70 Useful Sentences For Academic Writing

ABOUT ME MATERIALS METHODOLOGY ODDS AND ENDS USEFUL SITES August 21, 2014
SEARCH THIS WEBSITE… SEARCH
HOME » 70 USEFUL SENTENCES FOR ACADEMIC WRITING
Connect
70 useful sentences for academic writing ! " # $ %
Posted on APRIL 17, 2013 Written by LUIZ OTÁVIO 75 COMMENTS
Back in the late 90s, in the process of reading for my MA dissertation, I put
together a collection of hundreds of sentence stems that I felt could help me with
Like me on Facebook
my academic writing later on. And they did. Immensely. After the course was over,
Luiz Otávio's ELT page
I stacked my sentences away, but kept wondering if I could ever put them to good Like 9,689
use and perhaps help other DELTA / Trinity / MA / PhD students who know
exactly what they want to say, but might have trouble finding the best way to say
it.
Get Updates
So here are 70 sentences extracted and adapted What`s your e-mail address?
from the original compilation, which ran for almost
email@email.com
10 pages. This list is organized around keywords
(rather than functions / discourse categories) so I
can explore each word’s ecosystem better, highlight
common collocations and so on. Recent Posts
4 tips to help you teach advanced students
Before you start:
1. Pay close attention to the words in bold
bold, which are often used in conjunction Can I learn English in 18 months?
with the main word.

internet memes & concept checking, by
2. [ ] means “insert a suitable word here”, while ( ) means “this word is optional.” Marcelo de Cristo
3. Bear in mind that, within each group, some examples are slightly more formal /
classroom language: 10 things you might
less frequent than others.
be saying wrong
4. I am not claiming, by any stretch of the imagination, that these are the most
common ways to use each word. These are just examples of academic discourse 12 words you might be mispronouncing
that I collected randomly in the late 90s.
70 useful sentences for academic writing
Argue subject / verb agreement mistakes: 7

a. Along similar lines
lines, [X] argues that ___. things to bear in mind.
b. There seems to be no compelling reason to argue that ___.
c. As a rebuttal to this point, it might be (convincingly) argued that ___.
d. There are [three] main arguments that can be advanced to support ___. Users on page
e. The underlying argument in favor of / against [X] is that ___.
Now online: 1
f. [X]‘s argument in favor of / against [Y] runs as follows: ___.
Overall: 352616
Claim
a. In this [paper], I put forward the claim that ___. 2013 Award
b. [X] develops the claim that ___.
c. There is ample / growing support for the claim that ___.
d. [X]‘s findings lend support to the claim that ___.
e. Taking a middle-ground position, [X] claims that ___.
Data
a. The data gathered in the [pilot study] suggests / suggest that ___.
b. The data appears / appear to suggest that ___.
c. The data yielded by this [study] provides strong / convincing evidence that
___. (yielded = generated)
d. A closer look at the data indicates that ___.
e. The data generated by [X] is / are reported in [table 1].
f. The aim of this [section] is to generalize beyond the data and ___.
In modern usage, data can also be treated as a mass / uncountable noun, like
information. Before you submit your work, check whether the institution you’re
writing for / on behalf of prefers data + plural verb.
Debate
a. [X] has fostered debate on ___. (fostered = encouraged)
b. There has been an inconclusive debate about whether ___.
c. The question of whether ___ has caused much debate in [our profession]
[over the years].
d. (Much of) the current debate revolves around ___.
Discussion
a. In this section / chapter, the discussion will point to ___.
b. The foregoing discussion implies that ___. (foregoing = that came before)
c. For the sake of discussion
discussion, I would like to argue that ___.
d. In this study, the question under discussion is ___.
e. In this paper, the discussion centers on ___.
f. [X] lies at the heart of the discussion on ___.
Evidence (Remember: Evidence is uncountable.)

a. The available evidence seems to suggest that ___ / point to ___.
b. On the basis of the evidence currently available, it seems fair to suggest that
___.
c. There is overwhelming evidence corroborating the notion that ___.
(corroborating = confirming)
d. Further evidence supporting / against [X] may lie in the findings of [Y], who
___.
e. These results provide confirmatory evidence that ___.
Ground
a. I will now summarize the ground covered in this [chapter] by ___.
b. On logical grounds
grounds, there is no compelling reason to argue that ___.
c. [X] takes a middle-ground position on [Y] and argues that ___.
d. On these grounds
grounds, we can argue that ___.
e. [X]‘s views are grounded on the assumption that ___.
Issue
a. This study is an attempt to address the issue of ___.
b. In the present study, the issue under scrutiny is ___.
c. The issue of whether ___ is clouded by the fact that ___. (clouded = made
less clear)
d. To portray the issue in [X]‘s terms, ___.
e. Given the centrality of this issue to [my claim], I will now ___.
f. This [chapter] is concerned with the issue of [how/whether/what] ___.
Literature
a. [X] is prominent in the literature on [Y].
b. There is a rapidly growing literature on [X], which indicates that ___.
c. The literature shows no consensus on [X], which means that ___.
d. The (current) literature on [X] abounds with examples of ___.
Premise
a. The main theoretical premise behind [X] is that ___.
b. [X] and [Y] share an important premise
premise: ___.
c. [X] is premised on the assumption that ___.
d. The basic premises of [X]‘s theory / argument are ___.
e. The arguments against [X]‘s premise rest on [four] assumptions: ___.
Research
a.This study draws on research conducted by ___.
b. Although there has been relatively little research on / into [X], ___.
c. In the last [X] years, [educational] research has provided ample support for
the assertion that ___.
d. Current research appears / seems to validate the view that ___.
e. Research on / into ___ does not support the view that ___.
f. Further research in this area may include ___ and ___.
g. Evidence for [X] is borne out by research that shows ___.
h. There is insufficient research on / into ___ to draw any firm conclusions
about / on ___.
View
a. The consensus view seems to be that ___.
b. [X] propounds the view that ___. (propound = put forward for
consideration)
c. Current research (does not) appear(s) to validate such a view
view.
d. There have been dissenters to the view that ___. (dissenter = someone who
disagrees)
e. The answer to [X] / The difference between [X] and [Y] is not as clear-cut as
popular views might suggest.
f. The view that _____ is (very much) in line with [common sense].
g. I am not alone in my view that ___.
h. [X] puts forward the view that ___.
i. [X]‘s views rest on the assumption that ___.
Thanks for reading and good luck!
Like 2.3k 59 Tweet 873
You may also like:

5 tips to help you learn better and faster
linguistic intuition
translation in the foreign language class – a valid teaching tool?
classroom language: 10 things you might be saying wrong
Filed Under: ODDS AND ENDS, YOUR ENGLISH

Tagged: DISCOURSE CONNECTORS, TEST YOUR ENGLISH, TIPS FOR TEACHERS
Comments
HIGOR CAVALCANTE says:
April 17, 2013 at 3:12 pm
Hi Luiz!
This is incredible! Many, many thanks! I’ll start putting these into use immediately in my
DipTESOL assignments.
=)
REPLY
LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

April 17, 2013 at 3:45 pm
Higor, glad I could help. Um abraço!

REPLY
VAISAKH VISWAMBHARAN says:

February 26, 2014 at 9:21 am
Thanks for letting out such a list. Seems to be of great help.
REPLY
EDUARDO SANTOS says:

April 17, 2013 at 3:52 pm
Great list, Otávio! Thank you!
REPLY
LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

April 17, 2013 at 3:53 pm
You’re welcome, Eduardo!
REPLY
MICHELE says:
April 17, 2013 at 4:20 pm
Thanks, Luiz! This list is gonna be so useful!
REPLY
LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

April 17, 2013 at 4:44 pm
You’re welcome, Michele!
REPLY
MELANIE says:
April 17, 2013 at 8:29 pm
What a marvelous list. Thanks for your generosity.
REPLY
LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

April 17, 2013 at 8:40 pm
Melanie, thank you!
REPLY
RICARDO BARROS says:

April 18, 2013 at 12:07 am
Really nice, Luiz. I particularly like ‘yielded’. I’ll definitely try to put them to good use
during my next assignment.
REPLY
LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

April 18, 2013 at 12:08 am
I remember teaching you “yielded” back in 1875, in MAC something. Maybe that’s
why.
REPLY
SUSAN says:
April 19, 2013 at 6:16 am
1875? You’ve been around awhile.
REPLY
LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

April 19, 2013 at 9:42 am
Haven’t I, Susan?
REPLY
RAMGOPAL CANCHERLA says:

April 18, 2013 at 12:18 pm
Wonderful Listing Dear Brother

Why were some alphabets left out ? Sure there would have been a GR8 reason !
Am converting this into a ppt and share it for many to more to access – hope no
problems brother ….
LOL n Laughter all the way from Mumbai, INDIA
REPLY
LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

April 18, 2013 at 11:00 pm
Ramgopal,
Thank you for dropping by. You can share the list with as many people as you like,
of course. Please do acknowledge the source, though, ok? Maybe this will
encourage more people to visit the blog.
REPLY
TYSON SEBURN (@SEBURNT) says:

April 18, 2013 at 5:19 pm
What a wonderful list, very much needed for EAP learners (not to mention any academic
writer). I’ll definitely make use of it. Thanks.
REPLY
LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

April 18, 2013 at 10:58 pm
Tyson, thank you for your kind words. Much appreciated!
REPLY
DORA BERRY says:
April 19, 2013 at 9:34 am
Obrigada Otavio,
This is a great source and I will definitely use it in my current literature review class. My
professor provide us with your Blog. I am very glad for two reasons, your Blog is a great
source, and I think you are Brazilian ? I am from São Paulo, and as an International
student I struggle written in English.
Muito… muito obrigada pelas dicas.
REPLY
LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

April 19, 2013 at 9:42 am
Thank you, Dora! Yes, I am Brazilian.
REPLY
LENNY says:
April 20, 2013 at 1:09 am
Such a great work! It helps me to improve my English…Keep It Up.
REPLY
DR. PEDRO CEVALLOS says:

April 20, 2013 at 12:32 pm
Data is the plural of datum. Therefore, it should read “The data appear…”
REPLY
LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

April 20, 2013 at 12:54 pm
Hi, Pedro
Thanks for stopping by.
Both usages are correct. If one treats “data” as a singular / mass noun, a singular
noun should be used. Here’s what the Oxford Dictionary has to say:
“In Latin, data is the plural of datum and, historically and in specialized scientific
fields , it is also treated as a plural in English, taking a plural verb, as in the data
were collected and classified . In modern non-scientific use, however , despite the
complaints of traditionalists, it is often not treated as a plural. Instead, it is treated
as a mass noun, similar to a word like information, which cannot normally have a
plural and which takes a singular verb. Sentences such as data was (as well as data
were ) collected over a number of years are now widely accepted in standard
English.”
So I think it ultimately depends on the stylistic constraints of the piece of writing
at hand and on the norms adopted by the academic institution you’re writing for /
on behalf of. But if history is anything to go by, I think very soon “datum” will be as
rare as, for example, “agendum.”
REPLY
CHRISTINE says:
April 20, 2013 at 4:53 pm
What a wonderful list: thank you for sharing. I’m going (with your permission) to use it
with my EAP class. I have other lists (including from the Manchester phrase bank) but
this is a list of phrases that have been used rather than could be used.
REPLY
LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

April 20, 2013 at 5:01 pm
Christine, I appreciate your kind words. Of course you can use it! If you feel that
your audience would profit from any of the stuff on this blog (aimed at teachers of
English as a foreign language), please just say where the sentences were taken
from, ok? Every little thing than can increase traffic helps! And you’re so right
about the “what people do say” vs. “what people could say” dilemma. Before I put
this list together, I made a point of googling each one to check its approximate
frequency. This alone sifted out at least half of my original list. Best regards from
São Paulo, Brazil.
REPLY
JÉSSICA VIANA says:

April 21, 2013 at 11:55 pm
Thank you, Luiz!
These are invaluable, and they’ll be put to immediate use in ICELT tasks.
Thanks a million!
REPLY
LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

April 21, 2013 at 11:58 pm
Jéssica, I’m so glad you’ll be able to use some of them. Um abraço!
REPLY
MÁRCIA LIMA says:

April 22, 2013 at 9:14 pm
Thanks a zillion for sharing, Luiz! Assessors worldwide will be amazed at how much the
quality of candidates’ writing has improved! hehehe
REPLY
LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

April 23, 2013 at 10:15 am
We sure hope so, right, Márcia? Thanks for stopping by.
REPLY
SALMA says:
April 22, 2013 at 10:44 pm
Very useful Christine and thanks for sharing.
REPLY
LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

April 23, 2013 at 10:15 am
Thank you, Salma.

REPLY
CALLY says:
April 24, 2013 at 1:20 am
What a fabulous resource for international students as well! Thank you.
REPLY
LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

April 24, 2013 at 10:02 pm
Cally, thank you!
REPLY
BRUNO CORIOLANO says:

April 25, 2013 at 11:07 am
Just great! Thanks for sharing it.
REPLY
LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

April 25, 2013 at 11:08 am
You’re welcome, Bruno!
REPLY
PATRICIA SPEZZANO says:

May 4, 2013 at 2:29 pm
Thanks for sharing. Definitely I will use some ideas for my TEFL essay.
REPLY
LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

May 6, 2013 at 10:31 pm
Patricia, I’m glad you found the list helpful!
REPLY
CHRIS BOHLANDER says:

May 10, 2013 at 8:32 pm
Courageous, generous and much appreciated.
REPLY
LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

May 11, 2013 at 12:40 am
Thank you for your kind words, Chris.
REPLY
DENISE LABELLE says:
May 11, 2013 at 11:29 am
Bonjour, English is not my first language and the information contained on this page
helps me to construct proper essay sentences. Obrigada !
REPLY
LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

May 11, 2013 at 11:38 am
Bonjour, Denise. As a non-native speaker myself, I know the feeling and I’m glad I
was able to help!
Merci!
REPLY
NICOROBIN says:
June 14, 2013 at 2:37 am
thank you for this! it helps me tremendously
REPLY
LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

September 24, 2013 at 10:04 am
My pleasure!
REPLY
JOHANNA says:
June 21, 2013 at 11:35 am
You seriously saved my life when I was writing a paper due the very next day. I have
bookmarked it and it will be my go-to blog for future writing assignments! Thank you
for your contribution.
REPLY
LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

Glad I could help, Johana!
REPLY
KITTY says:
July 10, 2013 at 9:15 am
Thank you for this- it is fabulous!
REPLY
LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

Thank you!
REPLY
JEFF COLLINS says:

August 9, 2013 at 1:38 am
Really helpful tips for writing good research papers also useful to students of literature.
Great tips indeed. I think these tips must be shared with every student of literature as
there are lot many things they have to know.
REPLY
LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

Thanks, Jeff!
REPLY
SERENA says:
Thanks a lot!!!! What an incredible work!! I will use it with my students
REPLY
LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

Thank you, Serena.
REPLY
KEN says:
Incredible! Senor Barros, thank you for sharing. I’ve never seen something like this
before–good prompts for writing.
Ken (ESL Teacher from Thailand)
REPLY
LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

Thanks, Ken. I appreciate your feedback.
REPLY
RIX VII says:

October 10, 2013 at 1:39 pm
These sentences are Fantabulous…!!! (Thumbs Up For You)

(y)
REPLY
SAMANTHA ERICKSON says:
February 25, 2014 at 12:22 am
Completely agree. Fantastic expressions. Gonna have to study them for some
upcoming papers!!
REPLY
MEER says:
October 17, 2013 at 6:51 am
Luizo, it was really generous of you to have shared such a useful collection. English is
my third language and was I having difficulty writing my dissertation. Hopefully your
gift will help. I cannot thank you enough. I hope one day I too can help by uploading
something this useful, free. You are a saint.
REPLY
TASHA says:
October 18, 2013 at 8:38 am
It’s awesome for me to have a web site, which is helpful

designed for my experience. thanks admin
REPLY
DISCOUNT WATCHES ONLINE says:

October 18, 2013 at 6:22 pm
Sweet blog! I foumd it while browsing on Yahoo News.

Do yoou have any suggestions on how to get listed in Yahoo News?
I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there!
Appreciate it
REPLY
HAMID says:
December 8, 2013 at 7:12 am
thanks baby
your sentences are great I am going to use them as much as possible
REPLY
CHEAP WATCHES FOR ARGOS WATCH WITH ALARM SETTINGS says:

Нighly descriptive post, I lіked that a lot. Will there

be a part 2?
REPLY
SAMAN says:
10000 times thanks
REPLY
HABIB says:
Thank you a lot for sharing these useful and practical verbs and phrases !
Best wishes
Habib
REPLY
LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

December 30, 2013 at 4:24 pm
Habib, glad I could help!
REPLY
ROCK says:
January 16, 2014 at 4:07 pm
Nice Work! Exactly what I was looking for classroom debates!
REPLY
ANGEL says:
February 5, 2014 at 3:28 pm
Honestly, I would seriously LOVE to see the original 10 page list!!!!
REPLY
JOSE says:
Nice list. Thank you.
REPLY
ESTELLE EVANS says:

Thank you so much – you have just saved me hours of trying to make my Masters
assignment sound convincing!
REPLY
MILEY CYRUS SEX TAPE says:

March 15, 2014 at 2:39 pm
Nothing at all symbolizes every day life greater than miley cyrus sex tape,
in addition to After all nothing. It is mentioned of which just the thing inside
society that could pull through a nuclear strike will be miley cyrus sex tape.
This is completely wrong, truly cockroaches tend to be the
only thing which often can endure a new nuclear episode. Unquestionably there is a
link.
How should this kind of end up being spelled out?
Obviously fascination can gradually liberate from the potent effect regarding miley
cyrus sex tape, although not just before we all
go to the standard commercial plan for many. What everthing comes down to be able to
will be dollars.
Capitalists adore miley cyrus sex tape.
REPLY
TOHID ASADI says:

April 22, 2014 at 10:09 am
Sorta cool!
Thanks for what you’ve done Luiz…
REPLY
TOHID ASADI says:

April 22, 2014 at 10:11 am
And give a try at updating the list, if possible.
REPLY
FATIMA says:
June 4, 2014 at 10:39 am
Thank you alto, this is a great list. I prepare for TOEFL but my writing is awful, I hope by
using this list it improve. Can I send my writing to you?
REPLY
LAXMIDHAR PANDA says:

June 21, 2014 at 2:35 pm
The list is really wonderfully helpful for any teacher or student in writing a dissertation.
REPLY
A. LUCERO D. VELAZQUEZ says:

July 1, 2014 at 1:45 am
Thank you so much are very goods to my tesis.
REPLY
ANGELIKA says:
July 25, 2014 at 7:10 pm
This list is only partially true. Crying more green news from provide
the band of income, and brings them home in order to ensure
that you are residing in Atlanta. Do they have been exposed to the same amount of
control.
REPLY
FIFA 14 CHEATS says:

August 5, 2014 at 6:05 pm
Greetings! I know this is kind of off topic but I was wondering

which blog platform are you using for this site?
I’m getting tired of WordPress because I’ve had problems with hackers and I’m looking
at options for another platform.
I would be awesome if you could point me in the direction of a good platform.
REPLY
AHMAD FAWAD says:

August 21, 2014 at 3:49 am
THANKS FOR HELPING PEOPLE
REPLY
Speak Your Mind

Name *
Email *
Website
POST COMMENT
RETURN TO TOP OF PAGE COPYRIGHT © 2014 · FOCUS CHILD THEME ON GENESIS FRAMEWORK · WORDPRESS · LOG IN

70 Useful Sentences For Academic Writing

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

70 Useful Sentences For Academic Writing

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

ABOUT ME MATERIALS METHODOLOGY ODDS AND ENDS USEFUL SITES August 21, 2014

SEARCH THIS WEBSITE… SEARCH

HOME » 70 USEFUL SENTENCES FOR ACADEMIC WRITING

with the main word.

Argue subject / verb agreement mistakes: 7

Evidence (Remember: Evidence is uncountable.)

Thanks for reading and good luck!

Like 2.3k 59 Tweet 873

You may also like:

Filed Under: ODDS AND ENDS, YOUR ENGLISH

LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

Higor, glad I could help. Um abraço!

VAISAKH VISWAMBHARAN says:

Thanks for letting out such a list. Seems to be of great help.

EDUARDO SANTOS says:

Great list, Otávio! Thank you!

LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

You’re welcome, Eduardo!

Thanks, Luiz! This list is gonna be so useful!

LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

You’re welcome, Michele!

What a marvelous list. Thanks for your generosity.

LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

Melanie, thank you!

RICARDO BARROS says:

LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

1875? You’ve been around awhile.

LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

RAMGOPAL CANCHERLA says:

Wonderful Listing Dear Brother

LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

TYSON SEBURN (@SEBURNT) says:

LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

Tyson, thank you for your kind words. Much appreciated!

Muito… muito obrigada pelas dicas.

LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

Thank you, Dora! Yes, I am Brazilian.

Such a great work! It helps me to improve my English…Keep It Up.

DR. PEDRO CEVALLOS says:

LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

JÉSSICA VIANA says:

Thank you, Luiz!

LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

Jéssica, I’m so glad you’ll be able to use some of them. Um abraço!

MÁRCIA LIMA says:

LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

We sure hope so, right, Márcia? Thanks for stopping by.

Very useful Christine and thanks for sharing.

LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

Thank you, Salma.

What a fabulous resource for international students as well! Thank you.

LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

Cally, thank you!

BRUNO CORIOLANO says:

Just great! Thanks for sharing it.

LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

You’re welcome, Bruno!

PATRICIA SPEZZANO says:

LUIZ OTÁVIO says:

Patricia, I’m glad you found the list helpful!

CHRIS BOHLANDER says:

Courageous, generous and much appreciated.