Here are six better alternatives
I’ve noticed this for quite a while now. Have you? I have several student writers who use the term “stick out” or “stuck out” in their writing in an unusual way. Here are some examples:
- Several ideas really stuck out to me as I read the story.
- The biggest idea that stuck out to me in the book was the ending.
- Many details stick out to me when I write memoirs.
Yes, talking about how things stick out is fine. It’s colloquial. It’s informal. It’s idiomatic.
However, in formal writing, especially academic writing, it’s imprecise and inappropriately casual.
After all, things don’t stick out.
Instead, here are six things they actually do:
- They make an impression.
- They are significant.
- They assume prominence.
4. They rise above.
5. They take precedence.
6. They reveal their importance.
I plan to offer these six alternatives the next time I read about things sticking out to my students. Let’s rephrase those phrases at the top of this post with these more precise alternative phrasings.
- Several ideas took precedence in my mind as I read the story.
- The biggest idea that revealed its importance to me in the book was the ending.
- Many details make an impression on me when I write memoirs.
Writer’s workshop is starting up next week with my juniors. When I notice this pesky little phrase “sticking up” in my students’ writing, I’ll make sure to offer them some better options… at least for their more formal writing projects.
Have you noticed this usage issue? How do you approach eliminating it in student writing? Feel free to leave a comment below or on my contact page.
Need a new poetry lesson?
Enter your email below and I’ll send you this PDF file that will teach your students to write Treasured Object Poems, one of my favorite poem activities. I know your students will enjoy it!
Oh, I am definitely guilty of asking this as a question in my classroom: “What stuck out to you during the chapter?”
It is difficult for students to differentiate between what’s conversational and what is formal in their writing.
It always seems so out of place in an essay or article. The distinction of “tone” is hard to teach.
With all due respect, if any of my (TF at an University) students used the sentences “Several ideas took precedence in my mind as I read the story” or “The biggest idea that revealed its importance to me in the book was the ending”, they are going to get more marks deducted than if they had used “stick/stuck out”. These sentences may not be grammatically incorrect, but they make absolutely no sense in this context. The example sentences made much more sense with “stuck/stick out”. You are correct that it’s informal, but the ‘improved’ sentences that you shared fail to properly convey the same meaning and sound quite awkward. As such, I’d prefer my students focus on actually conveying their analysis/ideas clearly using informal phrases rather than creating convoluted sentences by trying to substitute those with formal-sounding phrases.
Thanks for your comment! I understand that the alternative phrasings may sound awkward, but I’m so bombarded with ideas “sticking out” that I’m willing to hear anything!
Point taken. I agree that the phrases I suggested to replace “stuck out” sound stilted and maybe even pretentious. For most of my students, however, there is no thought given to the issue. Word choice and tone are disregarded, intentionally or not, and “stuck out” is used mainly out of ignorance and/or laziness instead of finding the precise, more accurate expression. I apologize for the extremely slow response. Thank you for commenting!