Complexity
Formality: Fix the Phrase
Precision and Objectivity
Accuracy and Explicitness
Hedging
100
Choose the best sentence: a. Like all other forms of life, we human beings are the product of evolution. b. Like all other forms of life, we human beings are the product of how we have evolved.
The correct answer is: a. Like all other forms of life, we human beings are the product of evolution. Formal English uses nouns and noun-based clauses.
100
Fix the error in formality: With women especially, there is a lot of social pressure to conform to a certain physical shape.
1. With women especially, there is a great deal of social pressure to conform to a certain physical shape. "A lot of" is too colloquial.
100
Fix this error in precision: A long time ago, John F. Kennedy was killed.
In 1963, John F. Kennedy was killed. Always be as precise as possible. It may be important to one of your readers.
100
Fix the sentence: All 105 subjects were high school graduates, and almost all had graduate from high school in their native countries.
All 105 subjects were high school graduates, and almost all had graduateD from high school in their native countries.
100
Which is better? a. It may be said that the commitment to some of the social and economic concepts was less strong than it is now. b. The commitment to some of the social and economic concepts was less strong than it is now.
The correct answer is: a. It may be said that the commitment to some of the social and economic concepts was less strong than it is now. An important feature of academic writing is the concept of cautious language, often called "hedging" or "vague language". In other words, it is necessary to make decisions about your stance on a particular subject, or the strength of the claims you are making.
200
Choose the best sentence: The Egyptians regarded time as a succession of phases that recurred. The Egyptians regarded time as a succession of recurring phases.
The best sentence is: b. The Egyptians regarded time as a succession of recurring phases. -ed and -ing participles focus on noun usages and minimize verbs.
200
Fix the error in formality: These aren't at all original or exotic but are based on the ordinary things that most people tend to eat.
The answer is: These are not at all original or exotic but are based on the ordinary things that most people tend to eat.
200
Which paragraph is most objective? a. The question of what constitutes "language proficiency" and the nature of its cross-lingual dimensions is also at the core of many hotly debated issues in the areas of bilingual education and second language pedagogy and testing. Researchers have suggested ways of making second language teaching and testing more "communicative" (e.g., Canale and Swain, 1980; Oller, 1979b) on the grounds that a communicative approach better reflects the nature of language proficiency than one which emphasizes the acquisition of discrete language skills. b. We don't really know what language proficiency is but many people have talked about it for a long time. Some researchers have tried to find ways for us to make teaching and testing more communicative because that is how language works. I think that language is something we use for communicating, not an object for us to study and we remember that when we teach and test it.
The correct answer is (a.) This means that the main emphasis should be on the information that you want to give and the arguments you want to make, rather than you.
200
Which is best? a. McGreil (1977: 363-408) has shown that though Dubliners find the English more acceptable than the Northern Irish, Dubliners still seek a solution to the Northern problem within an all-Ireland state. b. Although Dubliners find the English more acceptable than the Northern Irish, Dubliners still seek a solution to the Northern problem within an all-Ireland state. c. Researchers have shown that though Dubliners find the English more acceptable than the Northern Irish, Dubliners still seek a solution to the Northern problem within an all-Ireland state.
The correct answer is: a. McGreil (1977: 363-408) has shown that though Dubliners find the English more acceptable than the Northern Irish, Dubliners still seek a solution to the Northern problem within an all-Ireland state. If you know the source of the ideas you are presenting, acknowledge it.
200
Which is better? a. The lives they chose may seem overly ascetic and self-denying to most women today. b. The lives they chose seem overly ascetic and self-denying to most women today.
The correct answer is: a. The lives they chose may seem overly ascetic and self-denying to most women today.
300
Choose the best sentence: a. Obviously the government is frightened of union reaction to its move to impose proper behavior on unions. b. Obviously the government is frightened how the unions will react if it tries to make them behave properly.
The correct answer is: a. Obviously the government is frightened of union reaction to its move to impose proper behavior on unions. Written English generally has a much denser pattern of words, it is more lexically dense.
300
Replace the phrasal verb (two word verb) with a more formal verb: They did not easily accept or put up with differences in others.
They did not easily accept or tolerate differences in others.
300
Which is better? a. In my opinion, this a very interesting study. b. This is a very interesting study.
The correct answer is: b. This is a very interesting study. A reader will normally assume that any idea not referenced is your own. It is therefore unnecessary to make this explicit.
300
Which is better? a. The Bristol 167 was to be Britain's great new advance on American types such as the Lockheed Constellation and Douglas DC-6, which did not have the range to fly the Atlantic non-stop. It was also to be the largest aircraft ever built in Britain. But even by the end of the war, the design had run into serious difficulties. b. The Bristol 167 was to be Britain's great new advance on American types such as the Lockheed Constellation and Douglas DC-6, which did not have the range to fly the Atlantic non-stop. It was also to be the largest aircraft ever built in Britain. However, even by the end of the war, the design had run into serious difficulties.
The best answer is: b. The Bristol 167 was to be Britain's great new advance on American types such as the Lockheed Constellation and Douglas DC-6, which did not have the range to fly the Atlantic non-stop. It was also to be the largest aircraft ever built in Britain. However, even by the end of the war, the design had run into serious difficulties. Transition words help make ideas explicit.
300
Choose the better sentence: a. Nowadays the urinary symptoms are of a lesser order. b. Nowadays the urinary symptoms seem to be of a lesser order.
The correct answer is: b. Nowadays the urinary symptoms seem to be of a lesser order.
400
Choose the best sentence: a. This information enables us to formulate precise questions. b. This information enables the formulation of precise questions.
The best sentence is: b. This information enables the formulation of precise questions. Formal written English uses nouns more than verbs. For example, "judgment" rather than "judge", "development" rather than "develop", "admiration" rather than "admire". Changing a verb or other word into a noun is called nominalization.
400
Choose the more formal word for this: seem
appear. Often word of French origin are more formal than the Anglo-Saxon ones.
400
Which is better? a. You can easily forget how different life was fifty years ago. b. It is easy to forget how difficult life was fifty years ago.
The correct answer is: b. It is easy to forget how difficult life was fifty years ago. Avoid "you" to refer to the reader or people in general.
400
Which is better? a. Marx referred throughout his work to other systems than the capitalist system, especially those which he knew from the history of Europe to have preceded capitalism; systems such as feudalism, where the relation of production was characterized by the personal relation of the feudal lord and his serf and a relation of subordination which came from the lord's control of the land. Similarly, Marx was interested in slavery and in the classical Indian and Chinese social systems, or in those systems where the ties of local community are all important. b. Marx referred throughout his work to other systems than the capitalist system, especially those which he knew from the history of Europe to have preceded capitalism; systems such as feudalism, where the relation of production was characterized by the personal relation of the feudal lord and his serf and a relation of subordination which came from the lord's control of the land. Marx was interested in slavery and in the classical Indian and Chinese social systems, or in those systems where the ties of local community are all important.
The correct answer is: a. Marx referred throughout his work to other systems than the capitalist system, especially those which he knew from the history of Europe to have preceded capitalism; systems such as feudalism, where the relation of production was characterized by the personal relation of the feudal lord and his serf and a relation of subordination which came from the lord's control of the land. Similarly, Marx was interested in slavery and in the classical Indian and Chinese social systems, or in those systems where the ties of local community are all important. If you think two ideas are almost the same, say so.
400
What is the best sentence? a. There are certainly cases where this would seem to have been the only possible method of transmission. b. There are cases where this would have been the only possible method of transmission.
The correct answer is: a. There are certainly cases where this would seem to have been the only possible method of transmission.
500
Choose the best sentence: a. The family establishes a variety of bases for refuges which seem to be used at different times of the year. b. The family establishes a variety of bases for refuges. They seem to be used at different times of the year.
The correct answer is: a. The family establishes a variety of bases for refuges which seem to be used at different times of the year. Subordinate clauses make sentences more complex.
500
Make this word more formal: Climb
Ascend French origin words are often more formal than the Anglo-Saxon ones.
500
Make this more precise and objective: Many people think that there are many problems in this country.
Answers will vary.
500
Which is better? a. This has sometimes led to disputes between religious and secular clergy, between orders and bishops. I noticed that in the Northern context, the previous bishop of Down and Connor, Dr Philbin, refused for most of his period of leadership in Belfast to have Jesuits visiting or residing in his diocese. b. This has sometimes led to disputes between religious and secular clergy, between orders and bishops. For example, in the Northern context, the previous bishop of Down and Connor, Dr Philbin, refused for most of his period of leadership in Belfast to have Jesuits visiting or residing in his diocese.
The correct answer is: b. This has sometimes led to disputes between religious and secular clergy, between orders and bishops. For example, in the Northern context, the previous bishop of Down and Connor, Dr Philbin, refused for most of his period of leadership in Belfast to have Jesuits visiting or residing in his diocese. If you are giving examples, do it explicitly.
500
What is the best answer? a. Weismann proved that animals become old because, if they did not, there could be no successive replacement of b. Weismann suggested that animals become old because, if they did not, there could be no successive replacement of individuals and hence no evolution.
The correct answer is: b. Weismann suggested that animals become old because, if they did not, there could be no successive replacement of individuals and hence no evolution.
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