Tutorial
Section 3: Usage
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Usage refers to the way that we use words. For example, when is it proper to use affect as opposed to effect? Likewise, when should you select continual and when you choose continuous? With technical reports and journal papers, another challenge for usage concerns the correct verb tense--for instance, whether to select "The results showed..." as opposed to "The results show...." Still another important aspect of usage for engineers and scientists is whether to use numerals or to write out numbers.
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If you selected all of the correct answers on the Kahoot, congratulations. You can proceed to the Comprehensive Quiz. However, if you missed questions, work through the films and quizzes below.
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If you did not know the proper usage of some words in the Kahoot, then use Appendix C in The Craft of Scientific Writing [4] to learn how to use those words. Afterwards, take the two review quizzes on word choices.
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Commonly Confused Words
affect effect
amount number compose comprise continual continuous farther further fewer less its it's lead led principal principle that which Words Often Used Incorrectly
Nonsensical Expressions
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Congratulations on finishing the usage section.
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References
- Peg Tyre, "The Writing Revolution," The Atlantic Monthly (October 2012), pp. 99-100.
- Catherine Walker, "Time to Stop Avoiding Grammar Rules," The Guardian (September 2012).
- Tessa Schlesinger, "Why Grammar Matters," Owlcation (7 September 2017).
- Michael Alley, The Craft of Scientific Writing, 4th ed. (New York: Springer, 2018), Appendices A, B, and C.
- Cheryl Glenn and Loretta Gray, The Writer's Harbrace Handbook, 5th ed. (Boston: Cengage Learning, 2012).
- William A. Sabin, The Gregg Reference Manual: A Manual of Style, Grammar, Usage, and Formatting, 11th ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010).
- Theodore Bernstein, The Careful Writer, 2nd ed. (New York: Free Press, 1995).
