There are several examples of words that are misused, resulting in one of the top sources of confusion for scientists when writing a manuscript or grant. And many times, the scientist doesn’t even know that he or she is confused! Here are some of the most common misunderstandings I have observed when editing manuscripts and grants, and tricks that scientists can use to easily sort it out.
“affect” or “effect”
If you have trouble with this one, you’re not alone. The word “affect” means “to influence” (Example: The treatment affected the ability of the mice to function normally), and the word “effect” means “a result” (Example: The effect of lowering the glucose levels was substantial in the second study). My trick is: most of the time, “affect” is a verb, and “effect” is a noun. Replace “influence” and “result” with “affect” or “effect” and see which conveys the real meaning of the sentence.
“which” or “that”
I have to give full credit here to Dr. Dick Gumport from my graduate school days at the University of Illinois for teaching me my first grammar lesson out of, well, grammar school. The grammar guides will tell you that “which” is for nonrestrictive clauses – simply providing more information (Example: The conclusion, which contradicts previous data, assumes that the mice were fed a high-fat diet), and “that” is for restrictive clauses – using descriptive terms that are necessary to the meaning of the sentence (Example: The virus that expressed geneA was defective for replication in E. coli). My trick is: say the sentence out loud using both “which” and “that”. If both sound good, use “that”.
“i.e.” and “e.g.”
This is a tricky word choice that can definitely be confusing. The grammar guides will tell you that “i.e.” is an abbreviation of the Latin id est, which means “that is” [Example: The bacteria were grown under aerobic conditions (i.e. in shaker flasks)], and that “e.g.” is an abbreviation for the Latin exempli gratia, which means “for example” [Example: The patients enrolled in the clinical study had a normal diet (e.g. protein, grains, and vegetables). My trick is: if you just want to paraphrase or provide clarification, use “i.e.”. If you want to give some examples, use “e.g.” (or just say “for example”).
There are a multitude of tricky word choices out there. Looking forward to hearing what word choices cause you to think twice! Or simply contact us for assistance when writing or editing your next manuscript or grant.
Thanks for the clarification on e.g. vs. i.e. – I found it very helpful.
In graduate school, I too learned to distinguish “which” from “that”. However, I learned a very easy way to make the right choice. “Which” almost always follows a comma, and “that” almost never does.
Jim,
That is true! Thank you for that helpful tip!
Laura
When I turned in the first draft of my doctoral dissertation, one of my committee members came to me saying, “It is time to hold a “which burning”.