Does “play a role” still play a role in your writing?

Consider these sentences, paraphrased from real journal articles. ❌ Rising motion is hypothesized to play a role in the transport of moisture to the tropopause. ❌ Insolation forcing plays a primary role in determining equatorial seasonality. ❌ The Rocky Mountains play a key role in controlling the land and sea-surface temperatures in high latitudes. ❌ […]

Common Problems with However, Therefore, and Similar Words

One of the common writing mistakes that I observe is the misuse of however, therefore, and other similar words. Here, I am referring to the use of these words as conjunctions (i.e., words that connect two ideas), not the definition of however that means “in whatever way” (e.g., “However you decide, know that I will […]