任何语言的平常写作演讲中都要准确用词，更何况学术英语写作，所以准确用词(Lexical Accuracy)是非常重要的因素之一：必须使用正式的学术性词汇，选词做到准确并拼写无误。
区分下面这些词汇之间的差别：
- affect / effect 前者是影响，后面是作用(效果)的意思，两者都可以作名词和动词使用。
- beside / besides 前者的意思为: next to，紧挨着；后者为: in addition to，除此之外。
- base / basis 前者为更为具体的“底部”，“基础”，也可以作为化学中的“碱”的意思，后者一般指抽象意义上的“基础”，比如以下例句：
It is shown that the principal stresses are equal at the base of the crack in the direction of its prolongation.
The least-squares criterion can be argued for on the basis of Ockham’s Razor.
- consequent(ly) / subsequent(ly) 前者用来形容因果关系，后者只是时间上的先后顺序。
- to check / to control 前者表示监控的意思，后者表示控制(在一定限度)。
关于词汇不准确问题，还有一种情况为一些常见的错误用法，甚至错到已经习以为常。下面为几个例子：
- actually: in fact ≠ currently
- concretely: mainly used in contrast to something abstract ≠ specifically / particularly / in particular
- to dispose of: get rid of ≠ have at your disposal
- eventual(ly): in the end, ultimately ≠ possibly
- next to: denotes location, beside ≠ in addition to, apart from, besides
- research: an uncountable noun, so “a research” or “researches” is WRONG, use “a study” or “studies”
- scientific literature: use this only to refer to literature in the Sciences, otherwise just use ‘literature’
- seen: do not use this to express conditions ≠ given (e.g. “give the circumstances …”)
- shortly: soon ≠ briefly
以上只是几个例子，在这里土木坛子不可能一一列举完全，需要平时不断积累。