academic writing

LANGUAGE FOCUS: THE VOCABULARY SHIFT

A distinctive feature of academic writing style is choosing the more formal  alternative  when  selecting  a  verb,  noun,  or  other  part  of speech.

Verbs

English  often  has  two  (or  more)  choices  to  express  an  action  or occurrence.  The  choice is often between a phrasal or prepositional verb (verb + preposition) and a single verb, the latter with Latinate origins.  Often  in lectures  and  other instances  of everyday  spoken English,  the verb  +  preposition is used; however,  for written academic style, the preferred choice is a single verb wherever possible.

This  is  one  of the  most  dramatic  stylistic  shifts  from  informal  to formal style.

Researchers looked at the way strain builds up around a fault.

(less formal style)

Researchers observed the way strain accumulates around a fault.

(academic style)

Choose  a  verb  from  the  list  that  reduces  the  informality  of each sentence. Note that you may need to add tense to the verb from the list.

assist      reduce       create          investigate       raise

establish       increase        determine         fluctuate         eliminate

1.  Expert Systems can help out the user in the diagnosis of problems.

2.  This program was set up to improve access to medical care.

3.  Research expenditures have gone up to nearly $350 million.

4.  The use of optical character readers (OCRs) should cut down the number of problems with the U.S. mail service.

5.  Researchers have found out that this drug has serious side effects.

6.  Building a nuclear power plant will not get rid of the energy problem completely.

7.  Researchers have been looking into this problem for 15 years now.

8.  This issue was brought up during the investigation.

9.  Engineers can come up with better designs using CAD.

10.  The emission levels have been going up and down.

Reduce  the  informality  of each  sentence  by  substituting  a  single verb for the one in italics.

1.  The implementation of computer-integrated-manufacturing (CIM) has brought about some serious problems.

2.  The process should be done over until the desired results are achieved.

3.  Plans are being made to come up with a database containing detailed environmental information for the region.

4.  Subtle changes in the earth's crust were picked up by these new devices.

5.  Proposals to construct new nuclear reactors have met with great resistance from environmentalists.

Nouns and Other Parts of Speech

English has  a very rich vocabulary derived from many languages. Because of this, there may be more than one way to express an idea. You should strive to choose words that are less informal in nature and also precise. In lectures, you will likely heartless formal speech; however, in writing you should use a more formal form if one exists.

Which  of the  underlined  words  would  be  more  suitable  for  an  academic  paper?

1.  The government has made good I considerable progress in solving environmental problems.

2.  We got I obtained encouraging results.

3.  The  results  of a  lot of I  numerous  different projects  have been pretty  good  I  encouraging.

4.  A loss  of jobs  is  one  of the  things  that  will happen  I consequences  if the  process  is  automated.

Supply  a  more  academic  word  or  phrase  for  the  one  underlined  in each  sentence.

5.  The reaction of the officials was sort of negative.

6.  The  economic outlook is  mighty  nice.

7.  The  future  of Federal funding is  up  in  the  air.

8.  America's  major automakers  are  planning to get  together on the research  needed  for  more  fuel  efficient  cars.

Language Focus: Formal Grammar and Style

The followings are  some nonvocabulary-related recommendations for maintaining  a  formal  academic  writing  style.

1. Avoid contractions.

Export  figures  won't improve until the economy is  stronger. →

Export  figures  will  not  improve  until  the  economy is  stronger.

2.  Use  the  more  appropriate formal negative forms.

not . . . any —> no

not. . . much —> little

not . . . many —> few

The  analysis  didn't yield  any  new  results.  —>

The  analysis yielded no  new results.

The  government  didn't  allocate  much  funding  for  the  program.  —>

The  government  allocated  little  funding  for  the  program.

This problem doesn't have many viable solutions. —>This  problem  has few  viable  solutions.

3.  Limit  the  use  of  "run  on"  expressions,  such  as  "and  so  forth" and "etc."

These semiconductors can be used in robots, CD players, etc. —>

These  semiconductors can be used in robots,  CD  players, and other electronic  devices.

4. Avoid addressing the reader as "you" (except, of course, if you are writing a textbook).

You can see the results in Table 1. -»

The results can be  seen in Table  1.

5.  Limit the use of direct questions.

What can be done to lower costs? —>

We now need to consider what can be done to lower costs, or

We now need to consider how costs may be lowered.

6.  Place adverbs within the verb.

Adverbs  often  are  placed  midposition  rather  than  in  the  initial  or

final  positions.  In  informal  English,  adverbs  often  occur as  clauses

at the beginning or end of sentences.

Then the solution can be discarded. —*

The  solution  can then  be  discarded.

The blood is withdrawn slowly. —*

The  blood  is slowly  withdrawn.