Do not use contractions in formal writing
Contractions aren't bad in everyday writing, but they are not acceptable in scientific writing.
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July 16, 2015
Spell check fail of the day
What was written: "…even if the costs were sometimes painfully born by those who…" What I think was meant: I think they meant "…even if the costs were sometimes painfully…
July 13, 2015
Between us, “between” is often misused among the public
Between is used when there are two items; among is used when there are more. I traveled between Chicago and Cincinnati, but I traveled among Chicago, Cincinnati, and Cleveland.
July 9, 2015
Spell check fail of the day
What was written: "The name shave been changed to protect the identities." What I think was meant: I think they meant “The names have been changed to protect the identities.…
July 6, 2015
Today’s post centers on the phrase “centers on”
A debate may "center on" a certain issue, but it cannot "center around" it. The phrase "centers on" is a geometric reference. A circle centers on a single point. Imagine…
June 25, 2015
Spell check fail of the day
What was written: "Pennsylvania was regarded as having one of the most restrictive scopes of practice in the county." What I think was meant: I think they meant “Pennsylvania was…
June 22, 2015
Quotation marks: sometimes two comes before one
When using quotation marks, always start with double and then alternate with single. "But," you will say, "my math teacher told me, 'One comes before two.'"
June 18, 2015
Parentheses and brackets: cups before saucers
When writing phrases that are side remarks to the main point of a sentence, always start with parentheses first and then alternate with brackets (in general [in math, sometimes brackets…
June 15, 2015
Spell check fail of the day
Spell check Internal editor fail of the day What was written: "25% of cases were rescored by a second grader." What I think was meant: “25% of cases were rescored…
June 11, 2015
Lou Gehrig did not discover ALS
Diseases are named after their discoverers, but there is not a possessive. Alzheimer disease was discovered by Alzheimer, not suffered by him. So it is not Alzheimer's disease. Lou Gehrig…
May 4, 2015