A few months ago, my friend and writing connoisseur Shayda had the idea to list verbs that scholars and students use when writing about other scholarship. Too often, we become stuck in ruts of “he states” and “she argues.” The world is full of vibrant verbs that are more interesting and more directive than the old standbys. To that end, Shayda gave me permission to take the idea and run with it. The result is this verb collection.
TWEED’s Ever-Expanding Compendium of Academic Verbs refreshes your memory of handy verbs long forgotten and includes some choices with which you may not be acquainted. Currently, the compendium features almost 250 verbs.
Visit the verbs page for a fuller introduction to the compendium, and be sure to download the full PDF. You can keep copies at your desk, in your briefcase, and on your hard drive for quick reference. Share it with colleagues, and be sure to add your own favorite academic verbs in the comments section.
Thanks to Shayda for impetus to generate this list! Be sure to visit her blog, Vocabulary of the Body.
