In theory, English sentences take a simple form much of the time. The basic rules for which words appear in a sentence can help you with most of the sentences you’ll need in academic writing.
If we push on these rules, we’ll find many exceptions, but the point here is only to provide a kind of template that can be followed much of the time.
Continue reading: Word Order Rules in English
A phrasal verb combines two or more words to describe a specific action. Phrasal verbs can be difficult to get right, as their meaning usually has nothing to do with the definitions of the component words.
This means that phrasal verbs must be treated as distinct pieces of vocabulary. You have to learn them as a single unit of meaning, just like you would learn any single word.
Phrasal verbs are very common in everyday speech, but in academic writing, it’s best to replace them with one-word alternatives where possible.
47 phrasal verbs and one-word alternatives
Continue reading: Phrasal Verbs | List, Definition, Examples & Tips
Tense communicates an event’s location in time. The different tenses are identified by their associated verb forms. There are three main verb tenses: past, present, and future.
In English, each of these tenses can take four main aspects: simple, perfect, continuous (also known as progressive), and perfect continuous. The perfect aspect is formed using the verb to have, while the continuous aspect is formed using the verb to be.
In academic writing, the most commonly used tenses are the present simple, the past simple, and the present perfect.
Tenses in different sections of a dissertation
Continue reading: Verb Tenses in Academic Writing | Rules, Differences & Examples