Which of the following is NOT good advice with respect to academic language in the North American context?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

When evaluating guidance on academic language in the North American context, it’s useful to assess practical writing norms and the goals of clarity and reader guidance.
Option 1: 'Try breaking up long sentences into more easily digestible chunks for ease of reading and clarity' – This is solid advice. In academic writing, shorter sentences often improve readability, reduce ambiguity, and help the reader follow complex ideas more easily. It aligns with style recommendations to enhance clarity and maintain reader engagement.
Option 2: 'Avoid words such as "obviously" or "shockingly"' – This is generally good standing advice. Words like 'obviously' can come across as presumptuous or undermine nuance, while 'shockingly' can signal bias or sensationalism. Steering away from these kinds of evaluative intensifiers tends to keep analysis objective and precise.
Option 3: 'Do not reveal your main argument until the end of your essay so that readers keep reading your text' – This is the noteworthy exception. In North American academic writing, the conventional expectation is to present a clear thesis or main argument early (often in the introduction) and then support it throughout. Delaying the central claim until the end can confuse readers and undermine the essay’s argumentative structure. It conflicts with standard practice of signaling your thesis upfront and then building evidence around it.
Option 4: 'Choose single words from Latin instead of phrasal verbs. For example, use "consider" instead of "think about."' – While there is value in precision and some prefer more formal, Latinate vocabulary, this guidance is not an absolute rule and can be overly prescriptive. In many contexts, phrasal verbs are natural and clear, and style guides emphasize clarity and appropriateness over rigid vocabulary constraints. The suggestion to always replace phrasal verbs with a single Latin-derived word can be limiting and may reduce naturalness in writing.
In summary, the first two options promote clear, objective, and reader-friendly academic style; the third option runs counter to the common scholarly convention of stating the argument early; the fourth option offers a stylistic preference rather than a universal rule and can be overly restrictive. The one that most clearly represents non-standard or problematic guidance is option 3, but also note that option 4 is more debatable as a prescriptive rule rather than an outright rule of good practice.

Which of the following is NOT good advice with respect to academic language in the North American context?Single choice

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