LANGUAGE
FOCUS: THE VOCABULARY SHIFT
A distinctive feature of academic writing style is
choosing the more formal
alternative when selecting
a verb, noun,
or other part
of speech.
Verbs
English often has
two (or more)
choices to express
an action or occurrence. The
choice is often between a phrasal or prepositional verb (verb +
preposition) and a single verb, the latter with Latinate origins. Often
in lectures and other instances of everyday
spoken English, the verb +
preposition is used; however, for
written academic style, the preferred choice is a single verb wherever
possible.
