医学英语论文写作中常见词语的正误用法及其解释
关键词 英语教学 语法错误
目前关于介绍英文医学论文写作中应注意问题的文献尚不多见,本文拟就英文论文写作中常用词语的正确用法以及易犯错误,加以说明和解释。
1 AlmostAlmost可以修饰all,none,nothing,no;但almost不可修饰not,也不可被not修饰。例如:Almost all the cell contain the constitutive Nitric Oxidesynthase.(几乎所有细胞都含有原生型一氧化氮合酶。)———almost修饰all。There is almost nothing left。(几乎什么都没有留下。)———almost修饰nothing。但是不能说:almost not,也不能说not almost。如果说“几乎不”,则应用hardly,scarcelly。所以,应注意下述的〔误〕〔正〕用法:〔误〕The membrane conducts so little ion current that it al-most can not be measurable.(膜所通过的离子流小得几乎无法测量。)〔正〕The membrane conducts so little ion current that it ishardly measurable.
2 Alternate,Alternative在作为名词或形容词时,这两个词一般是不能够交换使用的。前者是指在一个系列中,每隔一个,或交替,轮流的;而后者则是有选择的意思,为二者选其一的。作为二者之中的一个,alternate意指“另一个”,但alternative虽然也有相同的意思,但有选择其中的一个的意思,而alternate则无此义。例如:As the flooded road left them no alternative,they took thealternate route.(国为道路被洪水所淹,他们没有选择的余地,只能走另外的路。)In pathology state,the cells have the alternative of apopto-sis or of necrosis.(在病理情况下,细胞或者发生凋亡,或者发生坏死。)They do the experiment on alternate day.(他们每隔一天做实验。
)3 As yet,Yet二者意义相近,可以通用,但在句中位置不一样,通常asyet放在句末,而yet则插在has(have)后。如:No agreementhas been reached as yet.也可用No agreement has yet beenreached.但是二者的主要区别是放在句首时,它们的意义有所不同。如:Yet he has not succeeded.(然而他还没有成功。)As yet he has not succeeded.(至今他还没有成功。)
4 Below,Above〔误〕The below table shows the actions ofα-adrenocep-tor.(下表列出了α-肾上腺素受体的作用。)〔正〕The table below shows the actions ofα-adrenocep-tor.below的反义词是above,我们经常写“above table”,但不能说:the below table”,而要说“the table below”,或“the fol-lowing table”。例如:The above results indicate the effects ofdopamine.(上述结果指明了多巴胺的效应。)———above放在所修饰的名词之前。See the note below. (参看下面注释。)———below放在所修饰名词之后。
5 Both,Neither〔误〕The both instruments are valuable to measure the hor-mone level.(这两种仪器对检测激素水平都是很有价值的。)〔正〕Both the instruments are valuable to measure the hor-mone level.〔误〕His both experimental results are same.(他的两个实验结果相同)。〔正〕Both his experimental results are same.说明:both用the连用时the应位于both后面或省略the,both用my,his,her,their……连用时,代词也应位于both后面。〔误〕Both of your answers are not correct.〔正〕Neither of your answers is correct.(你的两个回答都不正确。)说明:both不能作否定句的主语,若要用作主语时,必须改用neither。在否定句中both作宾语则可以。(也可用ei-ther),但both同either在含意上不同。如:I can not promote both of you(意为I can promote onlyone of you.)I can not promote either of you(两者都不提升。)〔误〕Both of them did not join the experimental work.(他们俩人都没有参加实验工作。)〔正〕Neither of them joins the experimental work.说明:在否定句中,both要换用neither.neither作形容词或代词时,有时也可用于两个以上的人或物,例如:Neither of the three components was in the plasma.(三种成份均不在血浆中。)
6 By ,With〔误〕The laboratory is heated with electricity.(实验室是用电力加热的。)〔正〕The laboratory is heated by(means of )electricity.〔正〕The laboratory is heated with electric lamps.说明:用无形的手段时用by,因此by同抽象名词连用,用有形的手段时要用with,因此with同普通名词连用。electricity是抽象名词,要用by,而electric lamps是普通具体名词,可以用with连用。
7 CompareCompare to是指两个具有相似性,但不同性质和量级之间的比较,而compare with是指同一性质和量级的两种对象之间的比较,以反映其差异性。如:Life has been compared to a pilgrimage,to drama,to a bat-tle.(生命曾被比喻长途旅程,戏剧人生和战役人生。)生命与旅程为性质不同的两种对象,但它们也有某种相似的意义。又如:Paris has been compared to ancient Athens;it may be com-pared with modern London.(巴黎可与古雅典城相比;也可与现代伦敦相比。)巴黎与古雅典不是一同时代的,故用com-pare to,而巴黎与伦敦是性质相同的,故用compare with。
8 Data〔误〕Datum have been collected.(资料已收集完。〔正〕Data have been collected.说明:Datum“数据,论据”为单数,不能用复数动词。da-tum的复数为data,datum现在已不通用。在美国往往把da-ta当作单数,如: This data has been collected from varioussources.(这项资料是从各方面搜集来的。)9 关于涉及数目的有关数词的用法,英语有其特殊的规律,须注意掌握。〔误〕One killogram equals 2.2 pound (一千克等于2.2磅)。〔正〕One killogram equals
2.2 pounds.说明:整数位为零时,小数后的名词用单数,例如0.25ton,0.3gram;整数位不是零时,小数后面的名词用复数。〔误〕About four-fifths of the air are nitrogeu.(空气中大约五分之四是氮。)〔正〕About four-fifths of the air is nitrogseu.说明:分数后的名词和动词用单数还是复数取决于分数的值是否大于1,45值小于1,所以要用单数名词。如:3/8 inch———(用单数)214meters———(用复数)