Overview
Formal academic syntax involves a combination of grammatical features: passive voice, nominalisation, complex sentence patterns, hedging language, and precise reporting verbs. It creates an impersonal, authoritative, and objective tone required in academic journals, dissertations, and research papers.
Core Syntactic Features
- Long NP subjectThe widespread adoption of digital platforms has transformed…
- PassivisationFocus on action: The data were collected over twelve months.
- PostmodificationA study conducted by independent researchers in 2023 found…
- Embedded clauseThe claim that inequality has widened is well-supported.
C2 Academic Conventions
- Avoid first person where possible: prefer it was found that / the study shows
- Hedge appropriately: appears to / tends to / would seem to indicate
- Nominalise: verbs and adjectives become noun phrases for density
- Vary sentence length: a short sentence after a complex one creates clarity and impact
Common C2 Mistakes
- ❌ We found out that → ✅ It was found that / The findings indicate
- ❌ things / stuff / a lot of → ✅ factors / elements / a significant proportion of
- ❌ Passive overuse — mix passive with long-NP subjects for variety
- ❌ Sentence fragments in formal writing → ✅ complete grammatical units
When to use
Research papers
The results obtained through longitudinal analysis suggest a causal relationship.
Legal writing
The circumstances under which the agreement was concluded remain disputed.
Policy documents
A substantial body of evidence supports the conclusion that intervention is warranted.
Academic essays
It has been argued that the model fails to account for structural variation.