英语学术论文里常见的易混淆词，你用对了吗？
用词恰当在学术英文写作中很重要，因为写作目的就是尽可能准确地解释观点或研究结果，说服读者某个理论或结论是正确的。在英文论文写作中，有些用词应该完全避免，而有些词容易被误用或混淆。
本文展示一些例子，帮助学术写作人员区分看起来或听起来相似或似乎具有相同意思的词汇组对。科研用词一览表也能够帮助你避免用词错误。在提交论文之前，如果你还想得到专业化的评价，可以使用我们的英文润色编校服务，包括学术论文润色服务。
Thus vs Therefore
“Thus”和“Therefore”都是副词，用于表示逻辑结果或结论，都是因此的意思。“Thus”通常针对刚提到的内容，用于更加正式或结构化的上下文语境中。“Therefore”的用法更为灵活，可以与“Thus”互换使用，通常表示更加强烈的因果关系。选用哪个词，通常是写作风格的偏好问题。当强调明确的因果关系时，首选“Therefore”。
Thus vs Therefore 的用法示例
Thus: The experiment showed consistent results; thus, we can conclude that our hypothesis is accurate.
Therefore: The road is closed due to heavy snowfall; therefore, we should take an alternate route to reach our destination on time.
Which vs That
“Which”和“That”都是关系代词，用于引入从句，为名词提供附加信息。“Which”用于非限制性从句，这种从句提供额外的、非必要信息，用逗号将句子隔开。相比之下，“That”用于限制性从句，这种从句至关重要，不用逗号分隔。
Which vs That 的用法示例
Which (non-restrictive): My car, which is red, is parked outside. (The color of the car is extra information, and the sentence would still make sense without it.)
That (restrictive): The car that is parked outside is mine. (The phrase "that is parked outside" is essential to identify which car is being referred to; without it, the sentence lacks clarity.)
Affect vs Effect
“Affect”是动词，是产生影响的意思。“Effect”是名词，指的是行动的结果。从助记符的角度，可以这样记忆：“Affect”是动作，以“Action”的“A”开头；而“Effect”是最终的结果，以“End result”的“E”开头。
Affect vs Effect 的用法示例
Affect (verb): The bad news affected her deeply, causing her to feel sad all day.
Effect (noun): The positive effect of regular exercise is improved health and increased energy.
Among vs Between
“Among”用于讨论三个或更多的人或事物。“Between”用于比较两个人或事物。
Among vs Between的用法示例
Among (three or more): The treasure was divided among the four friends.
Between (two): The decision needs to be made between the two job offers.
Attribute vs Contribute
“Attribute”是动词或名词，表示将功劳或责任归于某人或某物。“Contribute”也是动词，意思是给予某物用于帮助一项事业。
Attribute vs Contribute的用法示例
Attribute (verb): She attributes her musical talent to her years of practice.
Contribute (verb): Many people contributed to the success of the fundraising event by donating their time and money.
Imply vs Infer
“Imply”是动词，用于某人间接暗示或传达信息，而不明确说明。“Infer”也是动词，用于某人根据证据或信息推断结论。需要注意的是，推断结论是可以根据暗示信息的。
Imply vs Infer的用法示例
Imply (speaker): She didn't say it outright, but her words implied that the project was behind schedule.
Infer (listener): From her words, I inferred that the project was not going as planned.
Whether vs If
“Whether”和“If”都用于引入条件从句，但它们之间具有微妙的区别。“Whether”用于两个或更多选项之间的选择，或表示在几种可能性之间进行选择。“If”用于表达假设条件。
Whether vs If的用法示例
Whether (choice): I'm unsure whether I should order pizza or pasta for dinner tonight.
If (condition): If it snows tomorrow, we'll go sledding in the afternoon.
Fewer vs Less
“Fewer”和“less”都与数量有关，但用法不同。“Fewer”用于可数物品或可以单独量化的事物，比如人或物体。“Less”用于不可数或抽象的数量，如时间、金钱或物质。
Fewer vs Less的用法示例
Fewer (countable): There are fewer books on the shelf today.
Less (uncountable): I have less sugar in my coffee than usual.
Principal and Principle
“Principal”是指具有较高职位的人，或指银行账户中的本金。“Principle”是指真理或原理。这两个词之间的混淆会导致对研究结果的错误描述或对科学发现的误解。
Principal and Principle的用法示例
Principal (person): The principal investigator led the research team.
Principle (fundamental rule): The principle of conservation of energy was applied in this study.
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