Academic Style Reminder

01. Using spoken English

  • Error Description
    Error Example
    Error Correction
  • 1. Using contractions
    This solution isn't the most effective one.
    This solution is not the most effective one.
  • 2. Using forms of there is/are
    There are three ways to solve this problem.
    This problem has three solutions.
  • 3. Using the word like
    The probability of generating the next decoder step can be formulated like this:

    Food is destroyed by rodents like rats, mice, and hamsters.
    The probability of generating the next decoder step can be formulated as follows:

    Food is destroyed by rodents, such as rats, mice, and hamsters.
  • 4. Preferring and so on to etc.
    React Native provides complete access to the device hardware, such as the camera, file system, Bluetooth, and so on.
    React Native provides complete access to the device hardware, such as the camera, file system, Bluetooth, etc.
  • 5. Using you
    We will consider two products about which you can find enough information on the Internet.

    You should be aware of the drawbacks of the system.
    This section will consider two products about which the Internet provides enough information.

    The designer / user / programmer / player should be aware of the drawbacks of the system.
  • 6. Using huge
    As a result, I get a huge amount of unneeded connections that I could not filter out.
    As a result, I get an enormous amount of unneeded connections that I could not filter out.

02. Subject errors

  • Error Description
    Error Example
    Error Correction
  • 1. Using isolated demonstrative pronouns as subjects
    This seems to be a mistake.
    This tactics seems to be a mistake.
  • 2. Using forms of there is/are
    There are three ways to solve this problem.
    This problem has three solutions.
  • 3. Using gerundial phrases for subjects
    Eating uncooked horse meat can cause health problems with students.
    If students eat uncooked horse meat, they can have health problems.
  • 4. Ineffective nominalization as subject + BE
    Optimization of the workforce is a key goal of the company.
    The company primarily aims at optimizing the workforce.
  • 5. Placing subjects too far away from the verb
    (should be no farther than 3 words away)
    Lecturers in the electronics department of the university where interviews took place took a similar view to those in biology.
    The interviews took place both in the electronics and in the biology departments of the university. In both departments, the lecturers took a similar view.
  • 6. Placing subjects too far away from the beginning of the sentence
    (should be no more than 5 words)
    Although reasonable under certain unfortunate circumstances not provided in this paper for the sake of clarity, this solution should generally be avoided.
    This solution should be generally avoided. However, the proposed solution can be reasonable under certain unfortunate circumstances not provided in this paper for the sake of clarity.
  • 7. Long subjects due to using a clause modifying the subject
    Searches for the ready-made datasets that could fit to the mathematical formulation of the problem were unsuccessful.
    Researchers failed to find the ready-made datasets that could fit to the mathematical formulation of the problem.
  • 8. Using an expletive for a subject
    (empty subject)
    It is possible to retrieve data from different sources.
    Data can be retrieved from different sources.
  • 9. Using a transitional phrase between a subject and a verb
    This solution, though reasonable under certain unfortunate circumstances, should generally be avoided.
    This solution should be generally avoided. However, the proposed solution can be reasonable under certain unfortunate circumstances not provided in this paper for the sake of clarity.
  • 10. Using a parenthetical expression between a subject and a verb
    However, traditional numerical methods, due to a number of simplifications and assumptions, introduce an error in evaluating implemented design solutions.
    However, traditional numerical methods introduce an error in the evaluation of implemented design solutions due to a number of simplifications and assumptions.

03. Redundancies and wordiness

  • Error Description
    Error Example
    Error Correction
  • 1. Using the word process
    The process of data generation is explained with the following plan:
    Data generation is explained with the following plan:
  • 2. Ineffective passive
    Food is destroyed by rodents.
    Rodents destroy food.
  • 3. Describing purpose through the use of for + noun or for + gerund
    In this section, I explain the software tools, libraries, and frameworks used for model development.
    In this section, I explain the software tools, libraries, and frameworks used to develop models.
  • 4. Preferring utilize to use
    OR-Tools model utilize only the CPU
    OR-Tools model use only the CPU
  • 5. Using in order to
    In order to protect the system, a developer must provide a different solution.
    To protect the system, a developer must provide a different solution.
  • 6. Using a number of
    This problem has a number of solutions.
    This problem has several solutions.
  • 7. Preferring and so on to etc.
    React Native provides complete access to the device hardware, such as the camera, file system, Bluetooth, and so on.
    React Native provides complete access to the device hardware, such as the camera, file system, Bluetooth, etc.
  • 8. Using 'of' where it can be avoided through conversion or gerund
    Users of the plugin rated plugin predictions from 1 to 10.

    Confidentiality means protection of private information from unauthorized access.
    The plugin users rated plugin predictions from one to ten.


    Confidentiality means protecting private information from unauthorized access.
  • 9. A very long sentence having over 2 clauses and being over 3 lines long
    To reach these goals, I decided to analyze the solutions available on the market to highlight the functionality that I want to see in my product, that functionality that can be adapted to my product, and functionality that looks ineffective and it is worth coming up with another solution.
    To reach these goals, I decided to analyze the solutions available on the market. I primarily focused on highlighting the functionality that I want to see in my product. Such functionality should be adaptable to my product, look ineffective, and deserve developing a different solution.
  • 10. Tautology statements
    (defining a thing through that thing)
    Big data is the study of systems in which the examined data are big.
    Big data is a combination of data that can be mined for information and used in advanced analytics applications.

04. Pronoun errors

  • Error Description
    Error Example
    Error Correction
  • 1. Using we if the paper has only one author
    We will consider two products about which you can find enough information on the Internet.
    This section will consider two products that the Internet has enough information about.
  • 2. Using you
    We will consider two products about which you can find enough information on the Internet.

    You should be aware of the drawbacks of the system.
    This section will consider two products about which the Internet provides enough information.

    The designer / user / programmer / player should be aware of the drawbacks of the system.
  • 3. Using I to show beliefs and opinions, not actions.
    I believe this solution is the most cost-effective one.

    In my opinion, this solution is the most cost-effective one.

    This solution is the most cost-effective one.

05. Wrong choice of vocabulary

  • Error Description
    Error Example
    Error Correction
  • 1. Using necessary for required
    The necessary data are difficult to obtain.
    The required data are difficult to obtain.
  • 2. Using huge
    As a result, I get a huge amount of unneeded connections that I could not filter out.
    As a result, I get an enormous amount of unneeded connections that I could not filter out.
  • 3. Using very
    React is a very lightweight library.
    React is an extremely lightweight library.
  • 4. Using the word like
    The probability of generating the next decoder step can be formulated like this:

    Food is destroyed by rodents like rats, mice, and hamsters.
    The probability of generating the next decoder step can be formulated as follows:

    Food is destroyed by rodents, such as rats, mice, and hamsters.
  • 5. Using the word bad
    The device performance is bad.
    The device performance is substandard.
  • 6. Using the word good
    This design is good.
    This design is effective.

06. Transition errors

  • Error Description
    Error Example
    Error Correction
  • 1. Preferring Also to academic transitions in the beginning of the sentence
    Also, React Native provides complete access to the device hardware, such as the camera, file system, Bluetooth, etc.
    Moreover (Furthermore, Additionally), React Native provides complete access to the device hardware, such as the camera, file system, Bluetooth, etc.

07. List errors

  • Error Description
    Error Example
    Error Correction
  • 1. Making long in-line lists instead of bulleted lists
    Potential consumers of the research results are as follows: developers of gas turbine engines, serial plants for the production of gas turbine engines, large air hubs, developers and operators of helicopters, turboprop and rocket engines, large institutes studying aerodynamics.
    Potential consumers of the research results are as follows: 
    - developers of gas turbine engines;
    - serial plants for the production of gas turbine engines;
    - large air hubs;
    - developers and operators of helicopters, turboprop and rocket engines;
    - large institutes studying aerodynamics.
  • 2. Introducing a list with a non-complete sentence.
    Potential consumers of the research results are:
    - developers of gas turbine engines;
    - serial plants for the production of gas turbine engines;
    - large air hubs;
    - developers and operators of helicopters, turboprop and rocket engines;
    - large institutes studying aerodynamics.
    Potential consumers of the research results are the following:
    - developers of gas turbine engines;
    - serial plants for the production of gas turbine engines;
    - large air hubs;
    - developers and operators of helicopters, turboprop and rocket engines;
    - large institutes studying aerodynamics.
  • 3. Using bullet points to avoid constructing a paragraph.
    This technique uses three main features:
    - The first feature is…
    - The second feature is …
    - The third first feature is….
    This technique uses three main features. The first feature is … The second feature is … The third feature is ….
  • 4. Non-parallel lists
    This report is an overview of the processes involved, problems that we encountered, and how they were solved.
    This report is an overview of the processes involved, the problems encountered, and the solutions implemented.
  • 5. Absent or wrong punctuation in a numbered or bulleted list.
    This scenario provides all of the contributors required to configure a resonant power distribution system:
    1) implementation of capacitor power factor correction on the power line,
    2) presence of nonlinear load,
    3) tuning of the power line by the load adjustments to a frequency present in the nonlinear generator.
    This scenario provides all of the contributors required to configure a resonant power distribution system:
    1) implementation of capacitor power factor correction on the power line;
    2) presence of nonlinear load;
    3) tuning of the power line by the load adjustments to a frequency present in the nonlinear generator.

08. Issues with numbers and digits

  • Error Description
    Error Example
    Error Correction
  • 1. Starting a sentence with a digit.
    4 of them work in a company for more than a year.
    Four of them work in a company for more than a year.
  • 2. Using digits for numbers below 11
    This approach has 3 techniques.

    This design was 10 times more efficient.
    This approach has three techniques.

    This design was ten times more efficient.
  • 3. Spelling out numbers written with units
    The object was moving at three km/h.

    The weight of ten kg turned out to be excessive.
    The object was moving at 3 km/h.

    The weight of 10 kg turned out to be excessive.

  • 4. Spelling out numbers over 10
    The research team sampled seven hundred people about three issues.
    The research team sampled 700 people about three issues.
  • 5. Providing tentative facts and figures
    The student has collected about 100 examples.
    The student has collected 110 examples.

09. Miscellaneous errors

  • Error Description
    Error Example
    Error Correction
  • 1. Using data as singular
    This data was non-convincing.
    These data were non-convincing.
  • 2. Using an apostrophe with non-animated nouns
    I have chosen a simple dot right under the button’s icon, filled with a contrast colour.
    I have chosen a simple dot right under the button icon, filled with a contrast colour.
  • 3. Using questions in place of statements
    How can we address this problem?
    Several ways exist to address this problem.
  • 4. Gender bias




    If a student goes to the store, he should be prepared to get milk.
    If a student goes to the store, he/she should be prepared to get milk.

    If a student goes to the store, they should be prepared to get milk.

    If students go to the store, they should be prepared to get milk.