Analysis On Explaining Science
Scientific Writing
Scientific writing -is a form of technical writing that reports scientific observations and results in a manner governed by specific conventions.
Examples and Observations (Definition #1):
"Sustaining a dead body until its organs can be harvested is a tricky process requiring the latest in medical technology. But it's also a distinct anachronism in an era when medicine is becoming less and less invasive. Fixing blocked coronary arteries, which not long ago required prying a patient's chest open with a saw and spreader, can now be accomplished with a tiny stent delivered to the heart on a slender wire threaded up the leg. Exploratory surgery has given way to robot cameras and high-resolution imaging. Already, we are eyeing the tantalizing summit of gene therapy, where diseases …show more content…
Reprinted in the Best American Science Writing 2004, edited by Dava Sobel. HarperCollins, 2004)
On Explaining Science
1. The question is not "should" you explain a concept or process, but "how" can you do so in a way that is clear and so readable that it is simply part of the story? 2. Use explanatory strategies such as . . . - Active-voice verbs Use the Active Voice . . . Most of the Time "When a verb is in the active voice, the subject of the sentence is also the doer of the action.
Active Voice- John picked up the bag
It is in the active voice because the subject, John, is also the thing or person doing the action of 'picking up.
Passive Voice-The bag was picked up by John The subject of the sentence, bag, is the passive receiver of the action. . . .
- Analogies and metaphors
Analogies- comparison between two things that are similar in some way, often used to explain something or make it easier to understand.
Metaphors- the use to describe somebody or something of a word or phrase that is not meant literally but by means of vivid comparison expresses something about him, her or
Scientific writing -is a form of technical writing that reports scientific observations and results in a manner governed by specific conventions.
Examples and Observations (Definition #1):
"Sustaining a dead body until its organs can be harvested is a tricky process requiring the latest in medical technology. But it's also a distinct anachronism in an era when medicine is becoming less and less invasive. Fixing blocked coronary arteries, which not long ago required prying a patient's chest open with a saw and spreader, can now be accomplished with a tiny stent delivered to the heart on a slender wire threaded up the leg. Exploratory surgery has given way to robot cameras and high-resolution imaging. Already, we are eyeing the tantalizing summit of gene therapy, where diseases …show more content…
Reprinted in the Best American Science Writing 2004, edited by Dava Sobel. HarperCollins, 2004)
On Explaining Science
1. The question is not "should" you explain a concept or process, but "how" can you do so in a way that is clear and so readable that it is simply part of the story? 2. Use explanatory strategies such as . . . - Active-voice verbs Use the Active Voice . . . Most of the Time "When a verb is in the active voice, the subject of the sentence is also the doer of the action.
Active Voice- John picked up the bag
It is in the active voice because the subject, John, is also the thing or person doing the action of 'picking up.
Passive Voice-The bag was picked up by John The subject of the sentence, bag, is the passive receiver of the action. . . .
- Analogies and metaphors
Analogies- comparison between two things that are similar in some way, often used to explain something or make it easier to understand.
Metaphors- the use to describe somebody or something of a word or phrase that is not meant literally but by means of vivid comparison expresses something about him, her or