Advanced Words: 6 Word Pairs to Instantly Elevate Your Writing
Formal Alternatives to Common Verbs
Many everyday verbs work perfectly well in casual messages, but they can feel too simple for professional emails, academic writing, or polished blog posts. Choosing more precise alternatives can make your tone clearer, more confident, and more refined. Below are six useful verb pairs that help you upgrade your writing instantly.
1. Buy → Purchase
Buy is common in daily conversation, while purchase sounds more professional and is often used in business, legal, or formal contexts.
Purchase conveys professionalism, making it ideal for official statements or business updates.
Example:
- We decided to purchase additional software for the team.
2. Stop → Cease
Stop is familiar and informal. Cease adds seriousness and is frequently used in rules, notices, and instructions.
When you need a firm or authoritative tone, cease is the stronger choice.
Example:
- The company will cease production of the older model next year.
3. Ask → Inquire
Use inquire when you need a polite, formal, or customer-service tone.
Example:
- Feel free to inquire about our updated pricing plans.
4. Get → Obtain
Obtain works well in academic, technical, and professional writing where precision matters.
Example:
- You must obtain written approval before making any changes.
5. Help → Assist
Assist sounds more official and is often used in workplace communication or customer support.
Example:
- Our team will assist you throughout the onboarding process.
6. End → Terminate
Terminate is used in legal, contractual, and formal business contexts. It conveys a definitive and final action.
Example:
- The agreement will terminate automatically after one year.
Adopting formal verbs is a simple yet effective way to elevate your tone. Integrate these replacements gradually, and you’ll notice your writing becoming more precise and professional across all types of communication.