Good Word Choice

Academic writers are expected (maybe, unfairly) to have a larger vocabulary than those outside their field of expertise. Publishers often have restrictions on the number of pages…

The words “number” and “amount” are used to describe how many or how much of something is present. A research report might include information on the number of participants in the…

When you think of popular English idioms—hit the nail on the head, kick the bucket, the last straw, see eye to eye, and so on—and examine the possible usage, you will find that…

If anyone has ever asked you to describe something, you most probably would have used an adjective (i.e., a word naming an attribute of a noun). In English, established phrase…

Do “bacteria actually prefer XYZ as a growth medium”? Do “cows in the United States prefer to ‘socialize’ when they eat”? Or do “yeast strains found in rich soil regularly attack…

What is "Word Choice" in Writing? 'Word Choice" in writing is the usage of effective and precise language that conveys information not just in a functional way, but also to…

Due to its diverse influences, the English language is full of seemingly illogical constructions and rules. However, correct usage of language should be an editor’s forte and…

All languages evolve over time, both through internal developments and through interactions with many other languages. English is Germanic in its roots and was established by the…

Although research would significantly benefit from clear and direct writing, it often becomes crucial to adhere to a certain style of writing, in this case academic style, which…

While prepositions are limited in number, they are important because they act as vital markers to the structure of a sentence; they mark special relationships between persons,…

Like an indivisible nucleus at the center of an atom, the subject-verb pair unifies the sentence. It can be surrounded by any number of modifying words, taking on new shades of…

As an academic researcher, a part of the writing process that often causes confusion and leads to common mistakes is the word choice. While writing in English, maintaining the…