Here you can view pages from the full version of the PhraseBook, available on paperback and for Kindle, iBooks and Google Play
Phrases
The PhraseBook is designed to be used in a wide range of subjects and is suitable for all types of university papers and research publications and presentations. Phrases are divided into around 30 main sections that follow the structure of university and research writing, such as Introducing a Study, Defining the Scope of a Study, Arguing For and Against, Reviewing other Work, Summarizing and Conclusions. Many sections are further divided, for example the Relationship to Previous Work, the Relationship to Current Work, Contrasting Work and the Limitations of Current Knowledge.
The PhraseBook is available in both paperback and digital versions. The digital versions allow you to search the PhraseBook for a specific word or phrase.
Preface and acknowledgements
Thanks
Support, funding and approval
Personal thanks
About the author or authors
Education and position
Research and publications
Contributions and awards
Contributors
Introducing a study, chapter or section
Structure
Related work
The aim of your study and outlining the topic
Current understanding
Importance of the study
Defining the scope of your study
What is excluded from study
Further references
Your method or approach
Type of study
Method
Reasoning
Controls
Definitions, notation and terminology
Rules and laws
Use and reference
Following others’ definitions
Exceptions
Presenting data
Figures, tables and graphs
Describing figures and graphs
Data sources and collection
Giving examples
What the examples show
Interviews
The relationship to other work
Previous work
Current work
Contrasting work
The limitations of current knowledge
Referring to other work
Citing work to support a view
Further references
Reviewing other work
What you agree with
What you disagree with
Their method
Their results or conclusions
Your view
Arguing your case and putting forward ideas
Arguing against
Analysis and discussion
Characteristics
Discussion
Explanation
Qualifying
Quantifying
Measurement
Amount
Order
Change
Time
Duration
Frequency
Present
Previous and past
Subsequent and future
Hypotheses and probability
Possibility
Suggestion and speculation
Probability and prediction
Assumption and implication
Rhetorical questions and addressing your audience
Compare and contrast
Equal or equivalent
Same or similar
Relation
Agreement and correspondence
Contrast
Difference
Tying a text together
Referring forwards
Referring back
Presenting results
Negative results
Interpreting findings
Agreement
Contradictory, unexpected or inconclusive findings
Concluding a study, chapter or section
Contribution
Limitations
Implications and applications
Recommendations
Summary and abstract
Book jackets
Writing Help
The ability to write well at university and research level is a valuable skill: good writing lends credibility to a text, just as poor writing can detract from it. The PhraseBook therefore includes Writing Help sections with advice on grammar, style and punctuation in university and research writing. These sections help you avoid many common errors in English before submitting your text, for instance for examination or publication.
Style
Varieties of English
Using a style sheet
Avoiding colloquial language
Avoiding contracted forms
Avoiding clichés
Avoiding tautology
Referring to yourself
Referring to the reader
Referring generally
he and she
Other types of bias
Spelling
British and US spellings
z and s spellings
Punctuation
Full stop or period
Comma
Semicolon
Colon
Question mark
Exclamation mark or point
Hyphen
Hyphenation of prefixes
The hyphen in fixed compounds
Using the hyphen in temporary compounds before a noun
Dash
The possessive with ’s
Quotation marks
Punctuation at the end of quotations
Punctuating titles, legends and bullets
Parenthesis and ellipsis
References
Abbreviations
Capitalization
Grammar
Noncount nouns
Singular words ending in -s
Irregular plurals
Confusing words: singular and plural
Confusing words: pronouns
Irregular verbs
Vocabulary
Differences in vocabulary in English varieties
Ambiguous words
Confusing words
Confusing prefixes
Alternatives to get
Numbers
Time
Glossary and Reference
A great deal of English academic vocabulary derives from Latin and Greek. Much has also been borrowed from or via French, as well as from other languages such as German, Italian and Arabic in subjects such as Psychology, Music, Science and Mathematics. In addition, many of the abbreviations common in university and research writing (such as e.g., i.e. and etc.) and many everyday academic terms (such as campus, school and curriculum) derive from Latin or Greek.
Given the large number of foreign elements in English university and research vocabulary, it can be difficult to guess the meaning of an unfamiliar word, and Greek and Latin elements – such as tele-vision – are still used to coin new scientific terms today. Knowledge of some Greek and Latin helps to decipher the meaning of many terms, not least for speakers from parts of the world with other classical languages.
University and research terminology
Greek, Latin and other elements
SI prefixes
SI and British-American units
Thesaurus
A thesaurus helps you build a richer vocabulary and avoid using the same expressions over and again. However, a conventional thesaurus has the drawback that it includes synonyms that are unsuitable for university and research writing. Similarly, thesauruses included with computer word processors are often inadequate: for example, for insight the most common word processor suggests just around the corner.
The PhraseBook thesaurus, on the other hand, is specifically compiled for university and research writing, and contains both synonyms (words with a similar meaning) and antonyms (words with the opposite meaning). It has been designed to make it easy to find related words.
Key words have umbrella headings.