Writing Book 6 · Lesson 13
Words with several meanings — bring the words back
You have met these and used them; now you use them where they actually belong.
The words
subject
topic / made to undergo
account
a report / to explain
case
an example / a container
figure
a number / a diagram
state
to say / a condition
issue
a problem / to give out
Watch how it is built
1subject means about the same as topic / made to undergo.
The subject is water. Samples were subjected to heat.
2account means about the same as a report / to explain.
Give an account. That accounts for it.
3case means about the same as an example / a container.
In this case. A display case.
Two ways to say it
✗ The topic / made to undergo is water. Samples were topic / made to undergoed to heat. — this is not wrong, but it is everyday talk.
✓ The subject is water. Samples were subjected to heat. — this is how a writer says it.
Ask yourself: “Is this the exact word, or the nearest one I already knew?”
Remember
You know these words. In academic writing they mean something else.
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