January 15, 2025

[Joyce Lim, Ph.D.](https://blog.duolingo.com/author/joyce/)

# The most common academic English phrases (and how to use them!)

*In order to* use academic English, you must understand a *variety of* phrases!

Academic English differs from spoken English in many ways—it’s often more formal and has a more predictable structure. But if you’re new to the world of academia, you might be wondering: How do I actually put the language to use? What are the most frequently used expressions in [academic settings](https://blog.englishtest.duolingo.com/what-is-academic-english/??ref=blog.duolingo.com)? And how do you write “more academically”?

The truth is, you don’t need to know every one of these expressions to succeed in an academic setting, but being familiar with them will help you communicate your thoughts more logically and clearly, especially in writing. Here’s what the research says about the most common phrases in academia, plus how to use them!

## The most-used expressions in academic settings

Below is a list of some of the most frequently used phrases in lectures, seminars, student presentations, journals, essays, and textbooks, according to the [Cambridge Academic English Corpus](https://www.sketchengine.eu/cambridge-academic-english-corpus/?ref=blog.duolingo.com), a collection of data from millions of academic English texts used in U.K. and U.S. institutions.

- a variety of
- as well as
- at the end of
- based on the
- can also be
- due to the
- extent to which
- in order to
- in relation to
- in terms of
- on the other hand
- one of the
- some of the
- the fact that
- the nature of the
- the present study
- the process of
- the use of
- the purpose of
- ways in which

This list is an overview of the expressions that are most often used in academic environments. What do these phrases have in common? Well, many of these expressions serve as transition phrases or sentence starters, which may help to structure and clarify your ideas, further explain or frame concepts, or act as signposts for readers.

## How to use these expressions

In order to use these phrases appropriately, you have to know what they mean! The expressions in the list above can be broken down into a few broad categories according to how they were used in the Cambridge Academic English Corpus.

**Adding and connecting information**

The expressions _as well as_, _the use of_, _in terms of_, _based on the_, _in relation to_, and _can also be_ are used to organize and expand on ideas. More specifically, _as well as_ and _can also be_ add information to what has already been introduced, while _the use of_, _in terms of_, _based on the_, and _in relation to_ are phrases that clarify the scope and the relationship between different ideas.

**Contrast**

_On the other hand_ is a transitional phrase that introduces a different perspective to a point that has been made. In academic writing, this expression helps structure arguments and engages readers in alternate ways of approaching a topic.

**Description or providing an explanation**

The expressions _the nature of the_, _the process of_, _due to the_, and _the fact that_ are phrases that are often used to describe, clarify, or specify concepts in academic writing. _The nature of the_ is frequently used to define concepts, while _the process of_ is used to describe stages or explain how something works or develops over time. _On the other hand_, _due to the_ illustrates a cause-and-effect relationship, and _the fact that_ can support arguments or emphasize important points.

**Purpose**

_In order to_ and _the purpose of_ are used to express intention. They provide a clear objective for what the writer seeks to accomplish.

**Quantifying expressions**

The expressions _one of the_, _a variety of_, _some of the_, _extent to which_, and _ways in which_ are used to provide clarity and depth. In particular, they provide a lead-in for introducing methods, illustrating strengths, and specifying examples.

**Reference**

_The present study_ is a common expression in academic research to demonstrate the objective of the study. It is also used to set the focus of the research being done.

**Time expression**

_At the end of_ is often used to signpost the conclusion to the writing. It can also be used to signal a transition to another section of the work.

## Elevate your writing with academic English

While these are some of the most common academic English phrases, you don’t have to use all of them yourself to succeed in academia. If you’re not sure what someone means… just ask. Curiosity is a language we can all understand!

_**About the data**_

_The Cambridge Academic English Corpus is a 3-million word database composed of lectures, seminars, student presentations, journals, essays and textbooks to name a few. It consists of both spoken and written academic language at undergraduate and post-graduate levels from U.S. and U.K. institutions._