English for Biomedical Scientists (eBook)

Preface 6
Acknowledgments 8
Table of Contents 9
UNIT I 17
Introduction 18
Your First Exercise in English for Biomedical Scientists 19
Structure of the Book 21
UNIT II 23
Tenses 24
Modal Ve 35
Conditionals 40
Passive Voice 44
Reported Speech 47
Questions 50
Infinitive/-Ing 52
Countable and Uncountable Nouns 56
Articles: A/An and The 57
Word Order 59
Relative Clauses 60
Adjectives 63
Prepositions 69
Ellipsis 72
Unit III Usual Mistakes Made by Scientists Speaking and Writing in English 74
Misnomers and False Friends 74
Common Grammatical Mistakes 75
Common Spelling Mistakes 78
Common Pronunciation Mistakes 79
Unit IV Writing a Manuscript 84
Preliminary Work 85
Article Header 86
Title 86
Abstract 86
Objective 86
Materials and Methods 87
Results 88
Conclusion 88
Keywords 89
Main Text 89
Introduction 89
Materials and Methods 90
Statistics 92
Results 93
Discussion 94
Acknowledgments 94
References 95
Articles in Journals 96
Standard Journal Article 96
Organization as Author 96
No Author Given 96
Article Not In English 97
Volume with Supplement 97
Issue with Supplement 97
Volume with Part 97
Issue with Part 97
Issue with No Volume 97
No Issue or Volume 97
Pages in Roman Numerals 97
Type of Article Indicated as Needed 98
Article Containing Retraction 98
Article Retracted 98
Article with Published Erratum 98
Books and Other Monographs 98
Personal Author(s) 98
Editor(s), Compiler(s) as Author 98
Organization as Author and Publisher 98
Chapter in a Book 99
Conference Proceedings 99
Conference Paper 99
Scientific or Technical Report 99
Dissertation 99
Patent 99
Other Published Material 100
Newspaper Article 100
Audiovisual Material 100
Dictionary and Similar References 100
Unpublished Material 100
In Press 100
Electronic Material 100
Journal Article in Electronic Format 100
Monograph in Electronic Format 100
Computer File 100
Additional Material 101
Tables 101
Figures 101
Final Tips 102
Unit V 104
Writing Scientific Correspondence 104
Submission Letters 104
Re-submission Letters 106
Re-configuration Letters 107
Letters of Thanks for an Invitation to Publish an Article in a Journal 110
Asking About the Status of a Paper 111
Other Letters 112
Asking for Permission to Use Someone’s Name as a Referee 112
Postponing the Commencement of Duties 113
In Summary 114
Unit VI 116
Attending a Scientific Course or Conference 116
Introduction 116
Travel and Hotel Arrangements 117
Airport 117
Getting to the Airport 117
Checking in 117
Questions a Passenger Might Ask 117
Announcing Changes in an Airline Flight 118
At the Boarding Gate 118
Arrival 118
Complaining About Lost or Damaged Luggage 118
Exchange Office 119
Customs and Immigration Control 119
During the Flight 119
In the Taxi (.US. Cab) 120
Asking Where to Get a Taxi 120
Basic Instructions 134
Concerning Speed in a Taxi 121
Concerning Smoking in a Taxi 121
Asking to Stop and Wait 121
Concerning the Temperature in a Taxi 121
Payment 121
At the Hotel 122
Checking In 122
Preferences 136
The Stay 136
Checking Out 137
Complaints 123
Course Example 124
General Information 124
Language 124
Dress Code 124
Commercial Exhibition 124
Disclosure Statements 124
Faculty 125
Guest Faculty 125
How to Reach … 125
Arrival by plane 125
Arrival by Train 126
Weather 126
Registration 126
Course Planning 127
Unit VI 116
Attending a Scientific Course or Conference 116
Introduction 116
Travel and Hotel Arrangements 117
Airport 117
Getting to the Airport 117
Checking in 117
Questions a Passenger Might Ask 117
Announcing Changes in an Airline Flight 118
At the Boarding Gate 118
Arrival 118
Complaining About Lost or Damaged Luggage 118
Exchange Office 119
Customs and Immigration Control 119
During the Flight 119
In the Taxi (.US. Cab) 120
Asking Where to Get a Taxi 120
Basic Instructions 134
Concerning Speed in a Taxi 121
Concerning Smoking in a Taxi 121
Asking to Stop and Wait 121
Concerning the Temperature in a Taxi 121
Payment 121
At the Hotel 122
Checking In 122
Preferences 136
The Stay 136
Checking Out 137
Complaints 123
Course Example 138
General Information 138
Language 138
Dress Code 138
Commercial Exhibition 138
Disclosure Statements 138
Faculty 139
Guest Faculty 139
How to Reach … 139
Arrival by plane 139
Arrival by Train 140
Weather 140
Registration 140
Course Planning 141
Unit VII Giving Presentations for Biomedical Scientists 144
Know Your Audience 144
Choose a Relevant Main Message 145
Put Together Your Presentation: Structure and Delivery 146
The Dreaded Questions-and-Comments Section 152
Practice, Practice, Practice 157
Unit VIII Chairing a Scientific Discussion 159
Why, then, do we include a section on chairing a session? 159
Usual Chairperson’s Comments 160
Introducing the Session 160
Introducing Speakers 160
Adjourning 161
Finishing the Session 161
Should Chairpersons Ask Questions? 162
What the Chairperson Should Say When Something Is Going Wrong 162
Behind Schedule 162
Ahead of Schedule 163
Technical Problems 163
Computer Not Working 163
Lights Gone Out 163
Sound Gone Off 164
Lecturer Lacks Confidence 164
Specific Scientific Chairperson’s Comments 164
Unit IX Curriculum Vitae, Cover Letters, and Other Professional Letters 167
Professional Correspondence for Biomedical Scientists: General Tips 167
Curriculum Vitae 168
REFERENCES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST 171
COVER LETTER 172
Anchor 6 174
Anchor 7 167
Unit X Getting Ready for a Job Interview in English 183
You Are More Than Your Level of English 183
You Are More Than Your Résumé 184
Find Out About the Employer and Interviewers 185
You Must Prepare for Your Interview 186
Practice, Practice, Practice… 188
What Else Should You do on the Day of the Interview? 189
The Day After: What to do After Your Interview? 189
Unit XI The Laboratory Environment 196
Commonly Misused or Misunderstood Terms 196
Types of Biomedical Research Laboratories 199
Rooms Within a Large Laboratory 199
Glassware Commonly Found in a Laboratory 200
Commonly Used Laboratory Consumables 200
Commonly Used Laboratory Instruments 203
Commonly Used Laboratory Equipment 204
Unit XII Laboratory Writing 208
Scientific Protocols 208
Lab Notebook Entries 210
General Guidelines for Notebook Keeping 210
Laboratory Reports 213
Reagent Recipes 215
Short Notes 216
XIII Laboratory Safety and Biohazards 218
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) 219
Laboratory Safety Equipment 220
Chemical Safety 222
Biological Safety 224
Radiation Safety 225
Safety Quiz 226
Unit XIV Laboratory Animal Work 231
What Is Animal Research? 231
Animal Work Licences 232
Animal Research Facility and Its Staff 233
Space Description 233
Holding Rooms 233
Usage Examples 234
Procedure Rooms 234
Usage Example 235
Service Rooms 235
Record Keeping 235
Permanent Marking to Identify Individual Animals 236
Cage Cards 236
Data Record Form 237
Transgenic Animals 238
Usage Examples 239
Administrative Techniques 239
Usage Examples 240
Signs of Stress and Pain in Animals 240
Classifications of Drugs to Relieve or Control Pain and Stress 241
Usage Examples 241
Humane Methods of Killing 242
Ethical Considerations 242
The “3Rs” Principle 242
Additional Resources 243
Unit XV Latin and Greek Terminology 245
Introduction 245
Plural Rules 247
List of Latin and Greek Terms and Their Plurals 249
A 249
B 250
C 251
D 253
E 254
F 254
G 255
H 256
I 256
J 257
L 257
M 258
N 260
O 261
P 261
Q 264
R 264
S 265
T 267
U 268
V 268
Z 269
Unit XVI Acronyms and Abbreviations 271
Abbreviation .Rules and Style Conventions in English 272
Units of Measurement 287
Unit XVII Conversation Survival Guide 290
Introduction 290
Greetings 291
Presentations 292
Personal Data 292
Courtesy Sentences 293
Speaking in a Foreign Language 293
At the Restaurant 294
Preliminary Exchanges 294
Ordering 294
Complaining 295
The Check (.UK., The Bill) 295
City Transportation 295
Shopping 296
Asking About Store Hours 296
Preliminary Exchanges 296
Buying Clothes/Shoes 297
At the Shoe Shop 298
At the Post Office 298
Going to the Theater (.UK., Theatre) 298
At the Drugstore (.UK., Chemist) 299
At the Cosmetics Counter 299
At the Bookshop/Newsagent’s 300
At the Photography Shop 300
At the Florist 300
Paying 300
At the Hairdresser 301
Men and Women 301
Men 302
Women 302
Cars 302
At the Gas/Petrol Station 302
At the Garage 303
At the Parking Lot (.UK., Car Park) 303
Renting a Car 303
How Can I Get to …? 304
Having a Drink (or Two) 304
On the Phone 305
Emergency Situations 306
In the Bank 306
At the Police Station 306