3.4 Avoiding Informal Language

Outline for this lesson:

• Identify common informal verbs, nouns, and adjectives in academic writing
• Practice converting to appropriate formal verbs, nouns, and adjectives
• Be able to consider alternatives that may work dependent upon context

A. Discussion 

• How do you decide which word or grammatical structure is more appropriate to write in your paper?
• Can you think of any major difference between spoken (e.g. presentation) and written (research paper) academic language?
• Are there any words that you have learned are "non-academic" based on teacher feedback? Share with the class

B. Detective Task 

some sentences

These are some sentences from your diagnostic essay draft.
Can you point out all the informal language in these sentences?


word list

C. Practice: here  (answer key)