如果你的目标是写小说，应该看原版The Elements of Style （免费下载）：
http://www.jlakes.org/ch/web/The-elements-of-style.pdf
为了“完整”性，我们继续用The Elements of Style 。不喜欢看英文原著的，凑合着看我的注解（不是翻译）。
有时，我会用Google Translate。GT现在还不成熟，你不要拿它当回事。
IV Words and Expressions Commonly Misused
第四部分（45-63页），我只挑其中一小部分注解一下，因为我们是学习科技英语写作。如果你“喜欢”另外一些词，请告诉我。我会考虑补充。
Many of the words and expressions listed here are not so much bad English as bad style, the commonplaces of careless writing. As illustrated under Feature, the proper correction is likely to be not the replacement of one word or set of words by another but the replacement of vague generality by definite statement.
Google Translate: 这里列出的许多单词和表达都不是那么糟糕的英语，而是糟糕的风格，粗心写作的常见地方。如特征所示，正确的修正可能不是用另一个词或一组词替换另一个词或一组词，而是用明确的陈述代替模糊的一般性。
注解：拿Feature这个单词作为例子，需要修改的东西，不是用另一个词或一组词去替换Feature这个单词，而是用明确的陈述句去替代原来的句子。
感叹：水太深了。所以，几乎不想继续注解下去。
The shape of our language is not rigid; in questions of usage we have no lawgiver whose word is final. Students whose curiosity is aroused by the interpretations that follow, or whose doubts are raised, will wish to pursue their investigations further.
Google Translate: 我们语言的形状并不严格;在使用问题上，我们没有立法者，他的话是最终的。学生的好奇心被随后的解释所引起，或者他们的疑虑被提出，他们希望进一步进行调查。
注解：语言不是“僵尸”，无法“制定法律”说：这是唯一的写法（表达方式）。如果看了这一章，你（对这些解释）起了好奇心或产生了怀疑，应该继续寻找答案（看别的东东）。
Alternate. Alternative. The words are not always interchangeable as nouns or adjectives. The first means every other one in a series; the second, one of two possibilities. As the other one of a series of two, an alternate may stand for "a substitute," but an alternative, although used in a similar sense, connotes a matter of choice that is never present with alternate.
Google Translate：这些词并不总是可以作为名词或形容词互换。第一个意味着系列中的每一个;第二，两种可能性之一。作为一系列两个中的另一个，替代品可能代表“替代品”，但是替代品虽然在类似意义上使用，但意味着选择的问题从不存在于替代品中。
注解：让我们用下面这个例子，好好体会一下它们的差异：
As the flooded road left them no alternative （路给淹了，没有什么好选择的了，比方说把汽车当飞机 飞起来）, they took the alternate route （他们选择了另外一条路线）.
Among. Between. When more than two things or persons are involved, among is usually called for: "The money was divided among the four players." When, however, more than two are involved but each is considered individually, between is preferred: "an agreement between the six heirs."
Google Translate：当涉及两个以上的事物或人时，通常需要：“钱在四个参与者之间分配。”然而，当涉及两个以上但每个都被单独考虑时，两者之间是优先的：“六个继承人之间的协议。”
注解：超过两个，用among：
The money was divided among the four players.
但是，但是，原作者说：an agreement between the six heirs是对的，因为这里的六个继承人是“六个个体”。（弱弱地评论：我，觉得应该用among。不过，用错了审稿人也不知道，因为深究文字的科学家，很少。如果审稿人说你错了，你就听他的。不是大事。）
And / or. A device, or shortcut, that damages a sentence and often leads to confusion or ambiguity.
Google Translate：破坏句子并经常导致混淆或模棱两可的设备或捷径。
First of all, would an honor system successfully cut down on the amount of stealing and/or cheating?
修改后：First of all, would an honor system reduce the incidence of stealing or cheating or both?
注解：我常常看客户用and/or。我不喜欢这样用，但是，但是，有时真的好用。如果你也喜欢用，请在留言处 留个例子。谢谢。
Anticipate. Use expect in the sense of simple expectation.
例子：
I anticipated that he would look older.
建议用：I expected that he would look older.
My brother anticipated the upturn in the market.
建议用：My brother expected the upturn in the market.
In the second example, the word anticipated is ambiguous. It could mean simply that the brother believed the upturn would occur, or it could mean that he acted in advance of the expected upturn —by buying stock, perhaps.
Google Translate：在第二个例子中，预期这个词含糊不清。这可能仅仅意味着兄弟认为会出现好转，或者可能意味着他在预期的好转之前采取了行动 - 也许是通过购买股票。
注解：第二个例子中的anticipated，给人两种解释。
Anybody. In the sense of "any person," not to be written as two words. Any body means "any corpse," or "any human form," or "any group." The rule holds equally for everybody, nobody, and somebody.
Google Translate：在“任何人”的意义上，不要写成两个字。任何身体都意味着“任何尸体”或“任何人形”或“任何群体”。该规则同样适用于所有人，无人和某人。
注解：Anybody，如果是说任何人，是一个单词，不要写成any body （两个单词）。
Any body （两个词）是说“任何尸体”或“任何体型”或“任何群体”。everybody, nobody, and somebody这些词的用法和anybody类似。
Anyone. In the sense of "anybody," written as one word. Any one means "any single person" or "any single thing."
Google Translate：在“任何人”的意义上，写成一个词。任何一个人都意味着“任何一个人”或“任何一件事”。
注解：如果是说任何人，是一个单词。Any one （两个单词）的意思是任何一个人”或“任何一件事”。
As good or better than. Expressions of this type should be corrected by rearranging the sentences.
注解：这种情况下，需要修改句子。
My opinion is as good or better than his.
修改后：My opinion is as good as his, or better (if not better).
As to whether. Whether is sufficient.
注解：啰嗦。用whether就可以了。
As yet. Yet nearly always is as good, if not better.
No agreement has been reached as yet.
修改后： No agreement has yet been reached.
The chief exception is at the beginning of a sentence, where yet means something different.
Google Translate：主要的例外是在一个句子的开头，这意味着一些不同的东西。
注解：如果yet用在句首，就不一样了。看下面两个例子。
Yet (or despite everything) he has not succeeded.
As yet (or so far) he has not succeeded.
［科技英语写作基础（系列）：大纲（1）
http://blog.sciencenet.cn/home.php?mod=space&uid=306792&do=blog&id=1146690
科技英语写作基础（系列）：大纲（2）
http://blog.sciencenet.cn/home.php?mod=space&uid=306792&do=blog&id=1146716］
1. 语态（1）
2. 常用时态
3. 一些标点符号“规则”（句号、逗号，参考The Elements of Style Part I）
4. 一些语法“规则”（主语、谓语的一致性、变化多端的代词、分词短语的主人，参考The Elements of Style Part I）
5. 一些基本的写作“原则”（文章结构、段落、语态、简洁性等，参考The Elements of Style）
6. 一些容易用错的词和词组（参考The Elements of Style）
7. 修改、修改、再修改［简洁为上, see Chapter 7 Concision by Joseph／三种修饰语＋两种“问题修饰语”，即悬空修饰语（p161）、错位修饰语／, see Chapter 8 Length by Joseph／逻辑性／一致性］
请大家多提意见。
