英语写作中名词的单复数用法是很多考生和家长关心的事。可数名词和不可数名词的处理方式完全不同,可数名词必须区分单数和复数。中国作者最容易犯的错误就是用了单数但忘记加冠词,或者该用复数却用了单数。今天小编整理了几个常见的判断方法,帮你避免这类低级错误,写作更规范。感到兴趣的朋友们跟着小编一起来看一下吧

1.英文中名词被分为可数名词和不可数名词。不可数名词比较好办:不需要变化形式;前面不需要加不定冠词(a/an)(什么情况下要使用定冠词我们就不在这里讨论了);如果做主语,后面的动词变化格式按第三人称单数处理。
Previousresearchhasshownthat…..
To the best of ourknowledge, this is the first study of….
2. 可数名词一定要写清楚是一个(单数)还是多个(复数)。显然在英文的习惯里,一个和两个有本质区别,而再多就只是量变了。如果用单数,说明就只有是一个,前面要加不定冠词(a/an),定冠词,或其他限定语;否则就一定要用复数形式。这是中国作者比较容易出错的地方。比较一下下面两句话:
Apreviousstudyhasshownthat….这句提到一项研究,所以后面要引用一篇文献
Previousstudieshaveshown that….这里提到多项研究,所以后面要引用至少两篇文献
如果可数名词接在定冠词或限制性的修饰语后面,因为没有用”a/an”,更容易忽略掉名词应该用复数还是单数。
3. 怎么知道一个名词是可数还是不可数呢?有些比较直观,有些可能就不那么直观了。一个方法是阅读文献时留意一下你的研究领域里常用的名词别人是怎么用的,有没有经常以复数形式出现?以单数形式出现时,前面有没有不定冠词(a/an)?另一个方法就是在你不确定的时候查字典了, 比如TheOxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary
4. 要表达“多”或者“少”,需要根据是可数还是不可数名词来决定用什么词。“多”:可数名词用many,不可数名词用much,更多都是more;“少”:可数名词用few(更少是fewer),不可数名词用little(更少是less).
英语里有些名词是不可数名词,比如时间,钱,距离,但是具体说到它们时所用的单位都是可数的。在说到多或少的时候,就需要根据具体情况来决定用什么修饰的词了。
This technique reduced the totaltime of surgery to less than two hours. (这里指lesstime)
Before this program was developed, scientists used to spend many hours ondata analysis. (这里many修饰的是hour)
5. Data 是个有时会引起争议的词。从这个词的起源来说,它是拉丁语中datum这个词的复数形式,所以比较传统的用法是把data作为一个可数名词的复数形式,也就是说如果data做主语,后面谓语的动词用第三人称复数形式。Data前面可以加these, those而不是this,that
Data werecollected through aperiod of five years.
Data wereanalyzed by two statisticians independently.
These datasuggest that …
datum这个词除了个别领域,现在已经很少有人用了。所以也有人将data作为一个不可数名词来使用,但是目前这种用法还没有被科技期刊普遍认可。因此我们建议还是将data作为复数来使用, 如上面的例句。 不过要注意manydata, two data, fewer data 这样的说法最好不要用,读起来比较奇怪。如果你需要指出数量,考虑用datasets, data points. 另外information是个不可数名词,有些时候可以用来代替data.
学术英语论文人称代词使用指南

1.一篇文章中,最容易引起注意的地方就是句首,因此避免在句子的开头使用人称代词,因为在此处使用人称代词可能会让读者失焦于其他重点。
2.搞清楚“we”这个人称代词的定义,“we” 应该只能是作者们,而不会是读者,除非你就是要写conversationalpiece而不是学术文章。因为参与整个研究与分析结果的都只有作者,而不包含读者。此处注意,如果想用 “we” 来泛指某个群体,务必在前句先定义好,例如”Asresearchers,we frequently question…”
3.尽管第一人称在现代英文使用法中,逐渐被接受了,但是第二人称”you” 依旧是不可使用的。
5.另外应该要养成一种风格与习惯:在投稿之前,先阅读该期刊最近发表的文章,以此了解最近期刊编辑所偏好,才能有助于投稿的成功率。
学术论文中时态和语态的使用规则详解

主动语态-主语为行动的实施方。
被动语态-主语为行动的接收方。
在撰写科学论文时我们会使用各种各样的时态。下面是一些在不同时态下使用主动语态和被动语态的例子:
1.现在时-通常在概论,讨论和结论中使用的时态
Example 1:
Active: Vitamin A increases the risk of hair loss.
Passive: The risk of hair loss is increased by vitamin A.
Example 2:
Active: Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from industries and vehicleexhausts can induce a series of environmental problems, including photochemicalsmog, broken ozonosphere, and environmental pollution.
Passive: A series of environmental problems, including photochemical smog,broken ozonosphere, and environmental pollution, can be induced by volatileorganic compounds (VOCs) emitted from industries and vehicle exhausts.
2.现在时-通常在目标中使用的时态
Example 1:
Active: In this study, we present our design of an electric hot water tank.
Passive: In this study, a design of an electric hot water tank is presented.
Example 2:
Active: This study develops an efficient methodology to examine a space–timecontinuous dataset for urban irrigation water use.
Passive: An efficient methodology to examine a space–time continuous datasetfor urban irrigation water use is developed in this study.
3.现在完成时-通常在概论,讨论和总结中使用的时态
Example 1:
Active: Previous studies have used comparative analysis of ORF2 sequences toelucidate phylogenetic relationships among different FCV isolates.
Passive: Comparative analysis of ORF2 sequences has been used in previousstudies to elucidate phylogenetic relationships among different FCV isolates.
Example 2:
Active: only a small number of empirical studies have focused on the patternsand mechanisms behind disease clusters at small spatial scales, especially inwild host–pathogen systems [2].
Passive: The patterns and mechanisms behind disease clusters at small spatialscales, especially in wild host–pathogen systems, have been focused on by onlya small number of empirical studies [2].
4.过去时:通常用于材料与方法/结果
Example 1:
Active: We determined the presence of larvae by dip netting.
Passive: The presence of larvae was determined by dip netting.
Example 2:
Active: We evaluated the number of haplotypes (h), haplotypes (Hd), andnucleotides (π) using the DnaSP 5.10 program [3].
Passive: The number of haplotypes (h), haplotypes (Hd), and nucleotides (π) wasevaluated using the DnaSP 5.10 program [3].
Example 3:
Active: We found a strong correlation between above-ground and below-groundbiomass accumulation in Platanus occidentalis.
Passive: A strong correlation was found between above-ground and below-groundbiomass accumulation in Platanus occidentalis.