Teaching page · Grade 3 · Lesson 9

What is special about academic English? — meet the words

You have met these words and used them. Now you choose between them.

The words

discover
find out
request
ask for
attempt
try
discuss
talk about
demonstrate
show

Watch how it is built

1discover means about the same as find out.
We discovered that ice floats.
2request means about the same as ask for.
He requested more paper.
3attempt means about the same as try.
She attempted the hard problem.

Two ways to say it

✗ We find outed that ice floats. — this is not wrong, but it is everyday talk.

✓ We discovered that ice floats. — this is how a writer says it.

Ask yourself: “Which of these two is closer to what I mean?”

Remember

Two ways to say it — and you choose.

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