Powerful words and Phrases to use in Essays
Although many might consider essay writing an easy task, it is not always the case with most students. Writing academic papers (essays, term papers, research papers, dissertations, theses, proposals, reports, and other assignments) requires students to hone and practice continuously. Thus, mastering writing at the academic level takes time and much practice, after which most students begin to be confident writing essays. For some, this confidence comes towards the end of the undergraduate course, while some master the art a few months or a week into their undergrad level studies.
This might sound like you, and you do not have to feel sorry about it. We have a list of academic writing power words that you can use when writing academic assignments. These words and phrases to use in your essay and other papers will help you avoid the dead words that probably deny you the top grade. Together with our team of experts in best essay writing, we have listed essential academic words that you can use in your introduction, body, and conclusion for all your essays and research papers .
Although you might have arguments and ideas that might attract the best grade, using the words we have listed could help you articulate, expound, and present the ideas effectively. Consequently, you will end up with a standard academic paper that any professional can grade, or that attracts your reader's attention and keeps them glued to the end.
After all, academic writing is a formal practice that disdains cliches or dead words such as colloquial expressions, controversial phrases, or casual words/slang. This means that the words you use when texting your friends, such as LOL, OMG, TIA, and the rest, should only end in the messages and not on the PDF or Word document you are typing your essay. As we have mentioned, formal academic writing is very delicate; it requires in-depth skills.
We hope that as you plan, write, and polish your essay, you will consider using the words we have listed here for inspiration and to hone your professional writing skills.
Words to Spice up your Introduction
Crafting a perfect introduction is arguably the most challenging part of academic writing. Whether you write the introduction first or last, it is always the invitation point for your readers to enjoy what is in the body. So, naturally, with adequate planning and structuring, you need to ensure that the introduction counts.
To begin an essay, you need to mind that your reader is uninformed about your arguments and topic, which means that the very first sentence has to summarize the central argument and the topic.
Although there is no preserved set of words to use in your essay introduction, you use the following words and phrases to explain what your essay is discussing (its scope) without losing the formality of your academic writing.
- For decades
- Over the years
- Challenging
- Significance
- Complex problem
- To begin with
- As far as is proven in the literature
- From the statistics presented by studies
- The main objective
- This topic resonates
This list of phrases is not complete; you can use the other phrases and words we will cover in the following sections of this guide. As long as you have a good reason to use a phrase, do not feel limited : use it for the glory of excellent grades.
General Explanations
When providing general explanations, both in the body, introduction, and conclusion of your essays, either for complex or easy points, you can use these phrases:
- In order to
- In other words
- To that end
- In another way
- That is to say
We will see (in the course of this guideline) how else you can use the exact phrases in your essay.
Giving Examples in your essay
Any standard piece of academic writing must include examples. For instance, when presenting an argument in an argumentative or persuasive essay, you must illustrate your essay with examples to make the arguments stand out. Examples help clarify explanations, which makes it easy for the reader to connect the dots. Besides, they create an ideal picture in the mind of the reader. Instead of repeating for example when introducing illustrations in your essay, here are other phrases, transitions, and words that you can use in their place.
- To illustrate
- As evidence
- To elucidate
- To exemplify
- On this occasion
- As in the case of
- Take the case of
- In this sense
- In this situation
- In another case
- In this case
- As a demonstration
- As a testament
- To demonstrate
- As an example,
- For instance
- For example
- To give an illustration
Academic essays that receive top scores always have well-kit paragraphs that entail the topic sentence, arguments, examples (illustration), and closing sentences with the relevant transition words. These academic phrases are helpful when introducing examples. You can ideally use them in any academic piece, including theses, proposals, and dissertations. They help you avoid repeating similar phrases, which facilities readability and smooth flow in your essays.
Showing importance of arguments in an essay
When writing academic essays, it is vital to demonstrate that a given argument or point is fundamental. You can highlight this in your essay writing by using the following phrases:
- In particular
- Specifically
- Importantly
- Significantly
- Fundamentally
These words can comfortably be used interchangeably when demonstrating significant ideas that are critical to understanding a topic.
Arguing based on facts from other authors
You can use phrases that acknowledge what others have said concerning a topic at the beginning of your essay. When you begin your essay with such phrases, you are posing your argument based on the authors' findings or a general interest/concern in your area of research. You can use such phrases when the evidence supports or refutes your arguments. Here are the essay phrases to use when acknowledging authors:
- Considering
- In light of
- Taking into consideration
- On account of
- All things considered
- On the whole
- Insomuch as
- Inasmuch as
- Forasmuch as
Introducing the views of an author who is an authority in your area of interest or topic is critical in academic essay writing. For example, when you include a quote but do not want to use parenthetical citation or the exact words, you can use academic phrases such as:
- According to X
- X contends that
- Referring to the views of
- Drawing from X
- As argued by Y
- Findings by Y
- As hypothesized by X
- As proposed/shown/demonstrated/suggested by X
- Studies by X
- A recent study by X
Although you are referencing a quote here, it is not always advisable to use direct quotes at the start of your essay unless directed by your instructor. This means that using the above phrases can help spice up your essay introduction.
Laying Emphasis
When writing an essay, whether it be an English class essay or any essay, you must emphasize the main argument. The idea behind this is to create coherence within your essay. You can use the transition words below to emphasize your paragraphs. This list of academic essay words can be used in the introduction, body, and even conclusion.
- In any case
- Some other words include unquestionably, without a doubt, certainly, undeniably, without reservation, naturally, surprisingly, always, forever, perennially, eternally, never, emphatically,
Showing some sequence
When describing ideas or presenting arguments in sequence within an essay, here are the proven phrases and words that can earn you the best grades in school.
- First, second, third
- First, secondly, thirdly
- Following this
- At this point
- Before this
- Consequently
- Subsequently
- At this time
It would help if you were extra careful when introducing ideas because each paragraph only has one idea. They are also ideal when giving a list of examples.
You can also show the order of events using the phrases below:
- Furthermore
- In the meantime
- Simultaneously
- In the first place
- First of all
- For the time being
- With this in mind
These phrases come in handy when writing about a linear event or a sequential occurrence of facts. They further help to maintain a good flow, clarity, and coherence.
Creating Flow and providing further information
Essays, even the short ones, should be as informative as possible. Knowing how to present arguments, points, and facts concisely and helps you avoid bluff in the essay. As the flow of your essay matters to the reader and for your grades, we recommend that you use these phrases or words that denote more information or flow. These words will help you to chronologically and structurally present your arguments and ideas
- In addition
- What's more
- Additionally
These are academic phrases that help you expand your argument; add a point you have made without interrupting the flow of your essay. You can also use them when beginning new paragraphs.
The next set of essay words are a great choice when you want to add a piece of information that corroborates the argument or point you just mentioned. When writing academic essays and papers, it is critical to concur with your arguments. Doing so not only helps you to keep your readers glued but also helps you to contextualize your research. They also help you avoid repeating also many times. Repetitions are a sure way to score poor grades in your essay : they make your writing predictive and boring. Here are some words to save you grades and embracement.
- Another key thing to remember
- Not only but also ( use this when establishing similarity in your arguments- it makes the argument stand out)
- Coupled with
- Firstly, secondly, thirdly
You can also use the essay phrases below when stating your claim or introducing your claim. When your essay requires you to prove how you will achieve a goal- as is with a problem-solution essay or proposal argument essay , you can use these sentences to expand your points.
- To this end
You can also use the academic phrases below to improve continuity in your essay write-up. These essay phrases explain a point that you already made but differently. Avoid repetition when elaborating specific points or arguments in your essay by using the phrases below
- To put it in another way
- To put it more simply
The phrases above can also be used when rounding up a point that came before the sentence that you begin.
An Example: He was already abusive to both the mother and the kids. In other words, it was a long-term domestic violence case.
Comparing and Contrasting Points
In academic essays, there are instances when you are required to include information that proves or refutes a point. For instance, when writing an argumentative essay, you have to include a counterargument. To show the views of the researchers that disagree with your main argument or point of view, you can use these words to introduce alternative arguments:
- Nevertheless
- On the contrary
- On the other hand
- Even though
These phrases are a seamless way to include an alternative perspective.
An Example: While 35% of the population appears to be living below the poverty line, the remaining 65% seem to be doing well.
You can also use phrases that show contrast, present uncertainty, and compare facts associated with your significant arguments. Here are some of the phrases:
- By contrast
- In comparison
The phrases above demonstrate expertise in your topic, authority in writing and help you convince your readers.
When you intend to demonstrate a positive aspect of your subject matter, you can use these phrases in your academic piece:
- Despite this
- Provided that
- Nonetheless
Example : Provided that there is a red flag in a relationship, it is only safe that the victim acts or seeks help.
To add contrast, you can also highlight the relevance of an opinion, argument, point, or fact as regards your research. Here are some academic words that can help you introduce paragraphs or sentences that have big ideas in your essay:
- Another key point
Perfect words to conclude your essay
An essay conclusion carries as much weight as the introduction. Therefore, you must ensure that you have concluding words for your essay good enough to wrap up your arguments. In addition, considering that your conclusion should have a summary of the main ideas, your final statement and road plan to the conclusion must be evident. Here is a list of categorized phrases to use to conclude an essay effectively:
- In conclusion
- To summarize
- In the final analysis
- On close analysis
- As can be seen from the argument above
- The most compelling finding
- The outstanding idea
- The most persuasive point
- This suggests that
- It can be seen that
- The consequence is
- Subsequent to
- Most significantly
- It should be noted
- It is worth noting
These are essay phrases that you use when articulating your reasons in the essay. Some of them summarize the relevant ideas or arguments, while others emphasize the relevant arguments.
Parting Shot
We have explored the list of useful phrases for writing great essays. When coupled with the correct vocabulary words, an essay easily scores the top grade in a rubric. When you use the words above, you automatically sound smart.
Whether you are writing a narrative, argumentative, or descriptive essay, these are words that you can use to convince your readers. They help you maintain a good flow, play around with other vocabularies, present authors' views, and finalize your essay in a bang.
We hope that these words will transform your essays from better to best. So, stay confident while articulating points, arguments, and ideas in your essays.
If writing an essay is not your thing, and these academic words and phrases sound Greek to you, you can hire an essay writer. Sourcing essay writing help from Gradecrest guarantees you a sample academic essay that is well-formatted. In addition, we have writers who specialize in writing different essays and can deliver within the shortest turnaround time.
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