsequent stages it is also useful for …

S4. Such feedback is vital when … At subsequent stages much of it is also useful for …

the best solution is to repeat the noun

S5. Such feedback is vital when … At subsequent stages (a lot of) this feedback is also …

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-CTP0JpnWc

Cont. Uncountable nouns

Pronouns

Some sentences that would not be ambiguous in your language

may become ambiguous in English. For example:

S1. I put the book in the car and then I left it there all day.

S2. I put the book in the car and then I left the book there all day.(not very elegant, but it is much clearer for your reader and is not considered bad style in technical English.)

they refer to all three locations, to Canada and the Netherlands, or just to the Canaries?

S3. We could go to Australia, Canada or the Netherlands, but they are a long way from here.

Cont. PronounsTo avoid misunderstandings, be more specific: S1. Australia, Canada or the Netherlands, all of which are a long

way from here.S5. Australia, Canada or the Netherlands. But Canada and the

Netherlands are a long way from here.S6 Australia, Canada or the Netherlands. But the Netherlands are a

long way from here.S7. * No user names or passwords are required, unless the system

administrator decides that one is necessary. … decides that this is necessary. … decides that these are necessary. (what do one / this / these refer to? (a) user names (b) passwords?)

Interpretations (a) and (b) are much clearer rewritten as in S8 and S9S8. … unless the system administrator decides that a user name is

necessary.S9… unless the system administrator decides that a password is

necessary.

Referring backwards: the former, the latter

S1. Africa has a greater population than the combined populations of Russia, Canada and the United States. In the latter the population is only …

S1 does the latter refer just to the US alone, or to the US and Canada? The simplest and clearest solution is to replace the latter with the exact word or words it refers to. This gives:

S2 Africa has a greater population than the combined populations of Russia, Canada and the United States. In the USA the population is only …

S3. Africa has a greater population than the combined populations of Russia, Canada and the United States. In Canada and the USA the population is only …

Use of respectively to disambiguate

Respectively is a very useful word for clarifying how items are related to each

other.In S1, a basic knowledge of geography makes it clear that London is associatedwith England, and Paris with France.

S1. London and Paris are the capitals of England and France.

S2. … where X is the function for Y, and f1 and f2 are the constant

functions for P and Q. (such connections are not always so obvious)

Are f1 and f2 constant functions for both P and Q? If so:

S3 … and f1 and f2 are the constant functions for both P and Q.

Or is f1 for P and f2 for Q? If so, use respectively:

S7. … and f1 and f2 are the constant functions for P and Q, respectively.

Most style books recommend placing respectively at the end of the phrase. It is best to put a comma (,) before respectively.

Latin words - i.e. versus e.g.

I.e. E.g.

means 'that is' (to say). means ‘for example’

is an abbreviation for Latinidest, 'that is'.

stands for exempli gratia, "

"I like citrus fruits, i.e. the juicy, edible fruits with leathery, aromatic rinds of any of numerous tropical, usually thorny shrubs or trees of the genus Citrus,"

I like citrus fruits, e.g., oranges and lemons"

i.e. specifies and explains. indicates an example

He had one obvious flaw, i.e. his laziness.

She loves to read non-fiction, e.g., reference books and how-to books.

Ref. : http://dictionary.reference.com/help/faq/language/d67.html

MonologophobiaDefinition: An overwhelming fear of using a word more than once in a single sentence, or even in a single paragraph.

Etiology: As a child the patient was probably compelled to stand in a corner because he wrote, in a composition: "Grandma gave me a piece of apple pie, then I had another piece of apple pie and then I had another piece of apple pie."

Symptoms: The patient now writes: "The wife gave me a piece of apple pie, then I obtained another slice of the pastry containing the round fleshy fruit, and then I secured another portion of the all-American dessert." As is evident, monologophobia is usually accompanied by synonymomania.

Treatment: Gently suggest to the patient that repetition is not necessarily fatal, but that if it is an intrusive manifestation, the corrective is not a conspicuous synonym but rather an inconspicuous pronoun or noun: "another," "a second," "a third one."( Miss Thistlebottom's Hobgoblins, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1971)