Why replace ‘this shows’ in professional and academic writing
Relying on ‘this shows’ can flatten your analysis and make writing feel repetitive. Stronger alternatives sharpen focus, signal logical relationships, and align tone with audience and context. Choosing precise verbs and phrases improves clarity, credibility, and reader engagement across reports, essays, and presentations.
High-information alternatives grouped by intent
Grouping alternatives by what you want to convey makes it easier to select the right option quickly. Use these patterns as a practical toolkit rather than rigid rules.
Illustrating evidence
- For example, … demonstrates that…
- As illustrated by…, we see that…
- Specifically, instance X shows that…
Explaining mechanisms or causation
- This indicates that… because…
- The data suggest that… operates through…
- Result Y reveals a causal link between A and B
Interpreting implications
- This implies that… for stakeholders
- Taken together, findings point to…
- These results suggest broader consequences for…
Evaluating strength or limitation
- This underscores the strength of…
- At the same time, limitation Z tempers the conclusion
- The evidence supports X, though generalizability remains limited
Tone and audience alignment
The best replacement depends on audience expectations and document formality. In academic contexts, prioritize precise verbs such as ‘demonstrates’, ‘indicates’, and ‘correlates with’. In business settings, use outcome-focused phrasing like ‘this highlights’, ‘this supports’, or ‘this enables’. Adjust hedging based on confidence and evidence strength.
Contextual examples you can adapt
Examples make abstract guidance concrete. Below are brief scenarios showing how to swap ‘this shows’ for more specific language while preserving meaning.
Academic paragraph revision
Original: ‘Figure 2 shows that the model fits.’
Revision: ‘Figure 2 demonstrates that the model fits the data across all conditions, indicating strong explanatory power.’
Business recommendation
Original: ‘This shows we should enter Market B.’
Revision: ‘The analysis highlights a clear opportunity in Market B, supported by growth trends and competitive gaps.’
Practical checklist for choosing phrasing
- Clarify the role of the sentence: evidence, interpretation, evaluation, or recommendation
- Match verb strength to certainty and data quality
- Prioritize active voice and concise phrasing
- Maintain consistent terminology across sections
- Read aloud to test flow and emphasis
Quick reference table: alternatives by communicative function
| Function | Neutral/General | Analytical/Academic | Action-oriented/Business |
|---|---|---|---|
| Presenting evidence | \nthis indicates | this demonstrates | this highlights |
| Explaining cause | this explains | this suggests that… because | this drives |
| Interpreting implication | this suggests | this implies | this points to |
| Flagging limitation | this tempers | this qualifies | this constrains |
| Concluding impact | this leads to | this supports | this enables |
Common pitfalls and how to avoid them
- Overusing fancy synonyms without aligning with evidence. Choose verbs that genuinely reflect what the evidence does.
- Mixing hedging levels within a section. Be consistent or explicitly signal uncertainty when appropriate.
- Ignoring rhythm. Replace long repetitive clusters with varied sentence architecture to improve readability.
Synthesis and practical next steps
Replacing ‘this shows’ starts with intent: be explicit about whether you are presenting evidence, explaining mechanisms, interpreting implications, or recommending action. Build a short personal toolkit of three to five go-to phrases matched to your most common tasks. Apply them during drafting and revise for tone, certainty, and concision. Over time, precise phrasing becomes habitual and reduces the need for repetitive language.