You don’t want to sound like everyone else, do you? In that case, you need to pick your words carefully. This is especially true for essays, as certain terms are overused all the time in academic writing. We’ve identified a few offenders here (as well as some alternatives you can use).
‘Also’ is a great linking word. But if you use it in every other sentence, it will stand out. Luckily, there are other words you can use in its place, such as:
Other linking words are available, too, but they tend to be more specific. ‘Likewise’, for instance, can be used when linking similar things, while ‘however’ introduces a contrast.
If you’re quoting several sources, you might find yourself using ‘said’ or ‘says’ a lot. To prevent repetition, try using these alternatives:
Keep in mind that some of these are specific to particular situations. For example, it would only make sense to use ‘argued’ if the person quoted is arguing something!
It’s also worth noting that repeating ‘said’ is not always a problem. In fact, most fiction writers suggest sticking to ‘said’ or ‘says’, as using too many synonyms can be distracting.
We use ‘therefore’ to show that something is the result of something else. But since essays may involve drawing lots of links and conclusions, it can be overused. You may want to use a few of these terms instead:
If you’re introducing an example of something that has previously been mentioned, you might use the word ‘including’ (e.g. ‘I know many words, including…’). Other terms can be used in exactly the same way include ‘such as’ and ‘like’ (although ‘like’ is fairly informal).
You can also introduce examples with phrases like ‘for example’ or ‘for instance’.
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Hopefully, your essay will be about something you find interesting. The word ‘interesting’ itself, though, is rather boring due to being overused. As such, you might need a synonym or two:
Remember, though, that simply noting something as ‘interesting’ isn’t enough. In academic writing, you also need to explain why something is interesting to show off your understanding.
Finally, we have ‘there is’, ‘there are’ and ‘it is’. These phrases are often used to start sentences, something known as an ‘expletive construction’ (and not because they’re full of swear words). In this type of sentence, the subject comes after the verb. For instance:
There are many problems we may encounter.
The subject above is ‘we’, while the main verb is ‘are’. In standard sentences, however, the verb should come after the subject. By doing this, we can also make our writing more concise:
We may encounter many problems.
By dropping ‘there are’, we therefore make a more impactful statement.
We’ve focused on varying your language here, but some repetition is inevitable. With technical terminology, for instance, you should always try to be consistent. And any document will use certain common words repeatedly, such as articles (e.g. a, an, the) and conjunctions (e.g. and, but, so).
As such, you don’t have to worry about repetition unless its affecting the flow of your writing. But if you’d like a second opinion on that, and help with varying your vocabulary, why not give our proofreading services a try?
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