Effective Writing Tips for Academic Tone and Diction
Enhance your writing skills with tips on academic tone and diction. Learn to avoid contractions, abbreviate appropriately, and steer clear of clichés and regionalisms. Improve your communication by following these guidelines.
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ACADEMIC TONE AND DICTION A Write Place edition
SLASH THE SLASHES, Replace slashes with and, or or. To participate in the class museum trip, students must have permission from parents/guardians parents or guardians. Instead of etc., say and so on or offer the rest of the list. She went to Target to buy pencils, paper, paper clips etc and so on. She went to Target to buy pencils, paper, paper clips, etc. pens, highlighters, and other office supplies.
DONT USE CONTRACTIONS Contractions present a conversational tone. Example of what not to do: I don t know what he/she s implying here. Example to follow: I do not know what he or she is implying here.
WHEN TO ABBREVIATE Appropriate Specific organizations or institutions Example: USA = United States of America FBI= Federal Bureau of Investigations Inappropriate Conversationally acceptable terms of communication Example: w/o = without w/Jon = with Jon asap = as soon as possible yr. old = year old b/c = because NOTE: The first time an unfamiliar acronym is used, spell it out and put the acronym after. For all succeeding references, use the acronym. Example: The Center for Disease Control (CDC) issued a measles warning this afternoon.
THROW CLICHS AND REGIONALISMS OUT THE WINDOW Be creative with your metaphors and analogies, avoid the clich d phrases such as . Fast as lightning, a stitch in time, against the grain, beating like a drum, there is no I in team, standing the test of time, a cold winter s night, once upon a time, a needle in a haystack, in no time, walking a fine line, walking on thin ice, dancing with the devil, hell on earth, when pigs fly, crystal clear, clear as a bell, clear as day, plain as day, in plain sight, hind sight is 20/20, making a mountain out a mole hill, a penny saved is a penny earned, cute as a button, taking it one day at a time, easy does it, time is of the essence, talk is cheap, you get what you pay for
CLICHS, REGIONALISMS (CONT.) at all (Do you want any coffee at all.) Y all You betcha Hot dish go with (Mom went to the drugstore. I went with.) Borrow someone money. (I borrowed loaned Sally $20.)
HYPERBOLES ARE THE WORST Using extremes compromises the author s credibility. Instead, let the research speak for you. Examples The parking at St. Cloud State is much worse than any other university! On average, St. Cloud State University students spend an additional 10 minutes more per day searching for a parking slot than students at any other MNSCU institution.
INTEGRATE QUOTATIONS EFFECTIVELY AND SEAMLESSLY Always say who said the quoted words to separate your voice from the author s. Example To be successful in a challenging class, begin written assignments as soon as possible. Remember that there is no virtue in delay. Rushing at the last minute causes sloppy work. To be successful in a challenging class, begin written assignments as soon as possible. Keith Hjortshoj advises, Remember that there is no virtue in delay. Rushing at the last minute causes sloppy work. Vary your signal verb. Avoid states. Try not to overuse says. Example Keith Hjortshoj states (or says), Remember that there is no virtue in delay. Keith Hjortshoj advises, Remember that there is no virtue in delay. Keith Hjortshoj writes, Remember that there is no virtue in delay. Only use quotations when the wording is unique or when you would like to emphasize the words of a well-known authority to give your argument credibility. Nonetheless, use quotations sparingly and paraphrase instead.
QUOTATIONS (CONT.) Only use quotations when the wording is unique or when you would like to emphasize the words of a well-known authority to give your argument credibility. Nonetheless, use quotations sparingly and paraphrase instead. Even within her own Communist Party, language was often co-opted by the masculine, as terms like proletarian and manly were used interchangeably (Obermueller 48). In her book, Better Red: The Writing and Resistance of Tillie Olsen and Meridel Le Sueur, Constance Coiner explains that Le Sueur and Olsen problematize the patriarchal nature of the Left and the masculinist assumptions of proletarian literature (7). Le Sueur complicates the patriarchal norm not only by portraying women as interesting and textured characters, but also by repeatedly employing the metaphors of maternity, birth, growth, and death in writing about the value of the working person s experience, and as Erin Obermueller explains, in doing so she also historicizes and politicizes the body (49). Consider using a quotation sandwich. Introduce your quotation in your own words. Insert quotation. Then comment on quotation and transition into next part.
QUOTATIONS (CONT.) Consider using a quotation sandwich. Introduce your quotation in your own words. Insert quotation. Then comment on quotation and transition into next part. Example In his I Have a Dream speech, Martin Luther King Jr. makes a strong case for hope, saying With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discord of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood (359). Barack Obama s themes of collaboration and inclusiveness recall King s words.
THE GIANT DANGLING MODIFIER Wrong. In Sandra Lee s book, How to Navigate Rough Academic Waters, she says . . . Correct. In her book, How to Navigate Rough Academic Waters, Sandra Lee says . . . Sandra Lee s book, How to Navigate Rough Academic Waters, says . . .
WORDS/PHRASES TO AVOID Basically States Awesome You Totally, very, extremely (useless intensifiers) Put him or her down (try denigrate, humiliate, insult, belittle, disparage) Anything with the fact. Due to the fact = because In spite of the fact = despite Because of the fact = because
WORDS/PHRASES TO AVOID Empty or Redundant words and phrases At all times = always At the present time = now, currently, today At that point in time = then At this point in time = now In order to = to In the event that = if For the purpose of = for Red in color = red Literally = avoid this word. Most things are literal
OTHER ACADEMIC LANGUAGE AND TONE ADVICE Use synonyms for the author to avoid sounding repetitious. The author asserts . . . Jones asserts . . . The article (or essay or book) asserts . . . Don t use stuffy, overblown, or jargon-filled language unnecessarily. Quality academic writing is clear and information is easily understood by the target audience. Pursuant to the recent memorandum issues August 9, 1987, because of financial exigencies, it is incumbent upon us all to endeavor to make maximal utilization of telephonic communication in lieu of personal visitation (Williams 85). As the memo of August 9 said, to save the company money, use the telephone as much as you can instead of making personal visits (Williams 85).
OTHER ADVICE (CONT.) Avoid pompous language (use sparingly) Endeavor = try Utilization = use Termination = end Cognizant of = aware of Desirous of = wants or desires Transpires = happens Envisage = think, regard, imagine, see Eventuate = happen Deem = think
OTHER ADVICE Don t belabor the obvious. States the obvious. Imagine a mental picture of someone engaged in the intellectual activity of trying to learn what the rules are for how to play the game of chess. Concise. Imagine someone trying to learn the rules of chess.
INTERACTIVE EXAMPLES Revise the following: Because of the fact that cats are independent creatures, they lead extremely private lives at all times. A student should turn in his/her research paper, annotated bibliography, etc. w/o delay. She didn t get rid of all of her English books and notes because she didn t want to burn her bridges totally. At all times, one should be cognizant of the subtle transitions of color and temperature in the passing of the seasons as fodder for one s poetry. In my mind, I am of the opinion, that standing in the cold without outerwear can lower your body temperature, hence causing body shaking.
