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vanilla bean tomorrow
caring for and about others and ourselves
May 7, 2019 09:12
5 yrs ago
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English term

Where/where

English Science Mathematics & Statistics Text format after equations/grammar
This is not a translation query per se. I'm looking for authoritative advice about the correct format for text when it follows an equation. In the example below, I don't know whether the word "where" should begin in uppercase or not. Logically, I think it should be lowercase, but I'd like a second opinion. I know how I usually proceed, but I'd like to know if there is some sort of official recommendation.

Option 1.- Lowercase
"Viability index (VI) was recorded for the first 3 h and calculated based on the following equation (Milovanov, 1962):
V1 = Σ [ M x ( T – R ) / 2 ]
, where V1 is the viability index..."

Option 2.- Uppercase

"Viability index (VI) was recorded for the first 3 h and calculated based on the following equation (Milovanov, 1962):
V1 = Σ [ M x ( T – R ) / 2 ]
Where V1 is the viability index..."
Responses
4 +11 where (lower case)
Change log

May 7, 2019 12:20: writeaway changed "Field (write-in)" from "Text format after equations" to "Text format after equations/grammar"

Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

Non-PRO (2): Edith Kelly, Rachel Fell

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Discussion

neilmac (asker) May 7, 2019:
@Charles Cheers. I was really just looking for that kind of confirmation. I usually just continue the sentence in the line below the equation, with "where" in lowercase, but I've never seen or been able to find any specific guidelines on the matter. I get peer reviewers' comments like that all the time too. In fact, a couple of my clients are now peer reviewers and I occasionally have to tidy up their ropey English for them, especially when they're criticising the work of other authors.
Charles Davis May 7, 2019:
A related factor that could be behind capitalising "Where" is that the text software could force an initial capital at the beginning of a new line. This type of parameter is not always easy to override, and many mathematical authors probably don't think it matters anyway. English is of course the international lingua franca of maths, and the English is sometimes pretty ropey. My friend, who cares enough to make sure his English is OK, gets me to check his answers to peer reviewers (usually over a beer), and their comments are sometimes very badly written.
Charles Davis May 7, 2019:
@Neil I regularly revise articles for a mathematician friend, and "where" should definitely be lower-case here. It is lower-case in every instance I've seen. I don't doubt that it's sometimes capitalised, but it shouldn't be.

As for whether it goes on a new line, bear in mind that maths texts use special software to cope with equations and other heavy-duty formatting issues, and in certain cases it may simply not allow them to run the text on in the same line as the equation, though it should. And some people may prefer their equation to stand alone, like an indented quotation. But in principle, "where..." should be run on. The comma should really be included but sometimes isn't, partly, I think, because people don't want anything immediately adjoining their equation.
neilmac (asker) May 7, 2019:
For example: I found this example, where the comma appears on the same line as the equation, and the sentence continues below it:
The output voltage Vout is [Equation appears here],
where V0 is the voltage supplied to the bridge and R1 and R2 are resistances.
Henk Sanderson May 7, 2019:
Unfortunately, not all mathematicians are familiar with grammar rules.
neilmac (asker) May 7, 2019:
@Mark I'm aware of how grammar and syntax normally work; but equations as they appear in academic papers are a bit of a special case.
neilmac (asker) May 7, 2019:
Another point … to clarify could be whether the "where" clause should be on the same line as the equation, or on a new line, as in the two example options below. It would also be interesting to know where to find resources providing guidelines about these little details.
Mark Robertson May 7, 2019:
You can only start a sentence with "Where", where the sentence is a question. Phrases/titles like "Where the land meets the sea", "Where the Wild Things Are" can also start with "Where".

Responses

+11
4 mins
Selected

where (lower case)

Definitely lower case, since the 'where' expression is a relative clause - relative to the formula.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 mins (2019-05-07 09:17:50 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

A relative clause is a kind of subordinate clause that contains the element whose interpretation is provided by an antecedent on which the subordinate clause is grammatically dependent; that is, there is an anaphoric relation between the relativized element in the relative clause and antecedent on which it depends.
Note from asker:
That's my approach too, but I've come across several examples of option 2, which is what prompted my query. Thanks for posting.
Peer comment(s):
agree philgoddard : I 'm not sure I follow your explanation, though. It's lowercase because it's not a new sentence.
29 mins
...and it's not a new sentence since it is a relative clause...
agree Charles Davis
36 mins
thanks, Charles
agree James A. Walsh
46 mins
thanks, James
agree Boryana Yovcheva
1 hr
Thanks, Boryana
agree B D Finch
1 hr
thanks, B D
agree writeaway : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relative_clause URL to your explanation
2 hrs
Thanks, writeaway
agree Edith Kelly
2 hrs
Thanks, Edith
agree Darius Saczuk
3 hrs
Thanks, Dariusz
agree Jennifer Caisley
3 hrs
Thanks, Jennifer
agree cmile
2 days 17 hrs
agree D. I. Verrelli : The comma (or other punctuation) belongs at the end of the formula (preferably following a single space to distinguish it), never at the beginning of a new line.
50 days
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks to everone for the comments. Except for the divas who voted this a non-pro query. They suck."
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