Features of academic register

Academic writing has distinct grammatical features that distinguish it from spoken or informal English. C2 mastery means controlling all of them precisely.

Nominalisation

verbs/adjs → nouns: decide → decision, important → importance

Hedging

cautious claims: it may be argued that, this could suggest

Passive voice

impersonal focus: the experiment was conducted

Complex noun phrases

dense packaging: the rapidly accelerating climate crisis

Complex noun phrases — packing information

Informal (sentences)

Climate is changing rapidly. This crisis is serious.

Sales fell. They fell sharply. This was unexpected.

Academic (packed)

The rapidly accelerating climate crisis demands attention.

The unexpected sharp decline in sales alarmed analysts.

Academic style packs information into noun phrases with pre-modifiers (adv + adj + noun) and post-modifiers (prep phrases, relative clauses).

Impersonal structures

It + passive verb + that

It is widely acknowledged that ...

There + be + abstract noun

There is evidence to suggest that ...

One + verb

One could argue that ... (formal generic subject)

Passive + by-agent dropped

The data were analysed using statistical software. (no "we")

Inanimate subjects

The study indicates that... / Research has shown that...

Cautious quantification

Approximate

approximately, roughly, in the region of, an estimated

Proportion

the vast majority, a significant proportion, a small minority

Frequency

predominantly, mainly, typically, on the whole, by and large

Comparison

comparable to, on a par with, akin to, broadly similar

Approximately 70% of respondents agreed.

Findings are broadly consistent with previous research.

Avoid in academic writing

Contractions

don't, can't, it's → do not, cannot, it is

Phrasal verbs

find out → discover · put up with → tolerate

Absolutes

always, never, all → tend to, rarely, most

First-person opinion

I think → It can be argued / There is evidence

Vague intensifiers

very, really, a lot → considerably, substantially, markedly

Common mistakes

I think this is a big problem.

→

This appears to be a significant issue.

academic: impersonal + precise vocab

A lot of people don't agree.

→

A considerable proportion of respondents disagree.

precise quantifier + formal verb

The economy is growing fast.

→

The economy is expanding at a rapid rate.

nominalisation + precise modifier

Your turn

Answer out loud — full sentences

Turn everyday statements into academic ones.

"Loads of teenagers don't sleep enough." → make it academic.

Summarise a news story in two sentences using nominalisation.

Make a cautious claim about the effect of social media on attention.

Describe a trend in your country with precise quantifiers (the vast majority, a small minority…).

Recap

Nominalisation

verbs/adjs → nouns

decision, importance, expansion

Hedging

may, could, appears, tends to

cautious claims

Impersonal

It is + passive + that / one / inanimate subject

It is argued that...

Avoid

contractions · phrasal verbs · absolutes · I think · very

replace with formal alternatives

Academic Grammar