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Articles.
Stacy Christiansen
in AMA Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors (11 ed.)
There are 2 types of articles—definite and indefinite—that function as adjectives and precede a noun or noun phrase. Which type to use depends on the context. Previous | Next The definite article the describes a specific object. It can be used to describe both singular and plural nouns as well as both common and proper nouns (note that sometimes ...Clichés.
Stacy Christiansen
in AMA Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors (11 ed.)
Clichés are worn-out expressions (sleep like a log, dead as a doornail, first and foremost, crystal clear). At one time they were clever metaphors, but overuse has left them lifeless, unable to conjure in the reader’s mind the original image. Avoid clichés like the plague....Collective Nouns.
Stacy Christiansen
in AMA Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors (11 ed.)
A collective noun is one that names more than 1 person, place, or thing. When the group is regarded as a unit, the singular verb is the appropriate choice (see 9.2, Collective Nouns). The couple has a practice in rural Montana. [Couple is considered a unit here and so takes the singular verb.]...Common Misperceptions About Sentence Beginnings and Endings.
Stacy Christiansen
in AMA Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors (11 ed.)
There are a number of mistaken caveats about sentence beginning and ending words. Two of the most common are the use of conjunctions to begin a sentence and the use of prepositions to end a sentence. The widely held belief that writers should not begin a sentence with a conjunction has no basis in formal English grammar....Compound Subject.
Stacy Christiansen
in AMA Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors (11 ed.)
When 2 words or 2 groups of words, usually joined by and or or, are the subject of the sentence, either the singular or plural verb form may be appropriate, depending on whether the words joined are singular or plural and on the connector used....Contractions.
Stacy Christiansen
in AMA Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors (11 ed.)
A contraction consists of 2 words combined by omitting 1 or more letters (eg, can’t, aren’t). An apostrophe shows where the omission has occurred. Contractions are usually avoided in formal writing. Previous | NextCorrelative Conjunctions.
Stacy Christiansen
in AMA Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors (11 ed.)
Parallelism may rely on accepted cues (either/or, neither/nor, not only/but also, both/and). All elements of the parallelism that appear on one side of the coordinating conjunction should match corresponding elements on the other side. Note: Either/or is used with only 2 comparators (use with more than 2 items is considered nonstandard)....Definite Articles.
Stacy Christiansen
in AMA Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors (11 ed.)
The definite article the describes a specific object. It can be used to describe both singular and plural nouns as well as both common and proper nouns (note that sometimes the is part of a proper name). The paper has been accepted. The journals are organized by issue number....
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Diction.
Stacy Christiansen
in AMA Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors (11 ed.)
Diction, or word choice, is important for any writing to be understood by its intended audience. In scientific writing, concrete and specific language is preferred over the abstract and general. Previous | NextDouble Negatives.
Stacy Christiansen
in AMA Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors (11 ed.)
Two negatives used together in a sentence constitute a double negative. The use of a double negative to express a positive is acceptable, although it yields a weaker affirmative than the simpler positive and may be confusing: Our results are not inconsistent with the prior hypothesis....Elliptical Comparisons.
Stacy Christiansen
in AMA Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors (11 ed.)
The conjunction than often introduces an abridged expression (eg, “You are younger than I [am young].)” Correct placement of than is important to avoid ambiguity. Previous | NextEuphemisms.
Stacy Christiansen
in AMA Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors (11 ed.)
Euphemisms (from the Greek eu, meaning good, and pheme, meaning voice) are indirect terms used to express something unpleasant. Although such language is often necessary in social situations (“He passed away” or “The study animals were sacrificed”), directness is better in scientific writing (“The patient died” or “The study animals were killed”) (...Every and Many a.
Stacy Christiansen
in AMA Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors (11 ed.)
When every or many a is used before a word or series of words, use the singular verb form. Many a clinician does not understand statistics. (Better: Many clinicians do not understand statistics.) Every issue profiles a leader in medicine. Previous | NextFalse Plurals.
Stacy Christiansen
in AMA Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors (11 ed.)
Some nouns, by virtue of ending in a “plural” -s form, are mistakenly taken to be plurals even though they should be treated as singular and take a singular verb (eg, genetics, mathematics, measles, mumps, statistics) (see 9.9, False Singulars). Genetics includes the study of heredity and variation of inherited characteristics....False Singulars.
Stacy Christiansen
in AMA Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors (11 ed.)
A few plural nouns are used so often in the singular that they are often paired with a singular verb. The agenda has been set for our next meeting. Frequently treated erroneously in this way are the plurals bacteria, criteria, phenomena, and memoranda. The distinction between singular and plural, however, should be retained; when the singular is intended, use ...Fragments.
Stacy Christiansen
in AMA Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors (11 ed.)
Sentence fragments, which lack a subject or a verb, should not be used in scientific or technical writing (except within the structured abstract; see 2.5, Abstract). Writers of prose and poetry occasionally use sentence fragments intentionally, for effect. Her affect signaled depression. Utter depression. In scientific writing, these fragments are likely to be unintentional and are inappropriate....
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Grammar
Stacy Christiansen
in AMA Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors (11 ed.)
The Grammar chapter of the 11th edition of the AMA Manual of Style focuses on how to avoid common grammatical and writing errors. Topics include often-encountered dilemmas: who vs whom, ...
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Grammar in Social Media.
Stacy Christiansen
in AMA Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors (11 ed.)
Scientific articles often have a life beyond their formal full-text publication. Many publishers, institutions, and individuals post information about scientific content on various social media platforms, with Twitter and Facebook being 2 of the most popular. Because these posts have strict space limits (Twitter allows just 280 characters, including spaces) or expectations of brevity from social media followers, it is usually not possible, or even desirable, to strictly adhere to grammar, punctuation, and usage norms. However, some standards are necessary to ensure clarity....
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