This evidence fails to acknowledge the importance of the children’s diet.
These verbs indicate the cited author’s attitude to the materiaclass="underline"
If the author is: positive negative neutral tentative use: argue refute state suggest maintain object write believe see challenge discuss imply hold comment allude to
Both Smith and Goodman (2000) maintain that skilled adult reading is far from error-free.
Bly argues that the process of initiation into adulthood is easier for women than for men.
Note that verbs that indicate attitude are more commonly used in the humanities and the social sciences.
Expressing degrees of certainty
When you are formulating your message, you need to consider how strongly you want to make your claim. Different structures express different degrees of certainty, and allow you to establish a position that you can defend if you are criticized.
For example, it is possible to defend the following statement:
Certain researchers have attempted to show that some underprivileged children cannot engage in play.
The following would be less easy to defend:
not being precise
You can use the following adverbs when the available information is not precise.
quantity frequency degree limitation roughly often rather predominantly approximately frequently quite mostly around occasionally somewhat partly seldom rarely partially
Increased risk of infection is predominantly linked to poor sanitation.
cautious language
You can use more cautious language when you think that other people may disagree with your statement, or when you want to express uncertainty about whether or not a proposition is true. This may be because you really are uncertain, or because you want to create opportunities for readers to decide for themselves.
The following lists show distancing structures that are commonly used for making stements sound more cautious.
modal verbs semi-auxiliary verbs adverbs prepositional phrases adjectives could seem possibly in some respects uncertain might appear seemingly in a sense possible may arguably in most cases can likely in general apparently in principle evidently generally normally typically
There is, arguably, a common thread in all these positions.
As will be seen later, current models are inadequate in some respects.
Note that if you express too much uncertainty, or if you repeatedly show that you are not sure if something is true, your message will have less worth, and it will be difficult to interpret.
Emphasizing
In general English, you can use strong words to emphasize a point. In academic English, you often show emphasis by changing the normal word order of a statement.
subordinate clause in first position
Subordinate clauses normally occur in first position in academic texts. The main clause carries the new or most important information.
You can use the following structures to show that something important is going to be announced at the end of the sentence.
What is now required is a systematic investigation of the data.
The question we now need to consider is whether the dosage should be reduced.
It was this declaration which triggered the events that followed.
Index
Note: entries in bold are grammatical terms; entries in italics are lexical terms. At certain entries (for example, nouns and verbs), there is a list of terms with the • symbol; these lists will help you to quickly find all the main categories in a long section of the book. A number preceded by R refers to a paragraph in the Reference Section.
—————— A ——————
a and an 1.228–1.229
with countable nouns 1.228, 1.235
an with words starting with a vowel sound 1.229
not being specific about which person or thing you are referring to 1.230
in phrases that add extra information 1.231
after linking verbs 1.232
with uncountable nouns 1.233
using individuals to generalize 1.234
after not such 2.130
saying a or an instead of one 2.215
in front of large numbers 2.221
expressing speed 2.257
with days of the week 4.96
in frequency expressions 4.115
ability 5.110, 5.116–5.119
able
be able to 5.222–5.224
about 10.12
be about to expressing the future 4.59
in frequency expressions 4.116
as adverb of direction 6.67
as preposition indication movement 6.97
after reporting verb to indicate subject matter 7.85
above 10.12
absolute 2.36
absolutely 2.148, 6.50
active 9.8
addressing people 9.95–9.98
titles 1.55, 9.97
adjectival clause
adjectives 2.2–2.122
•attributive adjectives 2.42–2.43
•classifying adjectives 2.26–2.28, 2.83–2.84, 8.183
•colour adjectives 2.9, 2.30–2.34
•compound adjectives 2.16, 2.94–2.102
•-ed adjectives 2.15, 2.77–2.93
•emphasizing adjectives 2.36–2.39
•-ing adjectives 2.15, 2.63–2.76
•predicative adjectives 2.44–2.53
•qualitative adjectives 2.22–2.25, 2.80
•that can be both classifying and qualitative 2.29
used as nouns 1.66–1.72
using adjectives as nouns 1.170
order of adjectives 2.14
talking about different amounts of a quality 2.18, 2.140–2.156
adjective structures 2.19–2.21
showing disapproval 2.37, 2.38
postdeterminers 2.40
only used in front of a noun 2.42–2.43
that always follow a linking verb 2.44–2.50
followed by to-infinitive clauses 2.51–2.52
followed by that-clauses 2.53
position in noun phrases 2.54–2.55
lists of adjectives used after a noun 2.58–2.59
different meanings when used in front of or after a noun 2.59–2.60
saying that there is enough of a quality 2.149–2.151
saying that there is not enough of a quality 2.152
saying that there is too much of a quality 2.153–2.156
comparatives and superlatives 2.203–2.122