Academic Writing: Common Patterns, Part One
2025-01-24
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1The new school year is beginning in communities across the United States.
2Many students are busy at work in their new classes.
3Some are already thinking about all the homework they will face in the weeks to come.
4Schools often require students to read academic articles -- short or long reports about a class-related subject.
5Teachers also ask students to write book reports and research papers.
6Today on Everyday Grammar, we will explore two grammatical structures that you will see often in academic writing.
7We will show you how to use these structures.
8We also will show you when not to use them.
9If you are writing or reading for academic purposes, you will likely see the following structure: It + is + an adjective + that-clause.
10This is a common way to express an attitude, opinion or position.
11It is often used when considering an idea, note grammar experts Susan Conrad and Douglas Biber.
12Here is an example:
13"It is clear that the evidence is inconsistent."
14Here is how you can understand the sentence.
15The subject in our example is the word it.
16Then comes the verb is. After is, there is an adjective: the word clear.
17After clear, there is a that-clause.
18A that-clause is a group of words, beginning with the word that.
19It has a subject and a predicate.
20A predicate is the part of a sentence that expresses what is said about the subject.
21The that-clause has the idea that the writer is considering.
22In the example we gave you, the idea under consideration is the following statement: "the evidence is inconsistent."
23The adjective clear suggests the writer's judgment.
24By saying "it is clear," the writer is saying that he or she agrees the evidence appears to be conflicting with other information.
25Note that the writer did not write, "I think that the evidence is inconsistent," even if it has the same meaning as the example sentence. Why? We will explore that issue later in the report.
26Academic writers often use it + is + an adjective + that-clause to raise questions, note possibility, and express importance.
27For example, you might read the following sentence:
28"It is unlikely that the results will be conclusive."
29Or,
30"It is likely that the information was incomplete."
31In the former case, the writer is using the adjective unlikely to raise questions. In the latter one, the writer is using the adjective likely to express possibility.
32A second common structure, it + is + an adjective + an infinitive phrase, is often used to judge an action.
33The infinitive phrase describes the action.
34The adjective shows the writer's evaluation.
35Consider this example:
36"It is difficult to define these ideas."
37In this example, the infinitive to define relates to an action, while the adjective difficult shows the writer's evaluation.
38Writers often use it + is + an adjective + an infinitive phrase to show possibility, difficulty, importance, and so on.
39So, for example, you might read the following sentences: "It is hard to understand these effects," or "It is necessary to carry out further research."
40In the former example, the writer is expressing difficulty, while in the latter the writer is expressing necessity.
41The two structures we have discussed are common in academic writing.
42You should try using them with your own adjectives, that-clauses, infinitive phrases, and so on.
43There is one point to keep in mind, however.
44You should know that sometimes you might not want to use these structures - especially if you are writing for business or even artistic reasons.
45In those situations, it might be better to use more direct language.
46Consider the first example we gave you, "It is clear that the evidence is inconsistent."
47This is a common, acceptable way to write a sentence for academic purposes. It is grammatically correct.
48However, the statement uses indirect language to express an evaluation.
49The writer is expressing an opinion without specifically writing "I think...," for example.
50However, if you are writing for other purposes other than college professors, you could simplify your language.
51You could give a very direct evaluation by writing "I think the evidence is inconsistent," or simply "The evidence is inconsistent."
52The structure that you choose to use depends on what kind of writing you are doing.
53It is difficult to improve your writing. But with practice, you can do it!
54I'm John Russell.
55And I'm Pete Musto.
1The new school year is beginning in communities across the United States. 2Many students are busy at work in their new classes. Some are already thinking about all the homework they will face in the weeks to come. 3Schools often require students to read academic articles -- short or long reports about a class-related subject. Teachers also ask students to write book reports and research papers. 4Today on Everyday Grammar, we will explore two grammatical structures that you will see often in academic writing. 5We will show you how to use these structures. We also will show you when not to use them. 6#1 Evaluating an idea 7If you are writing or reading for academic purposes, you will likely see the following structure: It + is + an adjective + that-clause. 8This is a common way to express an attitude, opinion or position. It is often used when considering an idea, note grammar experts Susan Conrad and Douglas Biber. 9Here is an example: 10"It is clear that the evidence is inconsistent." 11Here is how you can understand the sentence. The subject in our example is the word it. Then comes the verb is. After is, there is an adjective: the word clear. 12After clear, there is a that-clause. A that-clause is a group of words, beginning with the word that. It has a subject and a predicate. A predicate is the part of a sentence that expresses what is said about the subject. 13The that-clause has the idea that the writer is considering. In the example we gave you, the idea under consideration is the following statement: "the evidence is inconsistent." 14The adjective clear suggests the writer's judgment. 15By saying "it is clear," the writer is saying that he or she agrees the evidence appears to be conflicting with other information. 16Note that the writer did not write, "I think that the evidence is inconsistent," even if it has the same meaning as the example sentence. Why? We will explore that issue later in the report. 17Academic writers often use it + is + an adjective + that-clause to raise questions, note possibility, and express importance. 18For example, you might read the following sentence: 19"It is unlikely that the results will be conclusive." 20Or, 21"It is likely that the information was incomplete." 22In the former case, the writer is using the adjective unlikely to raise questions. In the latter one, the writer is using the adjective likely to express possibility. 23#2 Evaluating an action 24A second common structure, it + is + an adjective + an infinitive phrase, is often used to judge an action. The infinitive phrase describes the action. The adjective shows the writer's evaluation. 25Consider this example: 26"It is difficult to define these ideas." 27In this example, the infinitive to define relates to an action, while the adjective difficult shows the writer's evaluation. 28Writers often use it + is + an adjective + an infinitive phrase to show possibility, difficulty, importance, and so on. 29So, for example, you might read the following sentences: "It is hard to understand these effects," or "It is necessary to carry out further research." 30In the former example, the writer is expressing difficulty, while in the latter the writer is expressing necessity. 31Other ways to express the same ideas 32The two structures we have discussed are common in academic writing. 33You should try using them with your own adjectives, that-clauses, infinitive phrases, and so on. 34There is one point to keep in mind, however. You should know that sometimes you might not want to use these structures - especially if you are writing for business or even artistic reasons. 35In those situations, it might be better to use more direct language. 36Consider the first example we gave you, "It is clear that the evidence is inconsistent." 37This is a common, acceptable way to write a sentence for academic purposes. It is grammatically correct. 38However, the statement uses indirect language to express an evaluation. The writer is expressing an opinion without specifically writing "I think...," for example. 39However, if you are writing for other purposes other than college professors, you could simplify your language. You could give a very direct evaluation by writing "I think the evidence is inconsistent," or simply "The evidence is inconsistent." 40The structure that you choose to use depends on what kind of writing you are doing. 41It is difficult to improve your writing. But with practice, you can do it! 42I'm John Russell. 43And I'm Pete Musto. 44John Russell wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 45We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. 46________________________________________________________ 47Words in This Story 48that-clause - n. a part of a sentence (beginning with that) that has its own subject and verb 49evaluate - v. to judge the value or condition of (someone or something) in a careful and thoughtful way 50inconsistent - adj. having parts that disagree with each other 51conclusive - adj. showing that something is certainly true 52data - n. facts or information used usually to calculate, analyze, or plan something 53infinitive phrase - n. an infinitive phrase is a group of words consisting of an infinitive, objects, and modifiers 54concept - n. an idea of what something is or how it works 55academic - adj. of or related to a school, especially of higher education 56article - n. a piece of writing or story about a subject 57verb - n. a word that expresses an action, event or state of being