Scientific English

By the end of this course you will be

able to:
 - use scientific language
and style (English and
not only!);
 - make intriguing titles
to articles and papers;
 - write an abstract;
 - structure the article
and make the list of
references;
 - become a successful
presenter.
Scientific Language.
Word Order

by Natalia Zakharchuk,
PhD, Associate Professor
 Plan
 1. Scientific language
and style
 2. Why is word order
important?
 3. SVOI word order

 4. Word order in
different sentences
 5. Commas save lives

 6. Rules to remember
 Scientific language
is
must be
complicated,
dry, explanatory, interesting and
impersonal,
simple enough for
formal, abstract
and qualified understanding
 The (unwritten) norms of the scientific
writing
 Do not belittle others'
work without justification.
 Do not glorify your own
work without justification.
 Do not underestimate
your readers. (e.g.
oversimplification)
 Do not present other
people's findings as your
own. (Plagiarism)
 Refer to and quote other
people's studies. (Know
your field!)
Your work must have:
 legibility,
understandability and
memorability
 unambiguity
 fluency
 clarity
 freshness, durability
 sparking interest
 dialogue with the
reader
 Plan
 1. Scientific language
and style
 2. Why is word order
important?
 3. SVOI word order

 4. Word order in
different sentences
 5. Commas save lives

 6. Rules to remember
 Why is word order important?
 He said, “I love you.” (Nice thought.)
 Only he said, “I love you.” (No one else
said it.)
 He only said, “I love you.” (He said
nothing else.)
 He said, “Only I love you.” (No one else
does.)
 He said, “I love only you.” (He doesn’t
love any one else.)
 He said, “I love you only.” (His love is
exclusive.)
White and black
good in Hindi, Italian or
Spanish speaker

strange in English, Chinese,

Hungarian, Polish or Tamil

friends and I
 Plan
 1. Scientific language
and style
 2. Why is word order
important?
 3. SVOI word order

 4. Word order in
different sentences
 5. Commas save lives

 6. Rules to remember
 SVOI word order
the Subject comes
before the Verb,
which comes
before the
Object and
Indirect Object.
 The researchers
sent their
manuscript to the
journal.  Last week the
researchers sent their
manuscript to the journal
for the second time.

 The researchers last

week sent for the second
time to the journal their
manuscript.
Time Subject Verb Object Place/Manner Time
Silicon cunducts electricity.
Silicon cunducts electricity in an unusual
way.
Silicon cunducts electricity in an unusual
way
sometimes
Sometimes silicon cunducts electricity in an unusual
way.
 Plan
 1. Scientific language
and style
 2. Why is word order
important?
 3. SVOI word order

 4. Word order in
different sentences
 5. Commas save lives

 6. Rules to remember
 Simple sentences

Einstein's general theory of relativity

has been subjected to many tests of
validity over the years.
 Compound sentences
In sphygmomanometers, too narrow a
cuff can result in erroneously high
readings, and too wide a cuff can
result in erroneously low readings

(and, or, nor, but, yet, for, whereas)

 Complex sentences
Although a majority of caffeine
drinkers think of it as a stimulant,
heavy users of caffeine say the
substance relaxes them.

although, since, because, when, while,

if, as if, etc.
 Plan
 1. Scientific language
and style
 2. Why is word order
important?
 3. SVOI word order

 4. Word order in
different sentences
 5. Commas save lives

 6. Rules to remember
 Commas save lives
 “Let’s eat, Grandma.”
 “Let’s eat Grandma.”

 Some people enjoy cooking,

their families, and their dogs.
 Some people enjoy cooking
their families and their dogs.
 "A woman without her
man is nothing"

 "A woman, without her

man, is nothing"

 "A woman: without

her, man is nothing"
 Plan
 1. Scientific language
and style
 2. Why is word order
important?
 3. SVOI word order

 4. Word order in
different sentences
 5. Commas save lives

 6. Rules to remember
 Rules to remember:
1. Choose the most relevant
subject and put it at the beginning
of the sentence

e.g. X was done by Y.

Y did X.
 Rules to remember:
2. Focus on the
areas of a
sentence that
come immediately
before and after a
full stop.
S8. Particularly interesting for researchers in
physics is the new feature, named X, for
calculating velocity.

S9. Physics now has a new feature, named

X, for calculating velocity.

S10. Velocity can now be calculated with a

new feature, named X, which is
particularly interesting for physicists.

S11. X is a new feature for calculating

velocity. It is particularly interesting for
physicists.
 Rules to remember:
3. Don't use a pronoun (it, they)
before you introduce the noun.
Don't make the impersonal it the
subject of the sentence
S12. It is probable that S12A. This may /
this is due to poor might / could be due
performance. to poor performance.

S13. It is possible do S13A. This can be done

this with the new with the new system.
system.

S14. It is mandatory to S14A. The new version

use the new version. must be used.
 Rules to remember:
4.Choose the subject that will give
the shortest sentence

 S15. The most significant values are

highlighted in Table 1.

 S16. Table 1 highlights the most

significant values.
 Rules to remember:
5. Put the subject before
the verb

 In the survey participated

350 subjects.
 Were used several different
methods in the
experiments.
 With these values are
associated a series of
measurements.
Rules to remember:
6. Keep the subject
and verb as close
as possible to
each other

7. Don't separate
the verb from its
direct object
 Rules to remember:
8. How to choose where to locate an adverb

most one-word adverbs, particularly adverbs of frequency

 (a) Immediately before the main verb.

S24. Dying neurons do not usually exhibit these biochemical
changes.

 (b) Immediately before the second auxiliary when there are

two auxiliaries.
S25. Late complications may not always have been notified.

 (c) After the present and past tenses of 'to be'

S26. The answer of the machine is always correct.

 The adverbs only and also, follow the above rules (a-c).
at the beginning of a sentence
sometimes, occasionally, often,
normally, however, nevertheless, in
contrast, firstly, secondly, finally,
since, although, despite the fact, etc.

before the negation (not)

probably, certainly, definitely

adverbs of time
These go in various positions
 Rules to remember:
9. Put adjectives before the noun they
describe, or use a relative clause

e.g.
This is an interesting paper.
This paper is particularly interesting for PhD
students.
This is a paper that is particularly interesting
for PhD students.
 Rules to remember:
10. Avoid creating
strings of nouns

e.g.
Not art state technology,
but state-of-the-art
technology;
not mass destruction
weapons, but weapons
of mass destruction
Rules to remember:
11. Ensure there is no
ambiguity in the
order of the words

e.g.
 Professors like
annoying students.
 Professors like to
annoy their students.
 Professors like
students who are
annoying.
 Plan
 1. Scientific language
and style
 2. Why is word order
important?
 3. SVOI word order

 4. Word order in
different sentences
 5. Commas save lives

 6. Rules to remember
Scientific Language. Word Order
by Natalia Zakharchuk,
PhD, Associate Professor

Thank you for attention