Show:
Academic Style 1
Academic Style 2
Academic Style 3
Academic Style 4
Academic Style 5
100
That's the main reason why so many Hong Kongers are against nuclear power.
That’s (contraction)--> That is
100
The chief executive doesn't seem concerned about his recent drop in popularity.
doesn't (contraction)--> does not
100
And the government promised that tuition fees would not be raised.
Try not to start sentences with 'and', 'but', 'so', and 'or'. The sentence can be rewritten as: 'In addition, the government promised that tuition fees would not be raised.'
100
In this essay, I will explore the changing roles of parents in Chinese families.
Avoid using 'I', 'me', 'my' and 'mine' in formal documents by using the neutral pronoun 'one' or the plural forms 'we' and 'our', or by using passive structures. The sentence can be rewritten as: 'In this essay, the changing roles of parents in Chinese families will be explored.'
100
There are several strategies you can use to avoid wasting water, including taking shorter showers.
Avoid addressing the audience directly by using the second person ('you', 'your' and 'yours') as its usage can make your writing seem too conversational and subjective. The sentence can be rewritten as: 'There are several strategies for avoiding water wastage, including taking shorter showers.'
200
Experts say that if a baby cries continually, he may be suffering from colic and you may need to take him to a hospital.
Avoid being offensive with your usage of gendered references. The sentence can be written as: '....continually, he or she may be....take him or her...' (use both genders together- 'he or she') '....continually, s/he may be....take him or her...' (use both genders together- 's/he') '....babies cry continually, they may be...take them...' (use plurals) '....continually, the child may be...take him or her...' (use other words- 'child') '....continually, the cause may be colic and a hospital visit may be necessary.' (restructuring the sentence)
200
Beijing's proposal deviates from the previous agreement with the U.K. and we have to fight it!
Never use exclamation marks (!) in academic writing because they tend to be associated with commands and strong emotions. The sentence could be rewritten more academically and precisely as 'Beijing's proposal runs counter to the previous agreement made with the U.K.'
200
Photographs of flood damage were shown on the TV news broadcasts.
TV (abbreviation)--> television
200
After finishing the maths examination, the subjects returned to their lab.
lab (abbreviation)--> laboratory
200
The Soviet Union underwent a lot of radical changes when Gorbachev took power.
Informal quantifiers such as 'a lot of', 'lots of', 'tons of' and 'a bunch of' should be replaced by more formal equivalents such as 'many' and 'several'.
300
John Dewey, the founder of educational philosophy in the U.S., advocated that it was learning, rather than teaching, that should be the focus of the classroom. John was the first person to propose the idea of facilitation of learning.
Use family names when referring to authors or other people in your text. i.e. John--> Dewey. John Dewey, the founder of educational philosophy in the U.S., advocated that it was learning, rather than teaching, that should be the focus of the classroom. Dewey was the first person to propose the idea of facilitation of learning.
300
Once the owners of commercial buildings are granted subsidies to encourage them to set up charging stations, there will be many more electric cars in the city.
set up (phrasal verb)--> establish / form (more formal equivalent)
300
Chinese cities like Shenzhen have experienced tremendous population growth.
like (informal and ambiguous- 'like' as the verb) -> such as (formal and unambiguous)
300
Tourism can have many negative effects on a country, including environmental damage, high infrastructure costs, increased prices on local goods, etc.
Ans: Do not write ‘etc.’, ‘and so on’, ‘and so forth’ or ‘and the like’ in academic writing. The sentence should be rewritten as: Tourism can have many negative effects on a country, including environmental damage, high infrastructure costs and increased prices on local goods.
300
Though the team started poorly, they were over the moon to have finished in first.
over the moon (idiom) --> overjoyed (formal equivalent)
400
During the Great Depression, various organizations were established across the United States to deal with the masses of starving, unemployed people.
deal with (phrasal verb)--> handle / manage (more formal equivalent)
400
If the government gets rid of these archaic laws, domestic workers in Hong Kong can finally be given proper immigrant status.
gets rid of (phrasal verb)--> abolishes/ eliminates/ replaces (more formal equivalent)
400
Eventually, the MTR Corporation figured out the cause of the problem and its technicians were able to remedy the situation.
figured out (phrasal verb)--> discovered/ identified/ determined (more formal equivalent)
400
The public beautification project includes the planting of 1235 maple trees.
Include a comma before every third consecutive digit for numbers above 999: The public beautification project includes the planting of 1,235 maple trees.
400
There were 3 major problems in the implementation of the education reform.
Write out numbers less than 10 as actual words: There were three major problems in the implementation of the education reform.
500
Since students are often reluctant to participate in voluntary services, we need to ask ourselves: what can we do to motivate them?
Avoid rhetorical questions, that is, questions for which you do not expect an answer. The sentence could be rewritten as 'While students are often reluctant to participate in voluntary services, there are different means by which we can motivate them.'
500
Recent studies show that people here are spending less on luxury items, as many are now going through financial difficulties.
going through (phrasal verb)--> undergoing/ experiencing (more formal equivalent)
500
Taking this case to the International Court of Justice is not likely to cool down the current level of tension between China and Japan.
cool down (phrasal verb)--> ease / reduce / relieve/ allay/ alleviate (more formal equivalent)
500
Hong Kong could see a 30% increase in tourism over the next three years.
Write 'percent' or 'per cent' (rather than the % sign): Hong Kong could see a 30 percent increase in tourism over the next three years.
500
While the public may know what these powerful politicians have done, people are afraid to stand up to them for fear of reprisals.
stand up to (phrasal verb)--> confront / resist / defy (more formal equivalent)