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Word choice

Our aim when writing academic English is to communicate ideas clearly, accurately, and concisely. In order to achieve this, we need to choose our words carefully. We need to convey our ideas as precisely as possible, using formal language but without sounding long-winded or pompous.

In the following exercises one word is suitable for scientific, academic writing. Although there are not many situations in academic English when one form of expression is completely wrong, there are many when some forms of expression are better than others. In the following exercises one word is more appropriate than the others which are either too informal or too unusual (possibly more literary).

There are many websites which give you advice on word choice such as the Unilearning website http://unilearning.uow.edu.au/academic/1bi_formal.html. Another particularly useful resource is the Academic Phrasebank at Manchester University www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk gives you basic phrases for academic that you can adapt for your own needs.

1

word choice

Read the following words and decide which is the most appropriate for academic writing.

a)
b)
c)
Correct, well done!

Incorrect, the answer is a).

b) elucidate, is an unusual word in English and the meaning may not be known to everyone.

c) is a two word verb and too informal for academic writing.

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2

word choice

Read the following words and decide which is the most appropriate for academic writing.

a)
b)
c)
Correct, well done!

Incorrect, the answer is c).

a) is a two word verb and is too informal for academic writing.

b) is a more literary word and not suitable for scientific academic writing.

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3

word choice

Read the following words and decide which is the most appropriate for academic writing.

a)
b)
c)
Correct, well done!Incorrect, the answer is b) although this example is not so clear as the previous two. a) (execute) sounds slightly pompous and c) (do) sounds slightly informal.Your answer has been saved.
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4

word choice

Read the following words and decide which is the most appropriate for academic writing.

a)
b)
c)
Correct, well done!

Incorrect, the answer is c).

a) (obfuscate) is a little pompous and b) (cover up) is too informal.

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5

word choice

Read the following words and decide which is the most appropriate for academic writing.

a)
b)
c)
Correct, well done!

Incorrect, the answer is b).

a) impecunious sounds a little pompous and c) (hard-up) is too informal.

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6

word choice

Read the following words and decide which is the most appropriate for academic writing.

a)
b)
c)
Correct, well done!

Incorrect, the answer is a)

b)( inchoate) is a little pompous and c) (half-formed) is too informal.

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7

word choice

Read the following words and decide which is the most appropriate for academic writing.

a)
b)
c)
Correct, well done!

Incorrect, the answer is b).

a) (nugatory) sounds a little pompous and c) (trifling) is more conversational than academic.

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Frequently confused words

It is also essential that our language is as accurate as possible and this can be difficult in English when there are so many words that are easily confused.

In the following exercise you will see pairs of frequently confused words used in a sentence. You need to identify the correct word for each sentence.

8

Which is the correct word?

a)
b)
Well done!

Incorrect, the answer is a).

'Simple' means 'uncomplicated' whereas 'simplistic' means 'oversimplified to a point where something is no longer meaningful'. We would expect to seek solutions that are 'simple'.

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9

Which is the correct word?

a)
b)
Correct, well done!

Incorrect, the answer is a).

Generally speaking 'affect' is used as a verb and 'effect' as a noun. For example, 'violence affects everybody' but 'the effects of violence are felt by everybody'. Although there are situations in which 'effect' can be used as a verb (meaning 'to make happen' or 'to bring about') e.g. 'they used the research to effect a change in policy,' if you need to use a verb, it is far more likely to be 'affect'.

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10

Which is the correct word?

a)
b)
Correct, well done!

Incorrect, the answer is a).

'Discreet' means 'able to keep a secret, or a confidence' and usually describes a person. 'Discrete' means 'separate' or 'unconnected'.

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11

Which is the correct word?

a)
b)
Correct, well done!

Incorrect, the answer is a).

The verb to 'complement' means to 'make something complete'. To' compliment' means to 'praise' someone or something. The adjective 'complimentary' can relate to a compliment, e.g. he thanked the president for his complimentary remarks' but it can also mean 'free', as in 'they were given a complimentary bottle of wine'. 'Complementary' only means relating to a 'complement', it does not mean 'free'.

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12

Which is the correct word?

a)
b)
Correct, well done!

Incorrect, the answer is b).

To elicit means to draw out' or to 'evoke'. Illicit means unlawful or 'not allowed'.

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13

Which is the correct word?

a)
b)
Correct, well done!

Incorrect, the answer is b).

'Advice' is a noun and 'advise' is a verb (see section on sentences). So we say 'we were given some good advice/she advised us well'.

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14

Which is the correct word?

a)
b)
Correct, well done!

Incorrect, the answer is a).

'Continuous' means 'without stopping'. 'Continual' means 'repeated over a period of time'.

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15

Which is the correct word?

a)
b)
Correct, well done!

Incorrect, the answer is a).

'Alternatively' means there is a choice between two options. 'Alternately' means 'first one, then the other'.

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You may like to look at one of the many academic vocabulary websites that are now available.

The Academic Word List consists of various lists of the words that are most frequently found in academic texts. If you access this through the Using English for Academic Purposes website http://www.uefap.org you will find clickable links to an online dictionary so that you can check that the word does, indeed, have the precise meaning you are looking for. Of course you will make mistakes, if you have never seen the word 'discreet' written down why would you think that another spelling might be possible? You have heard the word, and understand it to mean 'separate', as soon as you see 'discreet' you will assume that you have found the word you are looking for. The only real solution to this problem is to keep listening and reading so that your vocabulary increases all the time.

Clarity

The aim of academic writing is to communication your ideas as clearly as possible. In the exercise above, you identified the correct word where there is possible confusion. Other potential obstacles to clarity of expression are the use of imprecise words, the use of unnecessary words and the construction of unnecessarily complicated sentences.

In the pairs of sentences below, one sentence is correct but one contains one or more of these mistakes. Identify whether it is an error of a) imprecision, b) unnecessary (redundant words or c) unnecessary complication (a combination of redundant words, unnecessary explanation, complex sub-clauses etc).

16

Which error?

The data were analysed in a number of different ways.

The data were analysed in three different ways.

a)
b)
c)
Correct, well done!

Incorrect, the answer is a).

We are assuming that this is a simple scientific report and we need to be as precise as possible. Someone trying to replicate the trial would not be able to do so if they did not know the number of ways in which the data were analysed.

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17

Which error?

The researchers reached the completely unrealistic conclusion that .......

The researchers reached the unrealistic conclusion that .....

a)
b)
c)
Correct, well done!

Incorrect, the answer is b).

The word 'completely' is redundant in the sentence.

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18

Which error?

The change in temperature was recorded.

The increase in temperature was recorded.

a)
b)
c)
Correct, well done!

Incorrect, the answer is a).

The word 'change' does not tell us anything about the way in which it was changed.

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19

Which error?

This reaction was very unique among the study population.

This reaction was unique among the study population.

a)
b)
c)
Correct, well done!

Incorrect, the answer is b).

The word 'very' is redundant in this sentence. "Unique' means 'the only one' and therefore cannot be qualified.

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20

Which error?

The UK Department of Health put forward a policy in 2000 that all pregnant women be offered screening for rubella antibodies, syphilis, HIV and hepatitis as an integral part of their antental care during their first and all subsequent pregnancies.

Since 2000 the UK Department of Health has offered screening for rubella antibodies, syphilis, HIV and hepatitis as an integral part of antenatal care.

a)
b)
c)
Correct, well done!

The answer is c).

The first sentence is unnecessarily complicated and is improved in the second version. For example, the phrase 'put forward a policy' does not tell us anything important but adds to the wordiness of the sentence and makes it more difficult to read.

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21

Which error?

As the first assessment was conclusive, a second opinion was entirely unnecessary.

As the first assessment was conclusive, a second opinion was unnecessary.

a)
b)
c)
Correct, well done!

Incorrect, the answer is b).

The word 'entirely' is unnecessary and makes the sentence sound less formal.

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22

Which error?

In order to facilitate the evaluation of willingness to pay, in-depth interviews were conducted in three different local groups.

Willingness to pay was evaluated by conducting in-depth interviews with three local groups.

a)
b)
c)
Correct, well done!

Incorrect, the answer is c).

The first sentence is unnecessarily complicated and is thus difficult to read. In the Features of Academic Writing section of this material we talk about 'nounifcation' or 'nominalisation' which means the use of a lot of nouns. This can be a useful way of making a text sound more formal but in this case it has been overused so the sentence is over-complicated. 'In order to facilitate the evaluation of the willingness' sounds long-winded and rather pompous.

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