College Composition CLEP Prep Practice Exam

Which sentence style is least effective in academic writing?

1. Complex

2. Concise

3. Compound

4. Colloquial

The correct answer is: Colloquial

Colloquial sentence style is least effective in academic writing. This is because colloquial language is informal and colloquial sentences are often too simplistic, vague, and unprofessional for academic writing. Complex, concise, and compound sentence styles are more effective because they allow for a more sophisticated and precise expression of ideas, which is expected in academic writing. While simple sentences are sometimes necessary for clarity, an overuse of colloquial sentence style can undermine the credibility and academic tone of the writing.