Common Speak vs Scholar Lingo: Are They Really Different?

12. Highest point vs Summit

In regular English conversation, we might say, “A team of adventure-seekers reached the highest point of Mt. Everest.”  but an academic paper may say something like, “At 0800 local time, the team of mountaineers summited Mt. Everest.” I like how simple the formal version is in this case (or it seems to be).

11. No longer existing vs Defunct

In regular English, you’d probably say something like “I like to reminisce about life in our old house that is no longer existing.” Yes, you can definitely interchange the two in this context, although you may have to word it differently to not sound unnatural.

10. Allow vs Permit

You see, in regular everyday English, we say ‘allow’. Like when Mama tells Junior he’s allowed to have one more cookie before bed. But in academic vocabulary, we usually go for ‘permit’. It makes us sound all official, like granting permission to access the cockpit of a jumbo-jet.

9. Best vs Optimum

In regular English, we often say, “I want the best burger you got.” No fuss, clear and easy. But in academic English, don’t be surprised if you hear, “We need to reach the optimum result of the experiment.” Yes sir, they sure do like fancy words.

8. Buy vs Purchase

In regular English, we’d probably tell someone, “I’m about to buy me some new wheels.” But in academic English or even business English, they’d prefer, “The company decided to purchase a new software system.” Sounds more professional and formal.

7. Lack Of vs Deficiency

Let’s say you miss out on your daily dose of greens, you say, “I have a lack of veggies in my diet.” That’s our regular English. But medical folks might call it a “deficiency of essential nutrients.” More academic, see?

6. Next to vs Adjacent

You might refer to the house next to yours as “the house next door.” But in academic English or in a business setting, you might mention a building as “the adjacent premises.” 

5. Show vs Depict

In everyday English, you’d say, “Show me that cool trick with the coin!” But academic English refers to it as, “The painting depicts a beautiful sunset.” Adds a little sophistication to it, isn’t it?

4. Speed Up vs Accelerate

You’re late for a footy game. You’d shout at your buddy, “Speed up, we are late!” But in academic English papers or technical reports, they’d use ‘accelerate’. Like, “The car must accelerate to reach its top speed.” 

3. Talk About vs Discuss

If your friend messes up, you tell him, “We need to talk about this.” Straightforward, isn’t it? But in academic English, a professor might say, “We shall discuss the implications of these findings.” Gives a formal purple touch to the whole thing.

2. Tell vs Inform

You’d tell your mate, “Tell him he owes me ten bucks,” without batting an eye. That’s regular English for you. However, in academic English, it would be more like, “Please inform the professor about the changes in the schedule”. More polished-like stuff.

1. Work Out vs Calculate

In everyday chat, you might say, “Let’s work out how much money we need to buy that car”. But if you’re in an academic or professional setting, they’d use ‘calculate’. Like, “The scientists calculated the approximate distance to the star.” Sounds all scientific and sophisticated. 

Misleading Vocabulary: 10 Words Confusing Us All

This is interesting because there are words in the English language that, due to their subtle nuances or contradictory interpretations, leave even the most seasoned language enthusiasts scratching their heads.

First Name Fails: Prepare for Misspelling Madness!

Do you ever scratch your head over which way to spell a common first name? I know we will have missing ones from the list too, so comment and tell us, what is the misspelled first name you are dealing with!  Or did your parents get really creative with spelling, and you’ve been suffering your whole life! Tell us!

Head Scratcher: 22 Brit Slang Words Stumping Americans!

The English language, despite being shared by both the United States and the United Kingdom, often exhibits intriguing differences. One delightful aspect of this linguistic divergence is the array of British slang words that can leave Americans scratching their heads.

Most successful lies of all time

Everyone has their own perception of what’s true for them or what they want to believe, but some things started as a lie and quickly became “common knowledge.” I found the most intriguing answers from an internet discussion on the topic of the most successful lies in history.