WEBVTT

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Hi, it's Lisa here from Capstone Editing.

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In this video,

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I'll explain how to improve
your academic

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writing by avoiding

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colloquial language.

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Colloquial language is appropriate to

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a characteristic of conversational speech

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or informal writing.

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Academic writing
requires a formal time characterized by

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careful language choices to convey your
ideas to to readers as precisely

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as possible.

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Colloquial language, on the other hand,
doesn't satisfy this need

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for exactness of expression.

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In fact, on the other hand
is a great example.

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It's perfectly acceptable for speech,
but if I saw it in a postgraduate thesis

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I was editing, I would change it to a more
appropriate and formal term like

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—'conversely.'"

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Pam Peters, who wrote the Cambridge guide

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to Australian English
usage, says that "'Colloquial language

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undermines the serious effect you want
to have on the reader.'"

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She advises
that your writing should not appear

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casual, imprecise, or gloss over details.

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So, to create the best impression when
writing academically, it's recommended to

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find formal equivalents for any
colloquialisms you might be tempted to

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use.

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Okay, so what do you need to avoid?

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Some types of colloquial language are
obviously inappropriate for use in

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academic writing, such as slang.
For example, 'till' instead of 'until.'

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And phrases like 'my bad' or 'cool.'

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However, there are some other types of
colloquial language that also need to be

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avoided, that are less obvious.
Which I'll explain.

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Clichés are a form of colloquial language,
A cliché is an expression that is an

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expression that has been overused to the
extent that it loses its

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original meaning or novelty.

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For example,
'time will tell' and 'as luck

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would have it.'

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These expressions are commonly used in
speech, but for formal writing they

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lack both the specificity and meaning
required to lend accuracy to your writing,

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and the originality to make
your writing more interesting.

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Instead, you could use phrases like
'become clear over time'

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and 'fortunately.'

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Idioms also need to be need to be avoided.
An idiom is a word or phrase that is not

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taken literally.

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Some examples are 'a drop in the ocean'
and 'cut to the chase'

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These expressions are extremely common
in speech,

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but they pose important problems
in academic writing.

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First, as with clichés, these expressions
lack specificity of meaning.

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Second, and even more, problematically,

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because idioms cannot be

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understood literally, using them risks

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misinterpretation of your meaning by
readers, without the necessary language

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skills.

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Fillers also need to be avoided in
academic writing