A. The Tone Rule

Aim for formal but familiar. If a word sounds like legal text or a contract, pick the simpler twin.

B. Traffic Lights for Word Choice

Green = always safe
use, show, find, help, start, end, cause, result, problem, reason, idea, example, common, many, few, big, small, enough

Amber = fine in context
demonstrate, indicate, facilitate, significant, substantial, moreover, however, therefore, consequently, evidence, increase, decrease

Red = avoid in essays
utilize, aforementioned, herein, thereof, whatsoever, aforementioned, ameliorate, commence, terminate, pertaining to, prior to, in lieu of

C. High-Utility Safe Swaps

Over-formal	Band-safe swap	Model line
utilize	use	Most households use mobile banking.
attempt	try	The policy tries to reduce costs.
assist	help	Subsidies help small firms grow.
commence	start	The survey started in 2023.
terminate	end	The program ended after two years.
numerous	many	Many cities improved recycling.
facilitate	help, make easier	Digital tools make filing easier.
prior to	before	Before 2020, tourism fell.
subsequent to	after	After the ban, waste fell.
in order to	to	The plan funds buses to cut traffic.
with regard to	about	The text is about climate policy.
a large number of	many	Many workers support the change.
due to the fact that	because	Results shifted because of policy.
individuals	people	People prefer flexible hours.
purchase	buy	Families buy food online.
demonstrate	show	The chart shows a steady rise.
moreover	also	Also, farms saved water.
consequently	so, therefore	Costs rose, so demand fell.

Tip: keep demonstrate and consequently for emphasis only.

D. Meaning-Safe Tighteners

absolutely essential → essential
very necessary → necessary
make a decision → decide
provide an explanation → explain
conduct an analysis → analyse
in the event that → if
it is important to note that → importantly
a rise in the number of → more

E. Collocation-Smart Choices

strong evidence, clear trend, mixed results
heavy traffic, high cost, low income
make progress, take action, draw a conclusion
play a role, meet a need, raise awareness

These pairs sound natural and avoid awkward phrasing.

F. Context Compass

Numbers and charts: prefer show, rise, fall, peak, remain.
Argument: prefer claim, argue, suggest, support.
Cause-effect: prefer lead to, result in, cause.
Recommendation: prefer should, could, need to.

G. Quick Rewrites

Over-formal: The findings demonstrate a substantial augmentation in sales.
Clean: The findings show a large rise in sales.
Over-formal: Prior to implementation, individuals utilized cash.
Clean: Before implementation, people used cash.
Wordy: In order to address this problem, the council commenced a plan.
Clean: To solve this problem, the council started a plan.

H. Mini Test

Replace the highlighted word with a safer option.

The policy commenced in April.
The report demonstrates a link.
Subsequent to the flood, prices rose.
There are numerous reasons.
The app assists users.

Answers

started 2) shows 3) after 4) many 5) helps

I. Clarity Checklist

Simple verb chosen
No legalistic phrases
One meaning per sentence
Collocations sound natural
Wordy pairs trimmed

J. Ten-Minute Routine

Minutes 1-3: highlight heavy words in yesterday’s draft.
Minutes 4-6: swap each with a green word.
Minutes 7-8: read aloud and cut extra phrases.
Minutes 9-10: replace 2 reds in your next paragraph before you write.

Pocket List

use, show, find, help, start, end, rise, fall, remain, cause, lead to, result in, many, most, several, few, enough, clear, strong, likely, possible, necessary, important, therefore, however, also

Keep it simple, specific, and natural. This is the safest path to clear, high-scoring writing.

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Band-Safe Synonyms: Avoid Over-Formal (Writing)