In academic writing, “as well as” isn’t always the best choice for a conjunction. You might want to come up with a few better options to show that you’re able to stick to formal language. This article will explore some of the best alternatives available.
The preferred synonyms are “and so is/will,” “like,” and “similar to.” These allow you to make a link between two (or more) different situations or clauses. This connection is usually helped with “as well as,” but these three options allow you to use slightly more formal language.
And So Is/Will
“And so is/will” are common replacements for “as well as” in formal writing. You can use almost any verb after “and so” as long as it fits with the sentence. To know which verb works best, you should try to match the verb choice in the first clause.
For example, if you say:
- She is going to help.
Then you have used “is.” Therefore, it makes sense to use “and so is” when you extend the sentence:
- She is going to help, and so is he.
Some other examples might clear things up for you:
- There will be a few options available here, and so will a few of them be disregarded by the people coming to the event.
- There are many new facets here that need applications, and so do the ones that have been left in the dust before.
- I am going to do whatever it takes to complete this task, and so is my supervisor, as we have decided to do it together.
Like
“Like” is a fairly good choice in formal writing. You can use it when you want to show that something is happening alongside another thing. It also allows you to relate two things to each other to show that there’s a profound connection between the two.
- It’s going to happen a lot like the time when it was left out in the open before.
- I know it’s going to take some time, like when it was made clear that there weren’t going to be any new hires.
- We should have thought more about this, like making sure that we knew what was going to come next.
Similar To
“Similar to” is a bit more specific than “as well as.” It is a formal synonym, but it is only used to refer to a common connection that two clauses have with each other. It does not work when used to mean “in addition to” (which “as well as” also does).
- I told you that there were things here we couldn’t contain, similar to how Sarah mentioned those things when you needed help.
- We have completed all of the projects you’ve asked for, similar to the ones that have been sitting on your desk this whole time.
- They’ll be the first ones to get out of here, similar to the speculations that we made about the previous candidates.
Remove The Conjunction
Removing the conjunction is another option that some people like to use. Instead of worrying about “as well as” or any other alternative, you might be better off just using punctuation to separate the clauses.
If you’re not quite sure how that can work, you can refer to this example:
- It was clear that it affected them as well as the other people in the building.
Here, “as well as” is used to link two situations. They exist at the same time, but “as well as” doesn’t necessarily add anything to the writing.
If you want to make it a bit more concise and formal, you can replace it with the following sentence:
- It was clear that it affected them. Other people in the building were affected.
This example shows that a period (and sometimes a comma) can work just as well as using anything like “as well as.” It’s a good option if you’re not sure how to make your academic writing look as formal as possible.
- There have been many different experiments here that worked well. Some experiments did not go so well.
- I have completed these tasks. The ones on this desk have been completed by someone else.
- Some of these symptoms have not been fully tested. There are a few issues that still need discussing.
As Well As
“As well as” is already suitable in formal writing. There is nothing fundamentally wrong with using it. If you think it flows in your sentence, you should use it.
“As well as” gets a bad reputation because it’s so common informally. Many people think that it should be kept out of academic writing because it is used too much in spoken English. This is not true, and you should not worry about that.
- I’m going to need you to look into this for me, as well as find a reason why we can’t complete some of these other ones.
- The experiments went as well as we could have hoped, as well as finding out a lot more about the things we didn’t expect.
- I know there are some issues to work through, as well as completing some of the final challenges to make everything run smoothly.
In Addition
“In addition” is a good synonym that allows you to share additional information. You can use it as a conjunction to connect two clauses with each other to show that they add further information that you need to discuss.
- She wanted to talk to me about the issues, in addition to the things that the previous owners have already discussed.
- I knew there were some problems here, in addition to the ones that I’d already come across. She told me about loads more.
- The time was finally decided for the event, in addition to the venue that it will all be taking place within.
Additionally
“Additionally” is another good choice. While it’s similar to “in addition,” it is used differently. You should start a new sentence with “additionally” (or place it after a semicolon). A comma should also come after “additionally” to show it’s an introductory clause.
Using “additionally” in this way is very common. It is grammatically correct, and it allows you to add information to whatever you were previously talking about.
- I thought long and hard about what was said. Additionally, I wanted to make sure that I knew what was going to come next.
- There are some qualities that are overlooked. Additionally, some new policies need to be put in place before moving forward.
- The government did not want anybody to know about this. Additionally, there are some serious cover-up schemes taking place.
To Further That
“To further that” is another good choice that allows you to start a new sentence. It allows you to “further” your previous point, which can be useful in academic writing to show that there is more that needs to be discussed.
You should always include a comma after using this one to show that you’ve punctuated it correctly. As above, the period before the phrase and the comma after is very important.
- I have discussed all there is to talk about with these issues. To further that, I believe it’s time that we explore new avenues.
- I’m not going to say more on the matter. To further that, I think it’s better if one of you takes over from me.
- There have been a few times when it could have helped. To further that, it needs to be made more available in the future to help out.
Furthermore
“Furthermore” is another great choice for formal or academic writing. It is a common word used to further your previous ideas, which allows you to elaborate on the things that you’d like to talk about.
The punctuation rules are still apparent here. You can start a new sentence with “furthermore,” as long as it relates to the previous one you were writing.
- There will be more times in the future to try it out. Furthermore, there will be plenty of chances to get some practice in with it.
- We have done all we can to help you. Furthermore, it seems like you are not all that willing to accept our help anymore.
- She should have told him about it. Furthermore, she should have mentioned it to more of us, so we could have helped.
Also
“Also” is an interesting choice that often gets overlooked in formal writing. Many people treat it similarly to “as well as,” meaning that it is an acceptable formal phrase, but people think it does not work well in most written pieces.
“Also” is just as effective in formal writing as “as well as.” It can be used to show additional information or share things that otherwise would have been missed.
- The people of this city need to know the truth. They also need to understand that there are a few things that have to happen.
- I knew there were some issues here that needed addressing. Also, I was made aware of the problems you faced a long time ago.
- We thought about it, but we couldn’t agree. Also, we think there’s not much time left for us to discuss this.