Analysis on Some Common Mistakes in English Scientific and Technological Paper Writing--Taking Journal of Natural Science of Hunan Normal University as an Example
Abstract:In order to avoid a prolonged publication period or rejection of manuscripts due to improper expressions or incorrect use of quantities and units, the following points should be paid attention to in writing English scientific and technological papers: avoid common grammatical errors such as misuse of prepositions, omission of articles, misuse of predicate verbs and abuse of long redundancy sentences. The quantity symbols should minimally be expressed in multiple letters, and the national standard units should be strictly used.
英文中介詞經常和名詞、動詞、形容詞進行搭配,在英文句子中被廣泛、頻繁地使用,中文當中介詞通常由動詞演變而來,其數量遠不如英文,由于我們慣用中文思維,難以靈活運用英文介詞,經常造成不地道的搭配。如:“FEM inserted in the commercial software ABAQUS is applied for simulation in this research.”(本研究采用商業軟件ABAQUS中插入的有限元方法進行模擬)[2]和“FFT and 2D-FFT are applied for frequency domain analysis and wavenumber-frequency domain analysis, respectively.”(快速傅里葉變換器和二維快速傅里葉變換器分別應用于頻域分析和波數頻域分析)[2]。apply與for連用表示“申請”,而以上兩句中并無此意,因此欄目編輯將兩句中“applied for”改為“applied to”,意為“適用于、運用”。此外,在英語科技論文的題目以及摘要撰寫中,介詞常被忽略,如“Progress and Application of Slow/Controlled Release Pesticides(緩/控釋農藥研究及其應用進展)”題目中應在“pesticides”前加“of”表示主格關系[3]。
1.2冠詞漏用
中文當中無冠詞,因此作者經常漏用或不當使用冠詞,有些普遍錯誤,如China屬于專有名詞,前面不加冠詞,但普通名詞構成的專有名詞前就要加“the”,如:the Yellow River。再如此句:The Zn (1) is surrounded by two nitrogen atoms (N (1) and N (2) from the phen molecule) and four oxygen atoms (O(5) from water molecule and O(1), O(2A) and O(3) from the L-1 anions).(鋅由兩個氮原子(來自鄰菲啰啉分子的N(1)和N(2))和4個來自水分子的氧原子(O(5)以及來自L-1陰離子的O(1)、O(2A)和O(3))包圍)[4]。作者在前文中提到過water molecule,因此,該句中漏掉了其前面的定冠詞“the”,筆者編輯此文時補上了。冠詞的漏用現象在摘要中出現得比較頻繁,如“The smallest industrial sources of heavy metals in the soil produce the biggest contribution to ecological and environmental risks, to which should be paid more attention.”(土壤重金屬的工業來源部分占比最小,卻產生了最大的生態環境風險貢獻度,需引起重視。)此句前文多次提到了生態環境風險,但最后總結句中仍然漏用了“ecological and environmental”前面的定冠詞“the”[5]。再如,“In addition, adsorption performance for crotonic aldehyde was investigated by DVS method to explore the feasibility of applying this PEI-modified silica gel type B as the adsorbent for carbonyl compounds in cigarette. ”此句中漏用了兩個定冠詞“the”,第一個應加在“adsorption performance(吸附性能)”前,特指“巴豆醛的吸附性能”,第二個則需加在專有名詞“DVS method(動態重量法)”前[6]。
1.3謂語動詞錯用
謂語動詞錯用是英文寫作中最常出現的錯誤,主要包括主謂不一致、時態語態的使用錯誤等。如:Finally, the effect of reaction temperature on the oxidation reaction were researched.
。ㄗ詈,研究了反應溫度對氧化反應的影響)[7]。此句中主語用的是單數,但be動詞用的是復數“were”,造成了主謂不一致,應改為“was”;再如:The MS fragmentation mechanism of diosgenin was explored by fragmentary ions.(通過質譜碎片離子探究了薯蕷皂苷元的裂解規律)。此句中研究的結果對現在的研究是有影響的,因此謂語動詞應該用現在完成時態的被動語態“has been”[8]。
1.4長贅句的濫用
筆者在審稿中發現,科技論文中的概念比較復雜,作者喜歡用長的復合句解釋其中的邏輯關系,有時候一句話超過30個單詞,導致語法錯誤頻頻出現,并不利于審稿人對稿件的理解,閱讀體驗較差,如:The information on the structure and function of this complexe with flexible cyclic carboxylic ligands was acquired,and also the optical performance and thermal stability of this complexe were preliminaried characterized. (獲得了該柔性環狀羧酸配體配合物的結構和功能信息,并對其光學性能和熱穩定性進行了初步表征)。此句在編輯時被精簡為兩個短句:The information on the structure and function of this complexe with flexible cyclic carboxylic ligands was acquired. Moreover, the optical performance and thermal stability of this complexe were preliminaried characterized[4]. 因此作者行文時最好做到一個句子清楚地表達一個觀點,適當使用替代詞that或者one,連接代詞what, which, 或therefore, besides, moreover, meanwhile, otherwise, however等表達遞進、轉折關系的連接副詞,增加句型的層次感。
2、英文科技論文中量符號的錯用
量符號一般不能用多字母表示,GB 3101—1993《有關量、單位和符號的一般規則》第3.1.1節規定:“量的符號通常是單個拉丁或希臘字母,有時帶有下標或其他說明性標記,……量的符號都必須用斜體印刷”[9]。在遙感學科的英文文章中,很多作者直接照搬國外文獻,用單詞首字母縮寫代替量符號。如將Normalized Difference Vegetation Index(歸一化植被指數)用單詞首字母的縮寫NDVI作為量符號,將The near infrared band reflectance(近紅外波段反射率)用縮寫NIR代替[10]。筆者參考袁林新老師的做法[11],將NDVI用指數(Index)的首字母I(斜體)加下角標(單詞首字母縮寫,正體)代替,即INDV;NIR則建議取反射率(reflectance)的首字母r加下標代替,即rNIR。中文論文中也有類似現象[12],筆者按照以上原則替換,效果較好。
經常出現的錯誤有,用year的縮寫y或者yr代替正確單位a;用seconds的縮寫sec代替正確單位s;r?min-1被revolutions per minute的縮寫 “rpm” 錯誤代替。此外,還有ppm(parts per million的縮寫)常被用作單位符號,但ppm既不是我國法定單位,也不是國際單位制(法文le Système International d'Unités,簡稱SI)詞頭,只是表示數量份額為10-6,應根據上下文確定適當的單位[15]。