Common mechanical errors:
| This means: | Examples |
Comma splices
| Two sentences are joined with a comma instead of conjunctions (and, but, or, etc.) | Incorrect: The amplifier was used to increase the intensity of the sound signals, noise in the room became unbearable.
Correct: The amplifier was used to increase the intensity of the sound signals; noise in the room became unbearable.
The amplifier was used to increase the intensity of the sound signals, but noise in the room became unbearable.
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Fused sentences | Two sentences are joined without punctuation | Incorrect:
Please come to my office I need to talk to you.
Correct:
Please come to my office. I need to talk to you.
|
Punctuating citations | Punctuations are placed after, not before, in-text citations | Incorrect:
Indoor air pollution is strongly correlated to cardiovascular diseases. (Smith, 2009)
Correct:
Indoor air pollution is strongly correlated to cardiovascular diseases (Smith, 2009).
|
Misplaced modifier
| Keep modifiers close to the words that they modify | Incorrect:
The device consists of a screw that is inside a barrel that is driven by an electric motor drive.
Correct:
The device consists of a barrel with an enclosed screw that is driven by an electric motor drive.
|
Parallel structure | Use similar forms of words/ terms for similar ideas (e.g. in a list) | Incorrect:
The sensor responds to various stimuli, including sound, heat, and vibrating objects that may cause disturbances.
Correct:
The sensor responds to various stimuli, including sound, heat, and vibrations.
|
Subject-verb agreement | Verbs must agree with their subjects | Incorrect:
The radiometer, along with the receiver, were placed on the lab bench.
Correct:
The radiometer, along with the receiver, was placed on the lab bench. |
Pronoun agreement | Pronouns must agree with their antecedent nouns | Incorrect:
Everyone on the research team had to receive their training certificates.
Correct:
Everyone on the research team had to receive his or her training certificates.
All members had to receive their training certificates.
|
Commonly misused words | Some words are mistakenly used interchangeably | Comprise/Compose
Comprise: to embrace or include
Compose: made up of, constituted of
Affect/Effect:
Affect: verb (except in psychology)
Effect: noun (except when used to mean “bring about")
Continual/continuous:
Continual: repeatedly
Continuous: without interruption
Its/ it's:
Its: possessive (“of it")
It's: contraction (“it is")
Like/as:
Like: preposition
As: conjunction
Principle/principal:
Principal: most important (adj.), most important person (n)
Principle: law
|
Unnecessary hyphenation
| Use hyphens when two or more words modify another word, and work together as a unit. | Acetic-acid water system
Liquid-gas interface
A 20-percent increase
A two- or three-week incubation period
|
Do not hyphenate most prefixes added to common nouns.
| precooled not pre-cooled
nonpolar not non-polar
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When to spell out numbers | Spell out numbers less than 10 and at the beginning of sentences.
| Forty-seven percent of the sample evaporated.
The experiment evaporated 47% of the sample.
The experiment included eight samples. |
Using units of measurement
| Spell out the unit of measurement when no quantity is included
| Several milligrams, not several mg |
Do not use plurals for abbreviated units of measurement
| 60 mg, not 60 mgs |
In ranges and series, retain only the first unit of measurement
| 10-12 mg, between 24 and 50 ml |
When a sentence starts with a specific quantity, spell it out along with its unit of measurement
| Twenty-five milligrams of acetone were added.
Thirty-seven percent of the sample was dissolved
|
Use the percent symbol with a numeral form, without a space
| 30% 65-70% |
When to capitalize
| Numbered items (figures, tables, etc.) should be capitalized when referred to in the text. Write the numbers in numeral form. | As shown in Figure 1
See Table 2
As given in Equation (3)
|
Non-numbered items are not capitalized.
| As shown in the figures |
When referring to formulas, equations, and other items with someone's name, capitalize only the name of the author (not the noun).
| Avogadro's number Newton's first law |