Please, please, please, please, please break your students of the following habits in their writing of English:
- Language: Pick one English, and stick to it. It's either double quotation marks, periods and commas inside the quote marks, behavior, and analyze, or it's single marks, punctuation outside the quote marks 99% of the time, include the u, use an s, and omit the serial comma. The Word program includes more than one choice for English. In fact, it includes several. Pick the one that matches your target language. This will at least help with dialectic spelling.
- Nowadays: This is an overwhelmingly used word among Dutch writers writing in English. Remove all instances from your theses immediately. My grandfather said nowadays (and newfangled), and he was a country boy born during the first World War.
- Auxiliary verbs: Auxiliary verbs go with the verb. "First will be the goals of the Revolution discussed" should be "First, the goals of the Revolution will be discussed." [Never mind the passive voice; I'd go bald trying to get students to re-write everything in the active voice, just get the verb in the right place!]
- Transitions: This is a two-part complaint. First, every single sentence does not require a transition. They're useful when your argument takes a turn. For example, if what you are about to say apparently contradicts to some degree what came before, then nonetheless, however, or unfortunately might be good indicators for the reader. If your argument could be considered complete but you decide to add a further point to it, then moreover, in addition, or furthermore might be appropriate. Second, stop gluing the following words to the front of every other sentence: also, and, but, so. These words make terrible transitions.
- Gender: Professional English should be gender-neutral if gender is not germane to the discussion. Avoid using he to refer to a general person (like a customer), but it is not necessary to write "he or she" repeatedly. Usually, sentences can be re-written as plural or rephrased to avoid the pronoun altogether. Do not refer to researchers as he. It is rare that you know the researcher in question personally. The fact that the researcher's first name is John does not prove gender. Where possible, avoid unnecessarily gendered terms such as waitress and chairman, in favor of neutral terms such as server and chairperson.
Just work on those five for now, and I'll yell again later.
Thanks in advance!
Your Overworked Editor
