10 academic phrases to use in your essay

oxbridgeessays.com/blog/10-academic-phrases-use-essay

7 January 2019

In the age of social media where completely unrecognisable words and phrases appear
online, it is tempting to carry this informality across to other aspects of your life. However,
there are some occasions when only formal communication will do. We’re specifically talking
essays here. It’s imperative you employ a formal tone, and there are particular academic
phrases you can employ to help you achieve this.

Casual and conversational phrases have no place in academic essays. Obviously, there’ll be
no LOLs, no LMFAOs, and certainly no OMGs. But, did you know there are a whole lot of
other phrases which might not be so obvious or striking? What about those people that think
it’s okay to write ‘you’ in an essay. This should be avoided with a suitable alternative being,
perhaps, ‘one.’ Another example could be a student who confuses ‘however’ with ‘although.’
Did you know the difference? We use ‘however’ at the beginning of a new sentence, with a
comma after it. On the other hand, ‘although’ can be used at the beginning or in the middle
of a sentence, and it doesn't have a comma afterwards.

So, to help you find the right level of formality in your essays, we have put together this list of
10 academic phrases you can use in your essay writing. This is by no means an exhaustive
list, but these are just a few of the academic phrases that can improve your essay writing
skills.

The flow of your essay is extremely important. This type of academic phrase is perfect for
expanding or adding to a point you’ve already made without interrupting or stopping the
flow altogether.

Again, these are excellent academic phrases to improve the continuity of your essay writing.
In this case, the above terms should be used to explain a point you’ve already made in a
slightly different way. Don’t use it to repeat yourself, but rather to elaborate on a certain
point that needs further explanation. Or to succinctly round up what just came before.

Finding a seamless method of introducing an alternative perspective or theory can be hard

work, but these terms and phrases can help you introduce the other side of the argument.

Introducing the views of subject experts is a crucial part of essay writing. Including a quote
that fits naturally into your work can be a bit of struggle, but these academic phrases provide
a great way in.

The key with quotes is clarity. Leave the reader with no room for confusion; it should be clear
that a quote is a quote. However, you might also like to paraphrase – make sure you credit
the source though. So, you might like to say, ‘As Einstein often reiterated, the theory of....’
rather than giving a “bracketed direct quote.”

And be sure to reference correctly too, when using quotes or paraphrasing someone else's
words.
1/2
Take care when using these joining academic phrases, as they do not work in the same way
as the conjunction ‘and’ when it comes to the subject-verb agreement. However, they do
have roughly the same function, and are fine when employed sparingly.

If you’re struggling to structure an argument without your essay becoming repetitive, this is
an extremely effective method of presenting the facts clearly. Don’t be too rigid and feel you
have to number each point, but utilising this system can be a good way to get an argument
off the ground.

These are the types of phrases you should use to add a proviso to an argument or
acknowledge reservations. Either can be used when a piece of evidence sheds new light on
an argument.

Academic essays that receive top marks back up every point. Using ‘for example’ every time
will become tedious for the writer and the reader, so here are a couple of academic phrases
you can use to say the same thing.

When concluding your essay, words like these can help you summarise your argument and
explain which parts you find most convincing.

When you’re explaining the significance of the results of a piece of research, these phrases
provide the perfect lead up to your explanation.

If you need more help with your essay writing, our professional academics have considerable
experience in a wide range of subject areas, and clearly demonstrate this expertise in their
work. Whatever your subject or topic, we can help by providing the support you need.

Find out more

2/2