English Grammar Tips

For Science and Medical Writers

Are you looking for a few tips to help you recognize grammar errors to avoid in your writing?

Perhaps you are learning English and you want to know more about English grammar and usage.

Knowledge of grammar is one of the keys to writing clearly and credibly.

The tips below offer information on how to avoid common grammar, punctuation, spelling, and usage errors. These errors are among those that I look for when editing a document at any level.

Browse through the list to find the tips that interest you. New tips will be added frequently, but please let me know if you would like to learn about a topic that is not shown.

If you need help with style rules or formatting of references to complete your science or medical manuscript, you will find useful information on the Style Guides pages.

For editing and proofreading tips, please visit the Editing Tips pages, where you can also download a free PDF of common proofreading marks.

Grammar Tips

Pronouns

• ambiguous references
• missing references
• vague references (this, which)

Sentence structure

• dangling modifiers
• misplaced modifiers

Punctuation Tips

• comma splice

Spelling Tips

• Latin and Greek plurals

Word Usage Tips

Misused words/phrases

• based on (see dangling modifiers)
• since

Troublesome twos

• affect and effect
• ie and eg
• its and it's
• less and fewer
• percent and percentage

Are you a science or medical writer? Do you have a question on grammar, usage, or style? Simply contact me online and I'll be happy to help.