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Self-Study Guide
Avoiding Errors of Grammar, Punctuation, and Usage in Engineering and Science In your engineering and scientific documents, you want to avoid making mistakes in grammar, punctuation, and usage. One reason is that such errors undercut your credibility with the reader. In some cases, choosing affect when effect is correct or writing a run-on (see film below) casts doubt on the quality of your education. A second reason to avoid such errors is that some errors cause ambiguities, thereby possibly communicating incorrect content to the audience. Yet a third reason is that such mistakes distract readers from their focus on your ideas. As Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote, as an author, you want your "words to disappear into thoughts." This self-study guide helps you avoid the most conspicuous errors of grammar, punctuation, and usage in engineering and scientific documents. Not all errors of grammar, punctuation, and usage carry the same weight. A minor error such as writing compare to when compare with is the proper choice often goes unnoticed by readers. For that reason, this badge focuses on the errors that audiences in engineering and science will most likely notice. Important to note is that this guide does not focus on second-language errors made by non-native speakers. Such errors depend on the first language of that individual. For example, mistakes in English made by someone whose first language is Chinese would not be the same as for someone whose first language is Spanish. Given the difficulty of accounting for the different sets of errors from every foreign language, this badge focuses instead on common errors made by native speakers [1-3]. |
As an engineer or scientist, you should avoid glaring errors of grammar, punctuation, and usage. One such error is a run-on. |
Section 1: Writing Sentences, Not Fragments or Run-Ons (about 20 minutes)
This first segment of this guide contains four films. In the first film, you learn how to avoid an embarrassing error in scientific writing--namely, writing a fragment. In the second film, you learn definitions for three important terms: independent clause, dependent clause, and phrase. The third film discusses how to connect independent clauses, and the fourth film discusses how to recognize and avoid run-ons. While you do not need to memorize textbook definitions of the following terms [4-6], you should feel comfortable enough with the terms by the end of the section that you could use them in a professional conversation:
This first segment of this guide contains four films. In the first film, you learn how to avoid an embarrassing error in scientific writing--namely, writing a fragment. In the second film, you learn definitions for three important terms: independent clause, dependent clause, and phrase. The third film discusses how to connect independent clauses, and the fourth film discusses how to recognize and avoid run-ons. While you do not need to memorize textbook definitions of the following terms [4-6], you should feel comfortable enough with the terms by the end of the section that you could use them in a professional conversation:
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Sentence
Subject (of Sentence) Noun Pronoun Main Verb (of Sentence) Clause Independent Clause |
Dependent Clause
Fragment Phrase Conjunction (Coordinating) Subordinating Conjunction Run-On |
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Film 1. Sentence versus fragment. |
Film 2. Clauses versus phrases. |
Section 2: Using the Correct Punctuation (about 15 minutes)
As Theodore Bernstein stated [1], punctuation marks are the traffic signs that help readers navigate sentences. In this analogy, you can think of a period as a stop sign and a comma as a yield sign. In scientific writing, such signs are important. For instance, a mistake in punctuation, such as a missing comma, can force the audience to reread the sentence to gather the intended meaning. Even worse, some mistakes can lead to ambiguity, which can lead readers to misinterpret the idea of the sentence.
Although many punctuation rules exist [2-5], this guide focuses on the punctuation rules most important in scientific writing. One important piece of punctuation not explicitly discussed is the period, which signals the end of a sentence. The guide does explicitly discuss the comma, which helps audiences separate details within a sentence. Also considered is the colon, which can introduce a complex list or an equation. Yet another piece of punctuation that is important in scientific writing, yet not typically taught in general writing courses, is the em-dash. In essence, an em-dash is a super-comma, which can separate parts of sentences to complex to be partitioned by commas. Finally, the section discusses the often used, and almost as often misused, semicolon.
As Theodore Bernstein stated [1], punctuation marks are the traffic signs that help readers navigate sentences. In this analogy, you can think of a period as a stop sign and a comma as a yield sign. In scientific writing, such signs are important. For instance, a mistake in punctuation, such as a missing comma, can force the audience to reread the sentence to gather the intended meaning. Even worse, some mistakes can lead to ambiguity, which can lead readers to misinterpret the idea of the sentence.
Although many punctuation rules exist [2-5], this guide focuses on the punctuation rules most important in scientific writing. One important piece of punctuation not explicitly discussed is the period, which signals the end of a sentence. The guide does explicitly discuss the comma, which helps audiences separate details within a sentence. Also considered is the colon, which can introduce a complex list or an equation. Yet another piece of punctuation that is important in scientific writing, yet not typically taught in general writing courses, is the em-dash. In essence, an em-dash is a super-comma, which can separate parts of sentences to complex to be partitioned by commas. Finally, the section discusses the often used, and almost as often misused, semicolon.
Section 3: Selecting the Proper Usage (about 20 minutes)
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 continual and when you choose continuous? Because English contains words from so many different languages, learning all such usage rules of English is daunting. While English has relatively few rules for grammar, English has many rules for usage [1-4].
Films 9 and 10 discuss word pairs that are often confused--for instance, writing principle when principal is the correct choice. Other common word pairs that are confused are presented in the quiz at the end of the section. 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, usage includes determining the correct tense--for instance, whether to select "The results showed..." as opposed to "The results show...." In a scientific paper, the two forms of verb tense in this last example have dramatically different meanings. Film 11 covers verb tense. Especially important for engineers and scientists, usage encompasses whether to use numerals or to write out numbers. Film 12 discusses those decisions.
What makes usage challenging is that some rules for usage vary depending on time and place. For instance, the rule for which article to place before the word historical (a or an) depends on the pronunciation of the word, which changed from the 18th century to the 20th century. Discussion of these variances appears in the following film.
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 continual and when you choose continuous? Because English contains words from so many different languages, learning all such usage rules of English is daunting. While English has relatively few rules for grammar, English has many rules for usage [1-4].
Films 9 and 10 discuss word pairs that are often confused--for instance, writing principle when principal is the correct choice. Other common word pairs that are confused are presented in the quiz at the end of the section. 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, usage includes determining the correct tense--for instance, whether to select "The results showed..." as opposed to "The results show...." In a scientific paper, the two forms of verb tense in this last example have dramatically different meanings. Film 11 covers verb tense. Especially important for engineers and scientists, usage encompasses whether to use numerals or to write out numbers. Film 12 discusses those decisions.
What makes usage challenging is that some rules for usage vary depending on time and place. For instance, the rule for which article to place before the word historical (a or an) depends on the pronunciation of the word, which changed from the 18th century to the 20th century. Discussion of these variances appears in the following film.
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Film 9. Making the correct word choice. |
Film 10. Choosing "that" or "which." |
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Commonly Confused Words
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Words Often Used Incorrectly
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Nonsensical Expressions
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affect effect
amount number compose comprise continual continuous fewer less its it's lead led principal principle that which |
hopefully does not mean "it is hoped that"
plethora means "too many" simplistic means "too simple" |
is comprised of should be "is composed of"
center around should be "center on" irregardless should be "regardless" |
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Film 11. Verb Tense in Reports. |
Film 12. Expressing numbers. |
Section 4: Using Grammar, Punctuation, and Usage to Avoid Ambiguity (about 5 minutes)
An ambiguity is a word, phrase, or sentence that can be interpreted in more than one way. Whereas poets win awards for ambiguity, engineers and scientists are sued for ambiguities. Film 13 teaches you to be sensitive to four common sources of ambiguity in scientific writing: word choice, word order, pronouns, and missing punctuation. As shown in the film, each of these four sources of errors are avoided by carefully following rules of grammar, punctuation, or usage.
An ambiguity is a word, phrase, or sentence that can be interpreted in more than one way. Whereas poets win awards for ambiguity, engineers and scientists are sued for ambiguities. Film 13 teaches you to be sensitive to four common sources of ambiguity in scientific writing: word choice, word order, pronouns, and missing punctuation. As shown in the film, each of these four sources of errors are avoided by carefully following rules of grammar, punctuation, or usage.
Film 13. Avoiding ambiguity.
Acknowledgments
This self-study guide and microcredentialing badge are made possible by funds provided by the Leonhard Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Education in the College of Engineering at Penn State. Providing technical assistance on the films is the Office of Digital Learning, which is also in the College of Engineering at Penn State. Providing specific guidance and support for the guide and badge have been the following individuals: Stephanie Cutler, Casey Fenton, Andrea Gregg, Richelle Weiger, and Elaine Whitmer. Michael Alley, the author of The Craft of Scientific Writing [4], has overseen the creation of content for the guide and badge, and listed below are engineering students who have assisted in that creation.
This self-study guide and microcredentialing badge are made possible by funds provided by the Leonhard Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Education in the College of Engineering at Penn State. Providing technical assistance on the films is the Office of Digital Learning, which is also in the College of Engineering at Penn State. Providing specific guidance and support for the guide and badge have been the following individuals: Stephanie Cutler, Casey Fenton, Andrea Gregg, Richelle Weiger, and Elaine Whitmer. Michael Alley, the author of The Craft of Scientific Writing [4], has overseen the creation of content for the guide and badge, and listed below are engineering students who have assisted in that creation.
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Conducting Interviews
Justin Bardy Dean Ellis Jake Grant Alexander How Belinda Mativenga Kaitlyn Pigeon Alison Wanamaker Developing Website Marissa Beighley Alexus Eicher Editing Films Mary Duncan Carrie McCartney Roman Pero Caroline Sinz Sophia Zitkus |
Mechanical Engineering, 2021 Aerospace Engineering, 2021 Mechanical Engineering, 2020 Mechanical Engineering, 2022 Chemical Engineering, 2022 Industrial Engineering, 2021 Industrial Engineering, 2021 Computer Science, 2022 Computer Science, 2020 Mechanical Engineering, 2021 Mechanical Engineering, 2020 Chemical Engineering, 2020 Mechanical Engineering, 2020 Mechanical Engineering, 2020 |
Penn State Penn State Penn State Penn State Penn State Penn State Penn State Penn State Penn State Virginia Tech Penn State Penn State Penn State Penn State |
References
- Peg Tyre, "The Writing Revolution," The Atlantic Monthly (October 2012), pp. 99-100.
- Catherine Walker, "Time to Stop Avoiding Grammar Rules," The Guardian (September 2012).
- Tessa Schlesinger, "Why Grammar Matters," Owlcation (7 September 2017).
- Michael Alley, The Craft of Scientific Writing, 4th ed. (New York: Springer, 2018), Appendices A, B, and C.
- 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).
