Writing
The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr
- Form the possessive singular of nouns by adding's 單數名詞字尾加’s，構成名詞所有格
- In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last 敘述一系列超過三個以上的名詞，在最後一個名詞前使用連接詞，其餘的每個名詞以逗號分隔
- Enclose parenthetic expressions between commas 將作附帶說明用的插入句放在兩個逗號中間
- Place a comma before a conjunction introducing a co-ordinate clause 以連接詞 and 或 but 引介獨立子句，在連接詞的前方標示逗號
- Do no join independent clauses by a comma 不可用逗號直接連接獨立子句
- Do no break sentences in two 不可將句子任意拆成兩部分
- A participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence must refer to the grammatical subject 在行末須將單詞拆成兩半時，必須遵守構字和發音的法則
- Make the paragraph the unit of composition: one paragraph to each topic 將每個段落視為一個單位：每個段落有其中心宗旨
- As a rule, begin each paragraph with a topic sentence, end it in conformity with the beginning. 每個段落以一句主題句 (topic sentence)開頭，結尾須與開頭呼應
- Use the active voice. 使用主動語態
- Put statement in positive form. 盡量使用肯定句
- Use definite, specific, concrete language.
- Omit needless words. 刪除贅字
- Avoid a succession of loose sentences 避免連續使用結構鬆散的句子
- Express co-ordinate ideas in similar form 以相似的句型結構敘述對等的概念
- Keep related words together 將相關的詞放在一起
- In summaries, keep to one tense 摘要敘述時，維持同一時態
- Place the emphatic words of a sentence at the end 將欲強調的詞或詞組放在句子末尾
The Sense of Style
The Only Grammar Book You'll Ever Need
Ten simple rules for structuring papers
http://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005619
Writing Resources
Writing in the Sciences
Reference:
- Essentials of writing biomedical research papers, Mimi Zeiger, McGraw Hill
Use past tense for completed actions:
We found that ... Weomen were more likely to ... Men smoked more cigarettes than ... The avergae reaction time was ...
Use the present tense for assertions that continue to be true, such as what the tables show, what you believe, and what the data suggest:
Figure 1 shows ... The findings confirm ... The data suggest ... We believe that this shows ...
Review papers
Readings
- Angelika Hofmann. Scientific writing and communication. Oxford University Press. 2010.
- Ten simple rules for developing good reading habits during graduate school and beyond
Grammar
Punctuation
a, an
http://www.wikihow.com/Use-%22A%22-and-%22An%22-Correctly
See some instances below
- What is an STL sequence? // NOT What is 'a' STL sequence?
- Assuming that you have an SSH server running ...
- It also adds an S3 print method for the returned object.
- Saving scan results in an XML format. Scan results can be written into an XML file.
- Senate Republicans and the White House should drop their inexplicable opposition to an FBI investigation.
Apostrophes
http://www.writing-kit.com/apostrophes/
upper-left
- It's on the upper right side.
- It's in the bottom left corner.
- "at the top" or "at the bottom"
- "on the left side" or "on the right side"
See http://www.phrasemix.com/phrases/the-top-bottom-right-left-corner
Semicolon
(From the paper "ASSESSMENT AND COMPARISON OF PROGNOSTIC CLASSIFICATION SCHEMES FOR SURVIVAL DATA") Table I. Prognostic study in node negative breast cancer: results from full Cox model and backward elimination. [math]\displaystyle{ \hat{\beta} }[/math], estimated log-relative risk; RR, relative risk; P, P-value (full Cox model); [math]\displaystyle{ \hat{\beta}_{BE} }[/math], estimated log-relative risk of selected factors after backward elimination
which
- Source.
- If you use a French press, a percolator, or prefer to drink espresso, then your coffee consists of a significantly higher amount of cafestol than if you use paper filtered or instant coffee, which causes the body’s low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels to rise.
- Since the discovery of the coffee plant, which is said to have originated in Ethiopia when a goat herder noticed his goats’ increased energy levels after they accidentally consumed the unknown berries, science has made great advances in the coffee world.
That being said vs. That means
https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/that-being-said-vs-that-means.1140815/
Apps
Two Useful Apps To Turn Your Writing From Good To Great
Letters
Cover letter
- 6 Skills People Good At Writing Cover Letters Never Told You
- Always Keep it Crisp
- Do Your Homework
- Draft it Up
- Go for Broke
- Lean on A Friend
- How to Write a Cover Letter
Recommendation letter
Goodbye letter
https://m.wikihow.com/Write-Goodbye-Letters
Writing Words of Condolence
With deep regret we say good-bye to our esteemed colleague XXX. Our sympathies go out to his family.
Web Tools
- Take 5 Minutes To Read And Improve Your Writing Skills Forever - several recommended books for writing
- https://labs.foxtype.com/politeness Help write more polite messages
- 20 Not-So-Popular Websites Students Should Visit to Make Studying Easier
- Come Up With the Perfect Name for Anything
Acronyms 縮寫
Misc
- Android can be a hindrance as much as it can be an advantage, however. Android apps aren't designed for E Ink screens so they often present problems with excessive screen flashing, sometimes menus are unreadable, and a lot of apps are just flat not compatible.