8th Grade Writing Flashcards: Establish Maintain Formal Explanatory Style

What this deck covers

This deck focuses on Establish Maintain Formal Explanatory Style, giving you a quick way to review the definitions, rules, and examples that matter most for 8th Grade Writing.

How to use these flashcards

Work through these flashcards in short sessions. Try to answer each prompt before flipping the card, then revisit any cards you miss until the explanation feels automatic.

Flashcard 1: Which sentence better maintains formal style: "This shows" or "This evidence demonstrates"?

Answer: This evidence demonstrates. Adds specificity with "evidence" and stronger verb.

Flashcard 2: What is the definition of a formal style in an informative or explanatory essay?

Answer: Objective, academic language appropriate for an educated audience. Formal style avoids casual language and maintains professional tone.

Flashcard 3: Choose the more precise, formal noun: "stuff" or "materials".

Answer: Materials. "Stuff" is vague slang; "materials" is specific and formal.

Flashcard 4: Choose the more formal phrase: "totally wrong" or "incorrect".

Answer: Incorrect. "Totally wrong" is emotional; "incorrect" is neutral and formal.

Flashcard 5: Which sentence is more formal: "I think the results are clear" or "The results are clear"?

Answer: The results are clear. Removes first-person "I think" to maintain objectivity.

Flashcard 6: Identify the best formal replacement for the slang word "awesome" in an essay.

Answer: Impressive. "Awesome" is slang; formal writing requires precise adjectives.

Flashcard 7: What is the rule for maintaining consistent style across an entire explanatory text?

Answer: Keep tone, word choice, and point of view consistent throughout. Formal style must not shift between casual and academic language.

Flashcard 8: What is the best formal replacement for "kind of" in a sentence describing uncertainty?

Answer: somewhat. "Somewhat" is precise; "kind of" is too casual.

Flashcard 9: What is the best revision to remove a rhetorical question and keep a formal style?

Answer: Replace the question with a clear declarative statement. Rhetorical questions are too conversational for formal writing.

Flashcard 10: Find and correct the informal intensifier: "This is really important to the study."

Answer: Correct: "This is important to the study.". "Really" is an informal intensifier to remove in formal writing.

Flashcard 11: Which option best maintains formal style by avoiding exaggeration: "always" or "often"?

Answer: often. "Often" avoids absolute statements and exaggeration.

Flashcard 12: What type of pronouns should be limited to maintain formal style in informative writing?

Answer: First-person and second-person pronouns (I, we, you). These pronouns make writing personal rather than objective.

Flashcard 13: What is the best formal replacement for "get" in this context: "Students get better at reading"?

Answer: improve. "Improve" is more precise than the vague "get."

Flashcard 14: Which transition is more formal for cause-effect: "so" or "therefore"?

Answer: Therefore. "So" is casual; "therefore" signals formal logical relationships.

Flashcard 15: Which word best replaces the informal term "kids" in a formal explanatory essay?

Answer: children. "Children" is the formal term; "kids" is informal.

Flashcard 16: Find and correct the informal phrase: "The experiment was kind of successful."

Answer: Correct: "The experiment was somewhat successful.". "Kind of" is informal; "somewhat" is formal.

Flashcard 17: What is one key rule for maintaining a formal style consistently across an entire piece of writing?

Answer: Use objective, precise language and avoid slang, contractions, and casual tone throughout. Consistency in formal tone strengthens academic writing.

Flashcard 18: Which option best maintains a formal style: "because" or "'cause"?

Answer: Because. "'Cause" is a casual abbreviation of "because."

Flashcard 19: Which word choice is more formal: "a lot of" or "many"?

Answer: Many. "A lot of" is conversational; "many" is precise and formal.

Flashcard 20: What is the rule for avoiding overly emotional language in formal style?

Answer: Use neutral, objective wording instead of emotional language. Formal style requires factual, not emotionally charged words.

Flashcard 21: Which option is more formal: "use" or "utilize" (when meaning "use")?

Answer: Use. "Use" is simpler and preferred; "utilize" can be pretentious.

Flashcard 22: Which option avoids second-person and maintains formal style: "You can see" or "It is evident"?

Answer: It is evident. Avoids addressing the reader directly with "you."

Flashcard 23: What is the best formal replacement for the informal transition "anyway" in an essay?

Answer: In any case. "In any case" is formal; "anyway" is conversational.

Flashcard 24: Which option best maintains formal style: "In conclusion" or "To wrap things up"?

Answer: In conclusion. "To wrap things up" is conversational; formal writing needs standard transitions.

Flashcard 25: What is the best definition of an objective tone, as used in formal explanatory writing?

Answer: A neutral, fact-based tone without strong personal feelings. Objective tone presents facts without bias or emotion.

Flashcard 26: What is the definition of a formal style in an explanatory or informative essay?

Answer: Objective, precise, and academic language appropriate for an informed audience. Formal style avoids casual language and personal opinions.

Flashcard 27: Which transition is most formal for adding information: "Also" or "Furthermore"?

Answer: Furthermore. "Furthermore" is more sophisticated than simple "Also."

Flashcard 28: Which option is the most formal replacement for "a lot of" in academic writing?

Answer: many. "Many" is precise; "a lot of" is too casual.

Flashcard 29: Which option is more formal: "big" or "significant" (for an effect)?

Answer: Significant. "Big" is casual; "significant" is the academic term for importance.

Flashcard 30: Which option best maintains a formal style: "a lot of" or "many"?

Answer: Many. "Many" is precise and formal; "a lot of" is conversational.

Flashcard 31: Find and correct the contraction to maintain formal style: "The results aren't consistent."

Answer: Correct: "The results are not consistent.". Contractions like "aren't" should be expanded in formal writing.

Flashcard 32: Which word choice best signals formal style: "kids" or "children"?

Answer: Children. "Kids" is informal slang; "children" is the formal term.

Flashcard 33: Which sentence is more formal: "We proved" or "This essay demonstrates"?

Answer: This essay demonstrates. "We" is personal; formal writing uses impersonal constructions.

Flashcard 34: Which option best maintains a formal style: "kids" or "children"?

Answer: Children. "Children" is the formal term; "kids" is colloquial.

Flashcard 35: Find and correct the contraction: "The results aren't consistent."

Answer: Correct: "The results are not consistent.". "Aren't" must expand to "are not" in formal style.

Flashcard 36: Identify the best formal replacement for the informal word "stuff" in an essay about materials.

Answer: materials. "Materials" is specific; "stuff" is vague and informal.

Flashcard 37: What is the main rule about contractions in formal explanatory writing?

Answer: Avoid contractions; use full words instead. Contractions like "don't" become "do not" in formal writing.

Flashcard 38: Which phrase best replaces "I think" to maintain a formal, objective tone in an explanation?

Answer: Evidence suggests. Removes personal opinion and maintains objectivity.

Flashcard 39: Which option maintains a formal tone: "you" or "one" (general statement)?

Answer: One. "One" is impersonal; "you" is too direct for formal writing.

Flashcard 40: Which transition is more formal: "plus" or "in addition"?

Answer: In addition. "Plus" is conversational; formal transitions are multi-word phrases.

Flashcard 41: What is the best formal replacement for the contraction "doesn't" in an explanatory essay?

Answer: does not. Formal writing avoids all contractions.

Flashcard 42: Identify the revision that maintains formal style: "In conclusion, I hope you agree."

Answer: Correct: "In conclusion, the evidence supports this claim.". Remove personal appeals; focus on objective evidence statements.

Flashcard 43: Identify the informal word to avoid in formal writing: "The plan is gonna work."

Answer: gonna. "Gonna" is a colloquial contraction of "going to."

Flashcard 44: Which sentence is more formal: "This is the best solution ever" or "This solution is effective"?

Answer: This solution is effective. Removes hyperbole ("best ever") for measured language.

Flashcard 45: Identify the best formal replacement for the informal verb "deal with" in an academic essay.

Answer: address. "Address" is formal; "deal with" is colloquial.

Flashcard 46: What is the rule about using precise, domain-specific vocabulary in formal writing?

Answer: Prefer specific academic terms over vague or casual wording. Academic writing uses field-specific terminology, not general words.

Flashcard 47: Which sentence is more formal: "The test was super hard" or "The test was extremely difficult"?

Answer: The test was extremely difficult. "Extremely difficult" uses formal modifiers.

Flashcard 48: What is the best formal replacement for "plus" used as a transition between ideas in an essay?

Answer: Additionally. "Additionally" is an academic transition word.

Flashcard 49: Find and correct the informal point of view: "You can see that the data supports the claim."

Answer: Correct: "The data supports the claim.". Removes second-person "you" to maintain objectivity.

Flashcard 50: What is a formal style in explanatory writing?

Answer: Objective, precise language appropriate for academic audiences. Formal style avoids slang, contractions, and personal pronouns.

Flashcard 51: Which option is more formal for an essay: "stuff" or "materials"?

Answer: Materials. "Stuff" is vague and casual; "materials" is specific and formal.

Flashcard 52: Identify the best revision to remove slang: "The results were awesome."

Answer: The results were impressive. "Impressive" is formal; "awesome" is slang.

Flashcard 53: Which phrase is more formal: "get" or "obtain"?

Answer: Obtain. "Get" is casual; "obtain" is the formal academic verb.

Flashcard 54: Which option best maintains a formal style: "get" or "obtain"?

Answer: Obtain. "Obtain" is formal academic vocabulary; "get" is informal.

Flashcard 55: Which option best maintains formal style when citing evidence: "This shows" or "This indicates"?

Answer: This indicates. "Indicates" is more precise and academic than "shows."

Flashcard 56: Which option is formal: "I think" or "It appears"?

Answer: It appears. "I think" is personal; "It appears" maintains objectivity.

Flashcard 57: Which choice best maintains formal style by avoiding emotional language: "tragic" or "significant"?

Answer: significant. "Significant" is neutral; "tragic" shows bias.

Flashcard 58: What is the best definition of slang in writing, in terms of formal style?

Answer: Informal, casual words or phrases not suited to academic writing. Slang includes colloquial expressions inappropriate for formal writing.

Flashcard 59: What is the best formal replacement for the contraction "they're" when it means "they are"?

Answer: they are. Expands the contraction to its full form.