Use formal (i.e. single-word verbs) such as 'examine' rather than phrasal / multi-word verbs such as 'look at'.
e.g. This report looks at [examines] the problem of juvenile delinquency. OR c) The study was (carried out) [ ] between May and July 2011.
Avoid Colloquial expressions
Avoid informal expressions such as 'a lot of' in your written assignments.
e.g. a lot of research ---> a great deal of / considerable amount of OR lots of studies ---> numerous / a large number of
They are expressions that have become overused, dull and unoriginal. Their meaning may not be clear to a global readers as the words and meaning may not be closely related.
Do not use expressions: e.g. 'nowadays', 'hot topic', 'in a nutshell', 'golden opportunity', 'every coin has two sides'
Avoid vague, everyday language
Avoid common, informal everyday words. Use more precise words instead.
e.g. Chan (2020) says [comments] that large-scale quarantining for every case of coronavirus is a big [major] problem.
In addition to being impersonal, academic writing should be as objective as possible. Subjective and emotional language should be avoided.
Do not use words such as: fantastic, wonderful, lovely, absolutely, totally, terrific, excellent!
Repeating the same words and phrases in your written assessments may make your work appear boring and unsophisticated to the reader.
Use appropriate synonyms. For example: Findings ---> results, appear ---> seem, inquiry ---> investigation, argue ---> contend
Avoid using short forms (contractions) such as it’s and they’re in academic writing.
e.g. It’s [It is] widely acknowledged that English plays an important role in Hong Kong’s business sector.
Avoid personal references
Avoid directly referring to yourself as 'I' or 'we', or to the reader as 'you', because it makes your work seem too subjective.
e.g. You can see the findings in Table 1. --> The findings are presented in Table 1.
Avoid informal sentence starters
Starting sentences with 'And', 'Because', or 'But' is considered poor style in academic writing. Use a more formal alternative instead.
e.g. And -->In addition /Apart from OR But --> However, OR Because --> This is because
Avoid rhetorical questions
Using this sentence structure can make your writing appear unsophisticated. You might not objective enough as you tend to communicate with your readers.
e.g. In my report, I will answer the following question: What are the causes of stress? --> This report examines the causes of stress.
Avoid ‘Run-on’ expressions
Expressions such as 'etc.' and and 'so on' in academic writing sounds unlimited. Use the term 'such as' to inform the reader that not all possible examples are given.
e.g. Professionals often need to write reports, memos etc. at work. --> Professionals often need to write documents such as reports and memos at work.
Avoid informal negative forms such as not much and not many. Use the positive (without ‘not’) forms little and few.
e.g. Not much [Little] research has been conducted into job stress in universities.
