The sentences below are grammatically accurate but the style Is inappropriate. Re-write these sentences in a more academic style making any changes you need to.

· The planners reviewed the report and said that it was great.

· It's obvious that the work environment is going to get a lot worse.

· The Chinese economy would like to look after itself, but it's also affected by things that happen outside the country.

· Their historical approach to economics is just not the right way to go about it.

· Personally, I think that economic stability depends upon social cohesion.

· The research team said that their techniques were ok but needed to be further refined.

· It was clear that the team had done a lot and were satisfied with what they'd done.

· They worked together on the project for 10 years.

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Using single word verbs instead of multi-word verbs is not the only way to achieve a more academic style. Here are some further points that you may find useful.

· In academic writing, you often find that actions, processes and events are written in the form of a noun. This produces a more formal style. For example:

The compound was discovered …. à The discovery of the compound was….

They invaded the island and ….. à The invasion of the island was …..

He achieved his goal and …... à The achievement of his goal was…….

· Avoid addressing the reader with the general you. This is informal and inappropriate. Look at this example:

As soon as you start to look carefully at children's home, you frequently find evidence of abuse.

The sentence can be rephrased in different ways to avoid the use of you.

Evidence of child abuse becomes apparent once careful investigative work is carried out.

Careful investigation frequently leads to the discovery of child abuse.

· Do not use contractions in essays. They are inappropriate in academic work. For example:

can't won't shouldn't haven't hasn't couldn't

· State meaning very clearly. The reader can read the essay but not the mind of the writer, so do not use etc and expressions like and so on. Use clear explanations and to make a coherent argument. The use of expressions like etc suggest a woolly and rather careless mind that cannot really be bothered to complete a sentence or an idea.

The invasion of the island resulted in misery, starvation, destitution etc.

· Make sure every sentence makes sense. It is helpful to ask a friend or relative to read your draft essay to ensure that it is clear. Avoid ambiguous or confusing sentences.

This proposal creates a way for raising awareness in the UK of effective approaches to combat poverty practised by overseas partners.

We can take a guess at what the writer is trying to say, but there is no doubt that the sentence is unclear.

· Do not overstate the argument that is being made in the essay by using expressions like this:

It is obvious that...

It is clear that...

The evidence proves...

Anybody can clearly see that...

Always comment upon your own conclusions in a quietly confident manner, without attempting to claim too much. If a writer tries to claim that the study proves something, you might find a later researcher taking great pleasure in disproving the findings! Instead, use a less strident and a more detached academic tone. This is called hedging . Subsequent research may suggest other theories or produce results that conflict with your own, but by describing your findings as we have done below, your work can be seen as a further step in the academic road rather than a barrier that other people can knock down.

The data reflect the fact that... (note: the word data is strictly speaking plural but often used as an uncountable or mass noun)

These findings support this writer's view that...

The results suggest that...

The chart supports the theory that...

· Avoid the use of expressions such as I think/I believe unless your own views have been specifically asked for, and use expression like these:

It is believed...

Many researchers have noted...

Some writers have stated..

The research suggests...

The evidence indicates...

· Use link words and expressions (however, nevertheless, as a result, in contrast, despite this) as well as link words like firstly, secondly ………… finally quite regularly throughout your writing as these help to guide the reader

· The passive form is often avoided in other written texts but you will probably use more examples of the passive form in academic writing as these tend to sound more detached and formal.

Active: They often found evidence of child abuse in rural areas.

Passive: Evidence of child abuse was often found in rural areas.

Active: The researchers have proposed a variety of solutions.

Passive: A variety of solutions have been proposed.

 

 

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