In academic writing, reporting verbs (also known as referring verbs) are used to introduce and cite information from outside sources—such as books, journal articles, studies, and empirical reports. Instead of using conversational terms like says or talks about, reporting verbs allow researchers to integrate evidence while signaling their own stance toward the cited material.
| Stance Category | Function & Purpose | Common Verbs | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neutral / Factual | Presents facts or findings objectively without personal judgment. | states, reports, describes, notes, outlines, specifies, observes, finds, mentions, highlights, identifies, defines, indicates, details, explains | "Chen (2021) notes that the trial sample included 400 subjects." |
| Agreement / Support | Indicates the author agrees with, supports, or strongly defends an idea. | argues, supports, confirms, advocates, reinforces, maintains, asserts, affirms, validates, verifies, endorses, agrees, upholds, substantiates, emphasizes | "Patel (2019) argues that renewable energy subsidies accelerate growth." |
| Disagreement / Critique | Questions, challenges, refutes, or criticizes existing literature. | challenges, refutes, contradicts, questions, dismisses, rejects, disputes | "Williams (2022) challenges the validity of earlier statistical models." |
| Uncertainty / Possibility | Suggests potential interpretations or possibilities without stating absolute certainty. | suggests, hypothesizes, speculates, implies, proposes, infers | "The data suggests that sleep deprivation may impair memory retention." |
| Cause & Effect | Demonstrates relationships between variables and outcomes. | demonstrates, shows, reveals, links, influences | "The study demonstrates a direct correlation between stress and illness." |
| Emphasis | Draws explicit focus to crucial arguments or key conclusions. | emphasizes, highlights, stresses, underlines, draws attention to | "The authors emphasize the need for immediate policy changes." |
| Proposing Solutions | Offers actionable recommendations or advice. | recommends, suggests, proposes, advises, urges | "The researcher recommends updating the current framework." |
| Comparison / Connection | Draws distinctions or connections between ideas and subjects. | compares, contrasts, differentiates, associates, relates | "The paper compares traditional methods with modern approaches." |
| Evidence / Proof | Provides conclusive backing to confirm a claim. | proves, confirms, verifies, substantiates, justifies | "The trial results substantiate the initial working hypothesis." |
Select an interactive activity below:
The passive voice is formed using a combination of the verb "to be" (in the appropriate tense) and the past participle of the main verb. The general structure is:
Subject + form of "to be" + past participle (+ optional "by" phrase)
The agent (the person or thing performing the action) is either omitted or included using "by" (e.g., The experiment was conducted (by the researchers).).
In academic writing, the passive voice is used to maintain a formal, objective, and impersonal tone. Unlike the active voice, which emphasizes the performer of an action, the passive voice shifts focus to the action itself or its result. This is particularly useful when the initiator of the action is unknown or less relevant than the process or outcome.
Example: Instead of saying "Researchers conducted a study on bilingualism," academic writing often prefers "A study on bilingualism was conducted."
| Tense / Structure | Active Voice Sentence | Passive Voice Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | The committee reviews applications. | Applications are reviewed by the committee. |
| Present Continuous | Researchers are analyzing the data. | The data is being analyzed by researchers. |
| Past Simple | The team completed the project. | The project was completed by the team. |
| Past Continuous | The police were investigating the incident. | The incident was being investigated by the police. |
| Present Perfect | Scientists have discovered a new species. | A new species has been discovered by scientists. |
| Past Perfect | The editor had rejected the draft. | The draft had been rejected by the editor. |
| Future Simple | The university will release the results. | The results will be released by the university. |
| Modal Verbs | The surgeon must perform the operation. | The operation must be performed by the surgeon. |
Select an interactive activity below:
Click the correct option for each item.
Rules: Incorrect choices turn red and lock. Keep trying until you find the correct answer!