Task 35. Pre-reading activities.
A) How do you understand the term “scientific writing”?
B) How do you explain the distinction between scientific writing and writing for belletristic literature?
Task 36. Text-based activities.
A) Read the text “Scientific writing”.
B). Find 2-3 sample recommendations written in your native language in your discipline.
C). Translate the text into Russian.
SCIENTIFIC WRITING
WRITE ACCURATELY
1. Scientific writing must be accurate. Although writing instructors may tell you not to use the same word twice in a sentence, it’s okay for scientific writing, which must be accurate. (A student who tried not to repeat the word “hamster” produced this confusing sentence: “When I put the hamster in a cage with the other animals, the little mammals began to play.”)
2. Make sure you say what you mean.
Instead of: The rats were injected with the drug (sounds like a syringe was filled with drug and ground-up rats and both were injected together). Write: I injected the drug into the rat.
3. Be careful with commonly confused words:
Instead of: Temperature has an effect on the reaction. Write: Temperature affects the reaction.
Instead of: I used solutions in various concentrations. Write: The solutions were 5 mg/ml, 10 mg/ml, and 15 mg/ml.
Instead of: I used solutions in varying concentrations. Write: The concentrations I used changed; sometimes they were 5 mg/ml, other times they were 15 mg/ml.
WRITE CLEARLY
1. Write at a level that’s appropriate for your audience.
2. Use the active voice. It’s clearer and more concise than the passive voice.
Instead of: An increased appetite was manifested by the rats and an increase in body weight was measured. Write: The rats ate more and gained weight.
3. Use the first person.
Instead of: It is thought Write: I think
Instead of: The samples were analyzed Write: I analyzed the samples.
4. Avoid dangling participles.
“After incubating at 30 degrees C, we examined the petri plates.” (You must’ve been pretty warm in there.)
WRITE SUCCINCTLY
1. Use verbs instead of abstract nouns
Instead of: take into consideration Write: consider
2. Use strong verbs instead of “to be”
Instead of: The enzyme was found to be the active agent in catalyzing... Write: The enzyme catalyzed...
3. Use short words.
| Instead of: | Write: |
| possess | have |
| sufficient | enough |
| utilize | use |
| demonstrate | show |
| assistance | help |
| terminate | end |
4. Use concise terms.
|
|
|
| Instead of: | Write: |
| prior to | before |
| due to the fact that | because |
| in a considerable number of cases | often |
| the vast majority of | most |
| during the time that | when |
| in close proximity to | near |
| it has long been known that | I’m too lazy to look up the reference |
5. Use short sentences. A sentence made of more than 40 words should probably be rewritten as two sentences.
CHECK YOUR GRAMMAR, SPELLING AND PUNCTUATION
1. Use a spellchecker, but be aware that they don’t catch all mistakes. “When we consider the animal as a hole,...” (from a Student’s paper)
2. Don’t, use, unnecessary, commas.
3. Proofread carefully to see if you put any words out.
D). Find in the text words and word combinations, which correspond to the following definitions.
1. _____ is correct in all details; exact.
2. _____ is easy to perceive, understand, or interpret.
3. _____ (especially of something written or spoken) briefly and clearly expressed.
4. _____ the whole system and structure of a language or of languages in general, usually taken as consisting of syntax and morphology (including inflections) and sometimes also phonology and semantics.
5. _____ is the correct order of the letters in a word.
6. _____ the marks, such as full stop, comma, and brackets, used in writing to separate sentences and their elements and to clarify meaning.
E). Correct the following sentences if they are wrong.
1. The car possesses power brakes.
2. She graduated with sufficiently high marks to apply for university.
3. The conflict is unlikely to be resolved in the closest proximity.
4. Hyper-modern trains are now utilized.
5. The President has played a shrewd diplomatic game due to the fact that from the outset he called for direct talks with the United States.
6. Behind many successful men in a considerable number of cases there is a woman who makes this success possible.
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