Words to avoid in formal writing
What words should be avoided in formal writing?
Quick answer
To maintain a professional tone, the primary words to avoid in formal writing include informal contractions, slang, first-person pronouns, and vague intensifiers. Students should eliminate conversational fillers like 'basically' or 'actually' and replace imprecise terms like 'things' or 'stuff' with specific nouns to improve clarity and academic authority.
Common informal words and academic replacements
| Informal Word | Academic Replacement |
|---|---|
| Get / Got | Obtain, acquire, become |
| Things / Stuff | Factors, issues, items, elements |
| Good / Bad | Beneficial, effective, detrimental, poor |
| Big / Small | Significant, substantial, minor, negligible |
| Really / Very | Extremely, significantly, highly |
| Maybe / Perhaps | It is possible that, potentially |
| A lot / Lots | Numerous, several, a significant amount |
| So / Also | Consequently, furthermore, additionally |
Categories of language to eliminate
Formal writing requires precision and objectivity. Remove these four categories of language to improve your essay grade:
- Contractions: Words like don't, won't, can't, and it's should always be expanded to do not, will not, cannot, and it is.
- Slang and Idioms: Avoid phrases like piece of cake, cool, or at the end of the day. These lack the literal precision required for research.
- Subjective Intensifiers: Words like totally, completely, extremely, and very often weaken an argument. Use data or stronger verbs instead.
- Vague Nouns: Avoid thing, aspect, and factor unless they are accompanied by a specific description.
Examples of formal sentence rewriting
**Informal**: The researchers got a lot of stuff done and it was really good for the study. **Formal**: The researchers obtained significant data, which enhanced the validity of the study. **Informal**: You can't really say that the results were bad. **Formal**: The results were not considered detrimental to the hypothesis. **Informal**: Basically, the government should fix the problem. **Formal**: It is essential that the government addresses the systemic issue.
Pro tip for better tone
Use the 'Find' function (Ctrl+F or Cmd+F) in your document editor to search for 'n't' to quickly locate and fix informal contractions before submitting your work.
Frequently asked questions
Contractions like 'don't' or 'can't' are considered informal and conversational. In academic writing, using the full forms 'do not' and 'cannot' maintains a professional and authoritative tone.
Most formal disciplines require third-person perspective to maintain objectivity. Unless your prompt specifically asks for a personal reflection, avoid first-person pronouns in favor of objective phrasing.
No, 'get' is often too informal and vague. Replace it with more precise verbs like 'obtain', 'acquire', 'receive', or 'become' depending on the context of your sentence.
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