casual
Avoid casual English
Casual language should be kept for conversation or other forms of writing. It must be replaced by the correct term, which is often shorter:
avoid |
better |
nowadays | presently, currently |
for instance | for example |
despite the fact that | although |
goes under the name of | is called |
on the contrary | in contrast |
firstly | initially |
to begin with | initially |
be that as it may | however |
at last | finally |
in as much as | because |
by the way | delete |
as a matter of fact | delete |
’til now (until now) | to date* |
*This last example also uses a contraction which cannot be used in scientific writing at all. Other examples include:
avoid |
better |
it’s | it is |
weren’t | were not |
didn’t | did not |
haven’t | have not |
can’t | cannot |