Hints for choosing more formal words
In academic writing you should aim to be succinct, thus:
1. When picking a word, choose the most relevant and specific
one for the point you wish to make; for example:
2. Also try to use the most formal way of expressing your point (this may mean you use a more technical word); for example:
HINT: although you aim to use more formal words in academic writing, you should not aim to obscure your meaning behind a lot of impressive words. Ultimately you should try to achieve succinct, clear prose.
2a. Avoid using phrasal
verbs such as 'get up', 'put into', 'find out' that are often used
in spoken English. Replace these verbs with more formal single verbs such
as 'rise', 'contribute' and 'discover'; for example:
Want to practise this skill? You can go to a skill development exercise based on the information contained in hint 2.
3. Make sure the description you provide is as specific as possible.
Look at the colour coded words and phrases to see the differences in word choice in the following examples. The exactness of the description has been increased by including more specific adjective (fiscal) as well as additional descriptive words (highlighted); for example:
3a. A specific description means you also need to avoid using unsophisticated adjectives such as 'good', 'bad', 'big', 'little'; for example:
Also avoid using adverbs such as 'really', 'very', 'just'; for example:
Notice that in the previous three examples, a more comprehensive description has been achieved because unsophisticated and non-specific words have been replaced with more formal descriptive words.
Want to practise this skill? You can go to skill development exercises based on the information contained in point 3.
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