【英語論文の書き方】第42回　論文での受動態の使い方 論文翻訳・英文校正　研究者専門の翻訳会社　ワールド翻訳サービス

第41回の前回は
(1) 量的変化を表すときの、動詞の選び方。“increase”それとも“rise”…？
(2) ”used in”と”used for"をハッキリと区別しましょう。
(3) 他の著者名を本文で挙げるときについて。
通常本文中では名前（given-name）のイニシャルは記載しませんが、
同じ姓の著者が２人いるとき、著者が３人以上いるときは？
を取り上げました。

第42回の今回は
(1) The passive voice: Are we allowed to use it in scientific writing?
科学論文では受動態を避けるべきと言われますが、受動態の方が表現しやすいとき
もあります。その場合はどうするのが良いでしょう。

(2) “Figure 1 shows X” versus “X is shown in Fig. 1.”
図について言及するときの表現。
１つの論文に図や表はいくつも含まれているものですが、同じ表現が続くと
ネイティブが見た時に不自然なのでしょうか？

(3) Using en dashes with the meaning of “to”
エンダッシュ「＿」を正しく使えていますか？ハイフン「‐」との違いは？

以上3つのテーマを解説します。



 

In this review, we examine the use of the passive voice in scientific writing, then look at verbs to be used when referring to figures and tables. We conclude with a few words about the correct use of en dashes in expressions such as 30–40 mL.

Verbs can be used in either the active voice (e.g., “Our research team conducted a study on X”) or in the passive voice (e.g., “A study on X was conducted by our research team”). Often, the so-called “agent” following the word by in a passive expression (e.g., our research team in the preceding example) is omitted, in which case we will see an expression such as “A study on X was conducted” without any “by ______” expression. The reader will then assume that the agents are the authors of this particular paper as well as their research colleagues.
 
Some grammarians say that the passive voice should be avoided as much as possible, but most writers of English disagree with that viewpoint, considering it too narrow-minded. It is true that the best policy is not to overuse the passive voice, especially in situations when the meaning can be more clearly conveyed by using the active voice. However, the passive voice can be used without hesitation when appropriate.
 
What do I mean by “when appropriate”? Let’s look at a few examples.
 
We often see the passive voice used in the first sentence of the Abstract of a paper (e.g., “An experiment was conducted to determine XYZ,” rather than “We conducted an experiment to determine XYZ”), perhaps based on the assumption that the reader of the Abstract might not know yet who the authors (“we”) are. The Conclusions section of a paper often has similar wording to the Abstract, so the passive voice is frequently used there if a sentence in the Abstract is being repeated (e.g., “An experiment was conducted. . .”). In the main body of the paper, however, such as in the Introduction, the active voice would generally be used (“We conducted. . .).
 
Another very common usage of the passive voice is in general expressions such as “it is known that,” “it has been reported that,” and so on (note that such expressions will normally be followed by one or more reference citations to indicate who has reported the matter in question). Also, if you have used the personal pronoun we once or twice already, you might wish to switch to the passive voice to avoid overusing we. As you can see, there are many cases in which the use of the passive voice is appropriate in scientific writing.

In the Autumn 2012 issue of Quarterly Review, we looked at the styles used when referring to figures; for example, Fig. 1 versus Figure 1. To summarize, either style is acceptable, but the non-abbreviated form (Figure 1) should be used if it is the first word in a sentence. This time, let’s explore the verbs that can be used when describing figures and tables, with a focus on whether the active voice (e.g., shows) or passive voice (e.g., is shown) is better.
 
We usually use the verb show when referring to figures and tables, and this is true even in papers that contain many figures or tables. In other words, even in cases where “Fig. X shows. . .” is written many times, it is not usually considered to be repetitive. If you really wish to avoid repeating shows too many times, you could use another verb, such as presents. In the case of tables, we can use shows or a few other verbs such as lists, enumerates, and so on, but it is still best to use shows as the first choice, if possible.
 
This brings up another question—Which is better: “Figure 1 shows X” (active) or “X is shown in Fig. 1” (passive)? Generally speaking, the active construction, “Figure 1 shows X,” is considered to be the best choice, simply because it is clear and concise. However, if you sometimes prefer to use the passive construction, “X is shown in Fig. 1,” it’s not a problem. I suggest that you use “Figure 1 shows X” or “Table 1 shows X” as the first choice, in principle, but if you feel that this creates a highly repetitive situation, you can use the passive construction (e.g., “X is shown in Fig. 1”) in some places to give a little variety, and as a last resort, use a different verb (e.g., “Figure 1 presents the analysis results,” “Table 1 lists the values obtained,” etc.).

When writing about a range of numerical values or a period of time, instead of using the word to we can use a so-called en dash instead. For example:

• 30 to 40 mL can also be written as 30–40 mL.
• 2002 to 2014 can also be written as 2002–2014.

 
Many authors use a hyphen in such cases, but the en dash is actually the correct punctuation mark to be used as a substitute for the word to. Note that there is no space before or after the en dash in this type of expression.
 
As well as the hyphen (-), which is relatively short, we have the slightly longer en dash (–), whose name comes from the fact that its length is approximately the same as that of the letter n in a typeset manuscript, the em dash (—), with approximately the same length as the letter m, and various other, even longer, dashes. Each type of dash has its own specific uses, which would take a whole issue of Quarterly Review to describe. The main point that I’d like to emphasize here is that it is preferable to use an en dash rather than a hyphen when the meaning is “to.”
 
Until next time, please stay safe, and keep up the good work!
 
Sincerely yours,
 
Bob Gavey
For World Translation Services, Inc.

第１回　if、in case、when の正しい使い分け：確実性の程度を英語で正しく表現する
http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigoronbunwriting-1/index.html
 
第2回 「装置」に対する英語表現
http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigoronbun-equipment/index.html
 
第3回　助動詞のニュアンスを正しく理解する：「～することが出来た」「～することが出来なかった」の表現
http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigoronbun3/index.html
 
第4回　「～を用いて」の表現：by と with の違い
http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigoronbun-writing4/index.html
 
第5回　技術英文で使われる代名詞のitおよび指示代名詞thisとthatの違いとそれらの使用法
http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigoronbun-daimeishi/index.html
 
第6回　原因・結果を表す動詞の正しい使い方：その1 原因→結果
http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigoronbun6-kekka/index.html
 
第7回　原因・結果を表す動詞の使い方：その2 結果→原因
http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigoronbun-kekka/index.html
 
第8回　受動態の多用と誤用に注意
http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigoronbun-writing8/index.html
 
第9回　top-heavyな英文を避ける
http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigoronbun-topheavy/index.html
 
第10回　名詞の修飾語を前から修飾する場合の表現法
http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigo-ronbun10/index.html
 
第11回　受動態による効果的表現
http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigo-ronbun11/index.html
 
第12回　同格を表す接続詞thatの使い方
http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigo-ronbun12/index.html
 
第13回 「技術」を表す英語表現
http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigo-ronbun13/index.html
 
第14回　「特別に」を表す英語表現
http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigo-ronbun14/index.html
 
第15回　所有を示すアポストロフィー + s ( ’s) の使い方
http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigo-ronbun15/index.html
 
第16回　「つまり」「言い換えれば」を表す表現
http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigo-ronbun16/index.html
 
第17回　寸法や重量を表す表現
http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigo-ronbun17/index.html
 
第18回　前置詞 of の使い方: Part 1
http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigo-ronbun18/index.html
 
第19回　前置詞 of の使い方: Part 2
http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigo-ronbun19/index.html
 
第20回　物体や物質を表す英語表現
http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigo-ronbun20/index.html
 
第21回　句動詞表現より1語動詞での表現へ
http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigo-ronbun21/index.html
 
第22回　不定詞と動名詞: Part 1
http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigo-ronbun22/index.html
 
第23回　不定詞と動名詞の使い分け: Part 2
http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigo-ronbun23/index.html

第24回　理由を表す表現
http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigo-ronbun24/index.html

第25回　総称表現　（a, theの使い方を含む）
http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigo-ronbun25/index.html
　
第26回　「研究開発」を表す英語表現
http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigo-ronbun26/index.html

第27回　「0～１の数値は単数か複数か？」
http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigo-ronbun27/index.html

第28回　「時制－現在形の動詞の使い方」
http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigo-ronbun28/index.html

第29回 　then, however, therefore, for example など接続副詞の使い方
​http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigo-ronbun29/index.html

第30回　 まちがえやすいusing, based onの使い方－分詞構文
​http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigo-ronbun30/index.html

第31回　 比率や割合の表現（ratio, rate, proportion, percent, percentage）
http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigo-ronbun31/index.html

第32回　英語論文の書き方　総集編
http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigo-ronbun32/index.html

第33回　Quality Review Issue No. 23　report, show の時制について
​http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigo-ronbun33/index.html

第34回　Quality Review Issue No. 24　参考文献で日本語論文をどう記載すべきか
​http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigo-ronbun34/index.html

第35回　Quality Review Issue No. 25　略語を書き出すときによくある間違いとは？
​http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigo-ronbun35/index.html

第36回　Quality Review Issue No. 26　％と℃の前にスペースを入れるかどうか
http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigo-ronbun36/index.html

第37回　Quality Review Issue No. 27　同じ種類の名詞が続くとき冠詞は付けるべき？！
​http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigo-ronbun37/index.html

第38回　Quality Review Issue No. 22  日本人が特に間違えやすい副詞の使い方
​http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigo-ronbun38/index.html

第39回　Quality Review Issue No. 21  previous, preceding, earlierなどの表現のちがい
http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigo-ronbun39/index.html

第40回　Quality Review Issue No. 20　using XX, by XXの表現の違い
http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigo-ronbun40/index.html

第41回　Quality Review Issue No. 19　increase, rise, surgeなど動詞の選び方
http://worldts.com/english-writing/eigo-ronbun41/index.html