Writing in Academic English (Language Differences

& Exercises)
Academic writing is described as semi-formal. It differs from informal writing (e.g. everyday
emails, journal writing, blogging) in several ways. Please review the differences between
academic English and general English below.

Vocabulary-Based Features of Academic English – Part 1

Avoid Idioms (Idiomatic Expressions) & Slang

Informal phrases that have an idiomatic (non-standard meaning) are avoided. For example:

 Informal: People need to know what's up. (idiom/slang and contraction)

 Academic: People need to be aware of the current issues. (standard language)

 Informal: It's not their cup of tea. (idiom)

 Academic: They dislike it. (standard language)

 Informal: It was way too expensive. (way = informal word meaning very/far/much)
 Academic: It was much too expensive. (standard language)

 Informal: The fans went crazy. (go crazy = an idiom)

 Academic: The fans cheered enthusiastically. (standard language)

Avoid Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs are a combination of a verb and a preposition or adverb, which gives the words
a special meaning. For example: check out, settle down, go over, look forward to all have
meanings that are different from the literal meaning of their words. These words are usually
avoided in academic writing. For example:

 Informal: The company was set up in 2010. (set up = phrasal verb)

 Academic: The company was founded/established in 2010. (standard language)

 Informal: The team went over the document together. (go over = phrasal verb)
 Academic: The team reviewed the document together. (standard language)

 Informal: Some of the rich look down on the poor. (look down on = phrasal verb)
 Academic: Some of the rich disapprove of the poor. (standard language)

Avoid Other Casual Phrases

Other casual phrases are avoided. These include the following words:

 a lot / lots (change to many/much/a large amount of)

 everybody/anybody (change to everyone/anyone)
  super (change to very, extremely)
 totally (change to completely)
 tonnes/tons of (change to many, unless describing the weight of an object)
 kids (change to children)

Practice Exercises - Group 1

Change the below sentences into academic style.

1. The main character totally hated everybody. (2 issues)

2. The country was kicked out of the Olympics. (1 issue)

3. Many people are fed up with politicians. (1 issue)

4. Lots of parents became super angry. (2 issues)

5. Creating a website is a piece of cake. (1 issue)

Vocabulary-Based Features - Part 2

Use Precise Vocabulary

Writers try to find the correct word for each sentence. Academic English uses approximately
20,000 words, while conversational English uses roughly 2,000. Vague words such as ‘things’
and ‘stuff’ are not used. Instead, use the precise word needed for that sentence.

 Informal: The survey revealed several things.

 Academic: The survey produced many results.

 Informal: The film’s ending was bad.

 Academic: The film’s ending was dissatisfying.

 Informal: Renewable energy is the best

 Academic: Renewable energy is the most environmentally friendly

Explain Terms (Jargon)

The writer should not assume the reader knows everything about the topic; terms are
explained to make the writing clear.

 Confusing: The USMCA was signed in 2020.

 Academic: The USMCA, a free trade agreement between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, was
signed in 2020.

Practice Exercises - Group 2

Change the below sentences into academic style.

1. The leaders agreed on many things. (1 issue)

2. The GDP of the country has decreased, which was bad. (2 issues)

3. The report included stuff about saving money. (1 issue)

Language-based Differences in Academic Writing

No Contractions (isn’t/doesn’t/it’s/they’ll/isn't/doesn't/it's/they'll)

Words that are shortened with an apostrophe are not used. Instead, write the words in their
full form (is not/does not/it is/they will).

 Prices haven’t have not

Use Impersonal Language (it/people/they)

Instead of using first- and second-person pronouns "I" or "You", use the third person. The
third person is he/she/it. For example:

 Too personal: Nowadays, we all have mobile phones. (We = first personal plural)
 Academic: Nowadays, everyone has a mobile phone. (Everyone = third person)

 Too personal: I like how Shakespeare describes the scene.

 Academic: Shakespeare describes the scene beautifully. (deleted phrase with personal
pronoun "I")

 Too personal: Marketers want you to buy their products. (you = second-person singular)
 Academic: Marketers want people to buy their products. (people = third person
perspective)

Use the Passive Voice to Focus on Topic

Academic writing usually focuses on ideas, not people. Therefore, it often uses the passive
voice (which emphasizes the object of a verb) and not the active voice (which has a person as
the subject). Compare:

 Not very academic: We surveyed 100 people. (personal pronoun and active voice)
 More academic: 100 people were surveyed. (no personal pronoun, passive voice)

 Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google in 1998. (Active voice - suitable if the topic of
writing is Larry and Sergey.)
 Google was founded in 1998 (by Larry Page and Sergey Brin.) (Passive voice - suitable if the
topic of your writing is Google itself, not the founders.)

Practice Exercises - Group 3

Change the below sentences into academic style.

1. We interviewed thirty people about their tastes in music. (1 issue)

2. If you lose your job, you won’t have spending money. (2 issues)

3. In the previous section, I described the importance of career planning. (1 issue)

4. If you ask me, social media has had a positive effect on young people. (1 issue)

Sentences & Cohesion in Academic Writing

Varied Sentence Types

Academic writing uses a mix of different sentence types (simple, compound, and complex
sentences).

Conversational Style

 Getting a part-time job is important. (simple sentence)

 It can give young people work experience. (simple sentence)
 They will need work experience later in life. (simple sentence)
 They can also get money. (simple sentence)
 They can save it for the future. (simple sentence)
 They can spend it however they want. (simple sentence)

Academic Style
  Getting a part-time job is important. (simple sentence)
 It can give young people work experience, which they will need later in life. (complex
sentence created with a subordinate conjunction)
 They can also get money. (simple sentence)
 They can save it for the future or spend it however they want. (compound sentence
that continues two simple sentences with a coordinating conjunction)

Transition Signals

Academic and professional writing use transition signals (e.g. Therefore/As a

result/Secondly/In conclusion) to help the reader follow the connection between ideas (this is
known as cohesion).

 Informal: The products were expensive. Sales were low.

 Academic: The products were expensive. As a result, sales were low.
 Common Transition Signals (Conjunctive Adverbs)

Sequence First, Then, Next, Finally…

Addition In addition, Moreover, Further, Besides..

Cause & Effect Therefore, As a result, Consequently, Hence…

Contrast However, Nevertheless, In contrast, Still, …

Other For example, In fact, In other words, …

 Informal (spoken): People like social networking sites. They can interact with friends. Share
videos and pictures. Play games.

 Academic: There are several reasons why people like social networking sites. Firstly, they
can interact with their friends. They can also share videos and photographs. Further, they
can even play games online. (All of the underlined words help the reader understand
how the ideas relate to each other.)

Coordinating Conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) are used in academic writing
to join two independent clauses, not start a new sentence.

 Informal: Bananas are easy to eat. And they are healthy.

 Academic: Bananas are easy to eat. Moreover, they are healthy.

Practice Exercises - Group 4

Change the below sentences into academic style.

1. The movie was interesting. But it was quite long.
 

2. Dogs can damage furniture. And they can bite. It’s important to train them properly.

3. The boy moved to the city. He met a girl. She changed his life.

4. It is important to eat vegetables. Carrots contain Vitamin A. This can lower the risk of

5. Online education is becoming more popular. It offers flexibility and convenience. It lacks
the face-to-face interaction of traditional classrooms. Many students find it challenging.

Content & Organizational Features

Avoid Asking Questions

Do not ask questions to the reader in academic writing. This is more common for high-
school-level writing or speeches.

 Not academic: Why aren't more people becoming vegetarians? (question form)
 Academic: One question that remains is why more people are not becoming
vegetarians. (statement form)

Be Tentative & Cautious

Academic writing avoids generalizations and other sensational statements to avoid saying
things that may not be true or proven.

 Not academic: Men love sports.

 Better: Many men love sports. (Adding many makes it more likely to be true)

 Not academic: No one likes working on the weekend.

 Better: Most people dislike the idea of working on the weekend. (softer, not absolute)

 Not academic: Smartphones are killing society.

 Better: Smartphones may be having a negative effect on some aspects of society. (softer,
less likely to be false.)

Organized Structure

Ideas are organized linearly; there are no surprise endings in academic writing. Essays begins
with an introduction that has a thesis statement that clearly announces the focus or main
idea of the paper. This idea is then discussed in paragraphs that start with topic sentences.
At the end, ideas are summarized in the conclusion.

Supported by Sources

Arguments and ideas are supported by reliable sources. These sources are cited in-text and
listed at the end of the paper.

 Not Academic: Reading books is better than watching TV. Everyone knows that.
 Academic: Reading books offers more mental benefits than watching TV. For example, a
study by Johnson (2024) found that reading improves imagination compared to watching
shows on television.

Formatting Systems

Academic writing is formatted in a style, such as APA, MLA, depending on the academic area.

Practice Exercises - Group 5

Change the below sentences into academic style.

1. What is customer service? It means providing people with the help they need.

2. Bitcoin is the future of money. By 2030, everyone will be using it.

3. Eating dark chocolate can improve memory, so it’s actually good for you.

Wrap-Up: Exercises on All Points - Group 6

1. Social media can be bad for you. (2 issues)

2. Many people want to purchase an electric vehicle. These vehicles are usually more
expensive. (1 issue)

3. Why don’t people recycle more often? (2 issues)

4. We analyzed the data carefully. (1 issue)


5. The story is set in Chicago. And the main character is a 13-year-old boy named Ronnie. (1
issue)

6. The team looked over the proposal and made some changes. (1 issue)

7. If you eat fruit and vegetables regularly, you won’t get sick. (3 issues)

8. Kids can learn stuff by watching YouTube videos. (2 issues)

9. Everybody knows that gas produced by cows is killing the planet. (2 issues)

10. At the end of the day, the film succeeds in convincing the viewer that everyone can
succeed in life.