Academic Style
Summary
TLDRThis video offers 10 essential rules for writing in academic English, highlighting the differences between formal written style and everyday language. Key tips include using formal vocabulary, avoiding contractions, and employing complex sentence structures. It stresses the importance of citing sources, using precise language, and opting for tentative statements instead of absolutes. The video also advises avoiding personal pronouns, questions, and informal transitions, providing useful strategies to enhance academic writing skills. The video is designed to help students improve their writing for academic contexts.
Takeaways
- 📚 Academic writing has its own formal conventions, distinct from spoken or informal written English.
- 📝 Rule 1: Use formal vocabulary and avoid informal or idiomatic language, such as 'father' instead of 'dad'.
- 🔤 Rule 2: Replace multi-word verbs with single-word formal equivalents, like 'discuss' instead of 'talk about'.
- ❌ Rule 3: Avoid contractions in academic writing, using 'do not' instead of 'don't'.
- 📖 Rule 4: Use complex grammar structures and combine simple sentences to create more formal writing.
- ❓ Rule 5: Avoid using questions in academic writing; instead, make statements like 'There were four main reasons for the decline.'
- 👤 Rule 6: Use impersonal phrases and avoid personal pronouns like 'I' or 'we'. Instead, use passive voice.
- 🎯 Rule 7: Be precise in your language, using exact figures and avoiding vague terms like 'several' or 'things'.
- 📊 Rule 8: Always cite sources to back up claims, avoiding unsupported generalizations like 'everybody knows'.
- 🧐 Rule 9: Use tentative language like 'may', 'might', or 'appears' to avoid making absolute statements.
- 🔗 Rule 10: Use formal transition signals to link ideas, and avoid basic transitions or bullet points in most academic writing.
Q & A
What is the main difference between spoken and written academic English?
-Written academic English follows a more formal style with specific conventions, making it different from spoken academic English, which is less formal and often includes idiomatic expressions.
Why is formal vocabulary preferred in academic writing?
-Formal vocabulary is preferred because it is more precise and professional, avoiding informal or idiomatic terms that are more common in everyday speech.
What is a good rule regarding the use of numbers in academic writing?
-In academic writing, numbers from 1 to 10 should be written in words, while numbers above 10 can be written using figures. However, exceptions exist, such as when dealing with measurements, where figures are used regardless of the number size.
What are some common formal equivalents for multi-word verbs?
-Instead of multi-word verbs like 'go up,' 'talk about,' or 'get into,' formal alternatives such as 'increase,' 'discuss,' and 'enter' should be used.
Why should contractions be avoided in academic writing?
-Contractions like 'don't' or 'can't' are informal, so it's better to use full forms like 'do not' or 'cannot' to maintain a formal tone in academic writing.
How can simple sentences be improved in academic writing?
-Simple sentences should be combined using more complex grammar structures, such as nominalization or relative clauses, to make the writing more academic and sophisticated.
Why are personal pronouns generally avoided in academic writing?
-Personal pronouns like 'I,' 'we,' or 'you' are avoided to maintain an objective and impersonal tone, which is more appropriate for academic contexts.
What is the importance of using precise language in academic writing?
-Precise language helps convey clear and specific information, avoiding vague words like 'thing' or 'several.' For example, it's better to say 'three factors' instead of 'three things.'
Why is it important to cite sources in academic writing?
-Citing sources strengthens arguments by providing evidence and avoiding vague claims, which enhances the credibility of the writing.
What is tentative language, and why is it important in academic writing?
-Tentative language, such as 'may,' 'might,' or 'appears to,' allows for more cautious and accurate statements, avoiding absolute claims like 'always' or 'will,' which are often too definitive for academic discussion.
Outlines
📚 Introduction to Academic Writing Style
This paragraph introduces academic writing conventions, explaining how it differs from both spoken English and more casual forms of writing like emails or stories. It highlights the importance of formal vocabulary in academic writing and provides some examples of informal phrases that should be replaced with their formal counterparts. Additionally, it explains that numbers below 10 should generally be written as words unless they're part of a measurement.
📝 Use Formal Verbs and Avoid Contractions
The paragraph emphasizes the importance of using formal verbs instead of multi-word phrases in academic writing, providing examples of formal equivalents for verbs like 'go up' (increase) and 'talk about' (discuss). It also advises against using contractions, encouraging the use of full forms of verbs, such as 'do not' instead of 'don't'. This shift to formality helps maintain the professional tone required in academic writing.
🔗 Complex Sentences and Avoiding Questions
This section discusses the need for formal grammar structures, urging writers to avoid overly simplistic sentences and use complex structures like relative clauses. It also advises against asking questions in academic writing, suggesting that statements are more appropriate, providing examples of how to transform questions into statements.
🧑🏫 Impersonal Phrases and Avoiding Pronouns
Writers should use impersonal phrases and passive voice to maintain an objective tone, avoiding personal pronouns like 'I', 'we', and 'you.' This paragraph also discusses eliminating adverbs that convey personal emotions (e.g., 'amazingly') to keep the writing more formal and neutral. Several sentence examples demonstrate how to achieve this.
🎯 Be Precise and Avoid Vague Words
Precision in language is crucial in academic writing. This paragraph highlights the need to use specific terms instead of vague expressions. It suggests replacing terms like 'thing' or 'several' with precise words like 'factors' or 'three main reasons,' providing a clearer and more authoritative tone.
📑 Citing Sources and Using Tentative Language
This paragraph underscores the importance of citing sources to avoid unsupported or vague claims in academic writing. It also discusses the use of tentative language (e.g., 'may,' 'appears to') rather than absolute statements, making the text more open to interpretation and analysis. This is a key feature of academic writing that encourages a balanced approach.
🔄 Appropriate Transitions in Academic Writing
This section discusses the importance of using appropriate transition signals to connect ideas smoothly in academic writing. It warns against using basic transitions (like 'and,' 'but') or numbering and bullet points, except in specific report formats. Examples are provided to demonstrate how formal transitions improve the flow of writing.
🚩 Identifying Style Problems in Writing
The paragraph provides examples of common academic writing mistakes, such as using informal phrases like 'like' or 'lots of' and suggests better alternatives, like 'for example' and 'a considerable number of.' It highlights several style issues (use of questions, contractions, and absolute statements) and offers revisions to align with formal academic writing standards.
📝 Improving Writing Style: Common Errors and Solutions
This paragraph examines a sample text to identify and correct common academic style problems, such as using informal words ('kids' instead of 'children') and absolute statements ('will not' instead of 'is unlikely to'). It systematically reviews 11 errors and provides corrections, reinforcing the previously introduced rules of academic writing.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Formal Vocabulary
💡Multi-word Verbs
💡Contractions
💡Complex Grammar Structures
💡Impersonal Phrases
💡Tentative Language
💡Precise Words
💡Citing Sources
💡Transition Signals
💡Nominalization
Highlights
Use formal vocabulary and avoid informal or idiomatic language in academic writing.
Numbers from one to ten should be written as words, while numbers above ten should be in numeric form unless part of measurements.
Replace multi-word verbs like 'go up' with single-word formal equivalents such as 'increase'.
Avoid contractions in academic writing; use full forms like 'do not' instead of 'don't'.
Use formal grammar structures and combine simple sentences into complex ones for a more academic tone.
Avoid questions in academic writing; statements are preferred for a formal tone.
Use impersonal phrases and avoid personal pronouns and adverbs that express emotions.
Be precise with language, avoiding vague terms like 'thing'; use exact words and figures whenever possible.
Always cite your sources and avoid making vague claims without evidence.
Use tentative language instead of absolute statements to convey a balanced academic perspective.
Use appropriate transition signals rather than basic transitions or numbering to link ideas in academic writing.
Academic writing should avoid personal expressions like 'I think' or 'amazingly'; impersonal constructions are more suitable.
Nominalization, or the use of noun phrases, is a common feature of academic writing that helps create complex sentence structures.
Avoid using overly simple sentences; combine them using clauses to enhance the complexity and formality of the text.
Reviewing good examples of academic style and practicing adherence to these rules can significantly improve writing quality.
Transcripts
this video is brought to you by EAP
foundation comm the website for all your
academic English needs written Lac
ademma King glitch like any writing has
its own conventions or style it's a
formal written style which means it has
aspects which make it different from
spoken academic English and at the same
time being formal it's quite different
from ordinary writing which you might be
more used to such as writing in letters
or emails or stories so in this video
we'll look at 10 style rules for writing
in academic English rule 1 use formal
vocabulary and avoid less formal or
idiomatic vocabulary take a look at
these examples they have some words or
phrases which would be considered to be
fairly informal in comparison these
sentences contain more formal vocabulary
so the word father's is more formal than
dads the phrase such as is a better way
to give examples in academic English
than the word like which is more
informal and common in spoken English a
significant number of is more formal
than lots of and the word 3 is more
formal than the number in fact generally
in academic writing you should write the
numbers 1 2 up to 10 in words anything
more than 10 you can write using numbers
although the problem with rules is there
are always exceptions so if your number
is part of a measurement you should use
the number however big or small the
number is so for example 3 kay-gee 6 cm
and if you're mixing numbers below 10
and above 10 then just use figures for
all of them for more information or
numbers in academic writing you can see
this page on the EAP foundation comm
website rule to use formal verbs instead
of multi-word verbs so there are many
verbs in English which use two or more
words for example go up or talk about
almost always you can use a more formal
single word equivalent of these words so
for example instead of go up we have ink
instead of talk about we have discuss
and there are many other examples of
these decrease instead of go down
improve instead of get better
deteriorate instead of get worse raise
instead of bring up admire instead of
look up to or enter instead of get into
rule three use the full form of verbs
and avoid contractions so in place of
don't use the full form do not in place
of can't cannot in place of won't will
not in place of didn't did not and so on
well for use formal
grammar structures and try to avoid
using too many simple sentences so
simple sentences can be okay now and
again but it's best not to have too many
of them so here we have two very simple
sentences which could be combined into
one more academic sentence the
increasing pollution of the environment
is a global concern this is an example
of nominalization or using noun phrases
which is a common feature of academic
writing again here are two simple
sentences which could be combined note
taking which is an important skill for
EAP students is difficult to master so
in this case the sentences have been
combined using a relative clause which
is an example of complex grammar rule 5
use statements and avoid questions in
your writing so here are two examples of
questions what were the reasons behind
the decline our written and spoken
English different so questions like
these are fine if you're giving a
presentation but it's not common to use
questions in academic writing instead
use statements there were four main
reasons for the decline written English
is different from spoken English rule
six use impersonal phrases and avoid
personal pronouns or adverbs to show
feelings you should try to avoid
personal pronouns like I we you and so
on or any adverse which show your
feeling for example luckily remarkably
amazingly so here are three sentences
which would be considered to be very
academic because a phrase is like I can
think of or I heated the water or
amazingly it's very common in academic
writing to use phrases like there is or
there are or it is as in this first
example avoiding personal pronouns by
using passive voice is also very common
the water was heated and in the case of
the adverb amazingly we can just delete
that rule seven
be precise and avoid vague words in
academic writing you should try to be as
precise as possible so if you have exact
figures you should use exact figures
rather than words like about or several
and you should try to use precise words
like factor or issue or topic or aspect
or reason instead of words like thing so
here are three sentences which are not
very precise and here are three examples
which use more precise language so
instead of several reasons we can say
there are three main reasons for this
instead of about 30 years ago we can say
in the late 1980s and instead of three
things we can say there were three
factors which led to this result rule
eight remember to cite your sources and
avoid making vague claims so a phrase
like this would not be considered to be
very academic everybody knows that most
people are unaware of the problem the
second example with an in-text citation
is much more academic Russell 2001
states that over 50% of the population
are unaware of the problem rule 9 used
tentative language and avoid absolute
statements academic English tends to use
more tentative language than everyday
writing this means phrases like possibly
probably may might appears - seems -
tends to rather than making absolute
statements using words like always or
will so these two statements here are
very absolute education reduces crime
this is caused by the effects of global
warming these can be made more academic
by using tentative language for example
education may reduce crime
it appears that education reduces crime
well the second one this is possibly
caused by the effects of global warming
this may be caused by the effects of
global warming if you want to know more
about tentative language also called
hedging there's a YouTube video for
hedging on the EAP found
in channel finally rule 10 use
appropriate transition signals and avoid
numbering or bullet points or basic
transitions so it's important in
academic writing to make the links
between ideas very clear as well as to
clearly introduce new sections of an
essay this should be done using
appropriate formal transition signals
it's not common in academic writing to
use numbering or bullets except in
certain reports and basic transitions
like and/or but also should definitely
be avoided you should also be careful
not to use transitions too often so
don't put them at the beginning of every
sentence so here's a couple of examples
of transitions which could be improved
and here are some possible improvements
turning to the question of inflation in
addition the inflation is an important
factor so let's finish up by looking at
it takes which has a few style problems
the taste comes from this page of the
EAP foundation.com website there are a
total of eleven problems what I'm going
to do is read the text and underline the
problems as they go along see if you can
spot the problems before I underline
them at the end I'll look at each one
identify the problem and suggest ways in
which the style can be improved many
students use poor academic style in
their writing like using I we and you a
simple way to improve this is to study
good examples of academic style and to
follow them their writing score will go
up as a result and it will be useful at
university style is always a problem for
Chinese students who make lots of
mistakes when they start to write
academic English by using for example
phrasal verbs instead of more formal
verbs this is something that such
students need to learn to overcome if
they wish to reach a higher grade what
other ways are there for students to
improve their style one way is to ask
the teacher for advice a considerable
number of students don't listen to their
teachers and therefore do not improve
this is a terrible situation it is
important for students to remember that
they are now adults not kids if they do
not follow
teachers advise their writing style will
not improve so those are the eleven
problems did you manage to find them or
let's now look at each one more
carefully and think how we can improve
it
so the first problem is the word like
which is rather informal the phrase for
example would be better here and this is
rule 1 use formal vocabulary so the
second problem is go up this is rule to
remember to use single word verbs
instead of two word or multi word verbs
so a better alternative here is increase
the next problem is an and this is rule
10 use formal transition signals so in
addition is better here the next problem
is always visit rule 9 use tentative
language instead of making absolute
statements a better word here is often
style is often a problem for Chinese
students the next problem is lots off
this is rule 1 again this is slightly
informal a considerable number of is
better the next problem is something
this is rule 7 use precise words instead
of words like thing or something a
better alternative here is a problem so
the next our problem is this question
here remember to use statements instead
of question this is rule 5 so this
statement would be better there are
other ways in which students can improve
their style so here's the next problem
don't this is rule 3 remember to use the
full form of verbs do not so here's the
next problem
this is rule 6 avoid personal pronouns
and phrases which show your feeling so
here we can just delete this sentence so
here's the next problem rule 1 again
kids is rather informal the word
children is more formal and here's the
final problem rule 9 again use tentative
language instead of absolute statement
so is unlikely to is better here than
will not so that's the end of the video
if you liked it remember to subscribe or
visit the website EAP foundation com or
if you're feeling generous consider
donating on patreon.com so that I can
continue to make videos like this one
you
you
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)