70 useful sentences for academic writing

by

Back in the late 1990s, in the process of reading for my MA dissertation, I put together a collection of hundreds of “sentence frames” that I felt could help me with my academic writing later on.

And they did – immensely. After the course was over, I stacked my sentences away, but kept wondering if I could ever put them to good use and perhaps help other college students.

So here are 70 sentences extracted and adapted for from the original compilation. This list is organized around keywords.

Before you start:
1. Pay close attention to the words in bold, which are often used in conjunction with the main word.
2. [   ] means “insert a suitable word here”, while (   ) means “this word is optional.”
3. Keep in mind that, within each group, some examples are slightly more formal/less frequent than others.

Argue
a. Along similar lines, [X] argues that ___.
b. There seems to be no compelling reason to argue that ___.
c. As a rebuttal to this point, it could be argued that ___.
d. There are [three] main arguments that can be advanced to support ___.
e. The underlying argument in favor of / against [X] is that ___.
f. [X]’s argument in favor of / against [Y] runs as follows: ___.

Claim
a. In this [paper], I put forward the claim that ___.
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] suggest that ___.
b. The data appear to suggest that ___.
c. The data yielded by this [study] provide strong / convincing evidence that ___.
d. A closer look at the data indicates that ___.
e. The data generated by [X] are reported in [table 1].
f. The aim of this [section] is to generalize beyond the data and ___.

Debate
a. [X] has encouraged debate on ___.
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 ___.
c. For the sake of 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
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 for the notion that ___.
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, there is no compelling reason to argue that ___.
c. [X] takes a middle-ground position on [Y] and argues that ___.
d. On these 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 ___.
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: ___.
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 ___.
c. Current research (does not) appear(s) to validate such a view.
d. There have been dissenters to the view that ___.
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 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 ___.

If you found this list useful, check out The Only Academic Phrasebook You’ll Ever Need, which contains 600 sentences, as well as grammar and vocabulary tips. 50,000 copies sold as of November 23.

E-book and paperback available on Amazon.

Cover of The Only Academic Phrasebook You'll Ever Need
Amazon best seller, with over 50,000 copies sold

 

 

179 thoughts on “70 useful sentences for academic writing”

  5. Really nice, Luiz. I particularly like ‘yielded’. I’ll definitely try to put them to good use during my next assignment.

    Reply

  6. 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

    • 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

  8. 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

    • 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

  11. 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

    • 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

  19. Bonjour, English is not my first language and the information contained on this page helps me to construct proper essay sentences. Obrigada !

    Reply

    • Bonjour, Denise. As a non-native speaker myself, I know the feeling and I’m glad I was able to help!
      Merci!

      Reply

  21. 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

  23. 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

  25. 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

  27. 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

  37. 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

  41. Thanks so much for your generosity. Just about to embark upon my MA dissertation and feeling very insecure, nervous and low in confidence: the cosmic kick in the bottom, desperately needed!

    Reply

  46. i been using these for a yr and my grades incresed dramatically now i have got an op 2 i can’t thank u enough for these thank u

    Reply

  47. This is very useful. IF I rate it I will 10. But I hope u will also common phrases that commonly use in school reporting. Btw, I am a filipino.

    Reply

  50. Thanks, I find many of the phrases very useful for my own work.

    However, I see in general a tendency of being too wordy. This probably depends somewhat on the branch of science you’re working in.
    For example, a phrase such as “The available evidence seems to suggest that” uses two hedges (suggest, seem) to mitigate the strength of “evidence”). If there’s a lot of such phrases in a paper, the readers just won’t believe what your saying.

    Reply

  51. First, I would like to say thank you so much for helpful idea and I really need to improve me academic English vocabulary but I t is still problem to improve it.
    Who will help me that.

    Reply

  53. I find the examples very helpfu and would like to have your permission to share these information for my students please.

    Reply

  63. Dear LUIZ OTÁVIO,
    Nice list, It could be much greater If you could add any other vocabulary to use for academic writing in you blog.

    Thanks 🙂

    Reply

  67. from Saudi Arabia, i would like a to thank you for those great expressions LUIZ, I admit using some of them to improve my daily English Emails as well 🙂

    Reply

  75. Thank you for your help you realy helped me interms of academic work.please now will you help me on prepositions?this is when am learning English.

    Reply

  77. Luiz, this is AWESOME! I’m so grateful for this. Currently I’m roasting over my dissertation and this prompts lubricate the brain and neuro pathways. Thank you so much for your generosity. Blessings to you!

    Reply

    • Thanks, Jorge. For those who want more sentences + grammar and vocabulary tips, you can also recommend “The Only Academic Phrasebook You’ll Ever Need”, which I’ve just published. It’s available on Amazon: http://goo.gl/3frFZW

      Reply

    • Hi Joelle. Thanks for the reference.
      Just checked a sample on Amazon. Seems like a great book. The sentences above, however, are all formal. As far as I could tell, They Say, I Say includes a number of more neutral “templates” that students can use, say, in high school essays.

      Reply
  86. Pingback: The Only Academic Phrasebook You'll Ever Need - Thesis Hub
  90. Pingback: Ideas for sentences – Research Pointers
  91. Pingback: Studiemeesters: Studiebegeleiding voor HBO en WO
  92. Pingback: Thursday, April, 27, 2017 – BFHE2
  94. Pingback: English – C1 Resources – F_Docentia
  95. Pingback: Follow-Up: Transition Words & Phrases – What in the Words…

  96. This is so fantastically useful! I can’t thank you enough. I’m writing my first (minor) thesis, and this has been incredibly helpful in getting my writing started. Thank you so, so much for your generosity in sharing.

    Reply
  97. Pingback: How useful is Tally ERP certificate for Account background fresher? - by digidirect.info
  98. Pingback: Academic Writing - Sociable7
  99. Pingback: 科研英文写作的常用70个句型 | 子夜星河

Leave a Comment