Verbs for Academic Scientific Writing

Your own research field supplies enough substantives. You need a greater stock of verbs. First
drafts need boringly common verbs (to be / have / get / find out) that you then make specific.

Verbs are muscular; they move ideas along. Always, however, check connotations in an English-
to- English dictionary, especially if you delight in rare words. In these groups of verbs, UPPER
case indicates the stressed syllable; + means that this verb, spelled thus, can also serve as a
substantive.

to look at to be finding out To balance To show
obSERVE Learn eVALuate INdicate
view + / reVIEW + See conSIDer sugGEST
perCEIVE Search + SPECulate DEMonstrate
reGARD + surVEY, (SURvey +) deCIDE Point out
appROACH + inSPECT conCLUDE exHIBit +
be aWARE of inQUIRE acKNOWledge reVEAL
STUDy + QUEry + ADvocate + disCLOSE
ascerTAIN (= check) deFEND disPLAY +
To compare exPLORE conCEDE ILLustrate
conTRAST+ inVEStigate exEMplify
Match+ iDENtify to test make EVident
CHARacterize deTECT disCERN conTRAST +
Probe+ deTERmine inform approximate
relate ConFIRM COMment on
CORrelate+ FALsify afFIRM
associate+ Ensure
esTABLISH
VERify
To cause, from outside something to
decrease
To cause, from outside something to
increase
ReDUCE raise+
curTAIL adVANCE+
Cut+ AGgravate
deGREADE aROUSE
dePRESS ELevate
diMINish enLARGE
imPAIR FOster
WEAKen inTENsify
Appendix B
Formality Levels

Colloquial spoken, first-draft words with some synonyms, in order of increasing formality


Avoid these Choose among these
a bit a little, slightly, somewhat
a couple two, a pair, a duo (for people, couple implies man and woman)
a lot, a lot of,
lots of
several, many, multiple (see plenty of)
anyhow in any case, in any event, nevertheless, nonetheless
anyway although, thus, however
Besides; too also, in addition, likewise; furthermore, moreover
Enough sufficient (insufficient is also useful)
Fix(verb) arrange, manage, handle OR repair, renovate, recondition
Give (verb) supply, furnish, offer, provide, yield
Gone; none lacking, absent; missing (think cops)
Hard difficult, demanding, laborious, time-consuming, taxing
Let (v) allow, permit, give permission for
Little (=few) few, insufficient, lacking, rare, scarce, sparse
Look for (v) try to find, seek (sought), search for
Make produce, construct, form, compose, build, create, originate, constitute
Plenty of abundant, ample (vs. sparse), numerous, frequent (occurring over time)
Pretty; quite somewhat, almost, moderately, not uncommon, not infrequent
Quite X very (a weak word), rather, considerably, noticeably, notably, markedly,
greatly (Avoid remarkably as too emotional.)
So therefore, thus, hence
Start (v) begin, initiate, undertake
Take (v) adopt (100%), adapt (with changes), transfer, possess
Thinks X is consider X to be, judge X to be, deem X to be
Though even though, although, notwithstanding
Too also, in addition, as well as, likewise
Try (to) attempt to / endeavor to
Turn out (v) prove/proven to be X (show by evidence; He proved to be a good
Way means, approach, method, procedure, manner