15 Words and Phrases That Will Make Your Essay Sound Smarter

As composing any piece of writing, it’s essential to use appropriate vocabulary to make your essay stand out. Plain language sounds boring and unappealing, so it’s really important to know how to write effective papers. Not only do some words can help you persuade the reader, grab their attention, but they can also make you sound smarter.

 

“It’s always the language, words and phrases that you use in your writing that make your paper sound smart. Your paper can be well-researched and insightful, but it won’t stand out if it’s written in plain, boring language,” says Adam Simon, a college student and contributor to LegitWritingServices essay writing service review and education blog.

 

So enjoy our list of 15 words and phrases that will be of great help to make you paper sound smarter. 

  1. In other words

 

When to Use: To paraphrase something in a simpler manner, thus making it easier to understand;

Exemplary Sentence: Writing an essay isn’t as black as it’s painted. In other words, once you learn the general tips, all is left is the practice.

 

  • That is to say

    •  

    When to Use: To provide additional explanation to your previous point, or to add information to sound more accurate;

    Exemplary Sentence: To start writing an essay one needs to do research. That is to say, one should search for materials, read them, examine and take notes.

     

    1. To that end

     

    When to Use: A synonymous phrase meaning ‘in order to’ or ‘so’;

    Exemplary Sentence: He wanted to get straight A’s. To that end, he has been mastering his writing skills recently.

     

    Supporting points with additional info

    And, and, and. Using ‘and’ throughout your essay to add points won’t make your paper sound smarter. There are tons of awesome expressions and here are the top of them.

     

    1. Furthermore

     

    When to Use: To provide additional points, used at the beginning of a sentence (don’t forget a comma);

    Exemplary Sentence: Furthermore, you should proofread and polish your paper before handing out the final variant.

     

    1. Likewise

     

    When to Use:To add additional information, or offering some ideas that support your point of view in a similar manner;

    Exemplary Sentence: Planning the writing process is vital to avoid writer’s block and craft a well-thought paper. Likewise, it is essential to write an outline, so that your essay is well-structured.

     

    1. Another key thing to remember

     

    When to Use: If you have already overused the word ‘also’, it’s high time to use its synonymous phrase ‘another key thing to remember’;

    Exemplary Sentence: When writing an introduction, make sure you hook the reader’s attention and arouse their interest. Another key thing to remember is that crafting an introduction last thing is often more effective, as you have already had the perfect grasp of the chosen topic.

     

    1. Not only...but also

     

    When to Use: To present two ideas while the latter is often more surprising than the former one. Keep in mind the inversion moment as well;

    Exemplary Sentence: Not only should you support your topic idea with several additional ones, but you should also provide great examples to underpin your point of view.

     

    1. Coupled with

     

    When to Use: To examine two or more arguments at a time;

    Exemplary Sentence: He soon realized that choosing the topic he was passionate about, coupled with following all the academic rules and standards, was the key to getting top grades for the essay.

     

    Expressing contrast

    It’s essential to present contrasting opinions in argumentative essays, as well as in any essay if you want to develop your point of view and make it sound strong. That is why, here are some phrases to use.

     

    1. However

     

    When to Use: To provide a contrasting point of view;

    Exemplary Sentence: Putting off your essay until the last minute isn’t the greatest idea. However, there are some students who claim that they do better when they’re pressed for time.

     

    1. Yet

     

    When to Use: To give a contrasting point; often used at the beginning of a sentence for better emphasis;

    Exemplary Sentence: Purchasing essays online is regarded as cheating by the majority of people. Yet some believe there is nothing wrong in asking for a bit of assistance with their papers.

     

    1. On the other hand

     

    When to Use: Often used along with another contrasting point, for example, there are two different interpretations of the same idea ‘on the one hand’ and ‘on the other hand’;

    Exemplary Sentence: Crafting an essay may seem like the worst and the most daunting task. On the other hand, once you’ve finished it, you feel satisfied and have this pleasant sense of accomplishment.

     

    Highlighting important information

    Emphasizing particular points in your essay also require some useful vocabulary.

     

    1. Notably

     

    When to Use: A synonymous expression to ‘particularly’ or ‘significantly’ to highlight peculiar information;

    Exemplary Sentence: After reading this article, one can notably improve their vocabulary and make their writing sound smarter.

     

    1. Importantly

     

    When to Use: Another synonym to the word ‘significantly’, suggesting a special meaning to the point;

    Exemplary Sentence: Polishing her paper with high-brow vocabulary affected her grades importantly.

     

    Providing examples

    You won’t surprise you professor ‘for example’, while the following expression will boost your writing skills.

     

    1. To give an illustration

     

    When to Use: To provide an example that will best illustrate your point of view

    Exemplary Sentence: To give an illustration of what I mean, let’s have a look at the final effective phrase to use.

     

    1. All things considered

     

    When to Use: In other words, ‘taking everything into account’

     

    Exemplary Sentence: All things considered, writing a good essay may be time- and energy-consuming; it may require scrutinizing tons of academic rules and standards; it can be pressuring and scary. However, following some useful tips can ease the whole composing process. To give an illustration of what I mean, try enriching your vocabulary with these 15 words and phrases and see how smarter your paper sounds now.

     

    Summarizing

     

    If an effective essay was a building, it would have a great foundation (an introduction and a conclusion). An introduction grabs the reader’s attention and guides straight to the main body, while a conclusion has the final say that is supposed to leave an aftertaste. For this reason, it’s essential to use persuasive vocabulary when summarizing your ideas.