章保持一致。由于很多英语为母语的人甚至编辑也不理解上面两个用法的道理，有时候即使你
整篇文章都采用了第二种用法，也会遇到编辑把“a UV peak”改成“an UV peak”。
1.7 介词的误用
例34 similar to，different from 和differ from 经常被误用为similar with，different with 和differ
with。例如：
“Our solution differs with (应改为from) the solutions obtained in previous studies”。
但是下面几个例子是正确的：
[1] We differ with you on solving this problem, by including the effects of magnetic fields.
[2] The brothers differ in their interests.
[3] The houses in the row differ only in small details.
[4] We differ about moral standards.
例35 “to do something”和“in order to do something”是有明显区别的，大部分同学使用时不进行区
分。比如：
[1] I have solved this problem to get this result. (我已经解决了这个问题，导致我得到了这个结果。)
[2] I have solved this problem in order to get this result. (为了得到这个结果，我已经解决了这个问
题。)
“To get this result I have solved this problem.”和“In order to get this result I have solved this
problem.”的意思一样，但是在这种情况下，建议使用“In order to ... ”，因为没有引起歧义的可能
性。
1.8 比较级
例36 副词没有比较级。比如：
“This problem can be solved using this method more easily.”是正确的，但是，如果 easily 换成easier
则是错误的。
“better, best, most, least, worse, worst”等取不规则变化的比较级是例外，如“You can do this better.”
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“You better do this.” “This problem is best solved by... ” “This development is most advanced.” “That
development is least advanced.” “This process is best described by ... ”都是正确的。
1.9 缩
例37 “Professor”的缩是“Prof.”不是“Pro.”，如“Dear Pro. Zhang”是错误的。
1.10 中英文习惯用法
例38 x2
的英文正确表达是chi-squared，而chi square 是错误的。平方根是square root;均方根
是root mean square (RMS)。
例39 椭圆的长轴和短轴分别为：major (不是long) axis, minor (不是short) axis。
例40 数学中的上限和下限分别是lower limit 和upper limit，而不是low limit 和 up limit。
例41 关于图的一些英文说明：
(1) 一个figure 如果由几个图组成，每个图叫做panel，而不是sub-figure，图的位置通常称为top
panel, middle panel, bottom panel, upper panel, upper-left panel, lower-right panel, 等等;
(2) 图中线条的说法是solid line, dotted line (不是dot line), dashed line (不是dash line), dot-dashed line。
例42 “大质量”是“high mass”，不是“large mass”;小质量“low mass”是正确的，“small mass”是错
误的;大质量恒星：high-mass star，小质量恒星：low-mass star。
例43 “亮度可以从以下方程计算得到”经常被成“The luminosity can be calculated from the
below equation.”正确的法是：
[1] The luminosity can be calculated from the following equation.
[2] The luminosity can be calculated from the equation as follows . (following也可)
若将其中的following 换成followings 则是错误的。
例44 “Physicists were looking for a fundamental explanation why (应改为for why) the electron mass
could not be any different from its measured value.”
例45 最右边、左边、上面、下面：rightmost, leftmost, uppermost, lowermost。经常错误地为
most right, ...
例46 “数量级”是“order of magnitude”，但是经常被误用为“order”，例如“The mass of this black hole
is about one order smaller (应改为smaller by about one order of magnitude) than that one.”
1.11 词性的选取
例47 “sun”是名词，“solar”是形容词。正确表达：“the mass of the Sun”(太阳的质量)，“solar
mass”(太阳质量，是质量单位)。“sun mass”, “sun energy”等是错误的。
例48 “evenly”和“even”的区别：“All girls should sit on the chairs with even (偶) numbers.” “Students
are evenly (对半) divided into two groups.”
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