Writing essays can be tricky, especially when you want to express ideas clearly without repeating the same phrases. One common phrase students overuse is this shows. While it works, repeating it can make your writing dull.
The good news is, there are many ways to say this shows in an essay without losing clarity or meaning. Using different phrases makes your writing more engaging, polished, and professional.
In this article, we will explore 125 different contexts and angles to replace this shows in your essays. We will provide over examples in each context so you can use them immediately in your writing.
If you are writing a literary analysis, research paper, or persuasive essay, these alternatives will elevate your work.
Literary Analysis: Expressing Evidence in Stories or Poems
When analyzing literature, showing how the text supports your point is key. Instead of saying this shows, you can use:
- This illustrates
- This demonstrates
- This highlights
- This reflects
- This suggests
- This emphasizes
- This conveys
- This portrays
- This reveals
- This underscores
- This mirrors
- This represents
- This indicates
- This depicts
- This affirms
- This points to
- This exemplifies
- This validates
- This stresses
- This communicates
- This signals
These alternatives help readers understand your evidence without repetition. For example, instead of saying “This shows the character’s courage,” you could say “This illustrates the character’s courage,” making the essay sound more professional.
Academic Essays: Formal and Analytical Writing
In academic essays, clarity and precision are important. Use these options to replace this shows:
- This proves
- This confirms
- This establishes
- This asserts
- This validates
- This demonstrates clearly
- This substantiates
- This authenticates
- This evidences
- This exemplifies
- This corroborates
- This supports
- This verifies
- This affirms
- This highlights effectively
- This accentuates
- This makes clear
- This reinforces
- This underscores the point
- This indicates clearly
- This clarifies
For example, instead of “This shows the trend in data,” you could say “This substantiates the trend in data,” giving your essay a stronger, more formal tone.
Humor and Creative Writing: Fun Alternatives
Sometimes your essay can benefit from a lighter or creative tone. Here are ways to replace this shows with humor or imagination:
- This screams
- This shouts
- This winks at
- This nudges us toward
- This dances around the idea
- This whispers
- This hollers
- This sings
- This yells out
- This beams
- This sparkles
- This dazzles
- This tickles the idea
- This teases
- This waves
- This signals with flair
- This flashes
- This radiates
- This paints the picture
- This prances
For example, in a creative essay: “This winks at the theme of friendship,” feels playful and memorable. Using fun alternatives adds personality while keeping your analysis sharp.
Concise or Quick Replacements: Short and Simple
Sometimes you just need a brief phrase that works in any sentence. Try:
- Shows
- Illustrates
- Highlights
- Depicts
- Reflects
- Demonstrates
- Indicates
- Points out
- Suggests
- Confirms
- Emphasizes
- Reveals
- Affirms
- Signals
- Validates
- Portrays
- Reinforces
- Exemplifies
- Mirrors
- Communicates
These short alternatives are perfect for essays that need fast readability or when you are running out of space but still want precision.
Research Papers: Evidence-Based Writing
In research papers, showing evidence is critical. Replace this shows with phrases that demonstrate analysis or data interpretation:
- The data illustrates
- The findings indicate
- The study demonstrates
- Research confirms
- This validates
- This supports the hypothesis
- The results reveal
- The analysis highlights
- The evidence suggests
- The experiment proves
- The observation underscores
- The statistics demonstrate
- The survey reveals
- The outcome affirms
- This substantiates
- This corroborates
- This verifies
- This points to
- This reinforces
- This elucidates
These are professional ways to integrate this shows into scientific or research contexts, making your writing credible and formal.
Historical Essays: Explaining Events or Trends
When writing about history, showing cause, effect, or significance is key. Use these alternatives:
- This illustrates the trend
- This demonstrates the change
- This highlights the event
- This reflects the period
- This confirms the historical context
- This indicates the shift
- This portrays the situation
- This underscores the consequence
- This exemplifies the cause
- This signals the effect
- This reveals the outcome
- This asserts the importance
- This mirrors societal attitudes
- This emphasizes the timeline
- This points to the result
- This validates the interpretation
- This affirms the theory
- This communicates the impact
- This depicts the development
- This reinforces the analysis
For example, instead of “This shows the industrial revolution changed society,” say “This underscores how the industrial revolution changed society,” giving a formal and accurate tone.
Persuasive Essays: Arguing a Point
In persuasive writing, you want to show evidence supporting your argument. Replace this shows with:
- This proves
- This confirms
- This demonstrates
- This validates
- This supports
- This strengthens the argument
- This reinforces the claim
- This highlights the point
- This substantiates the argument
- This affirms
- This evidences
- This underscores the claim
- This indicates
- This emphasizes
- This corroborates
- This points to
- This verifies
- This asserts
- This clarifies
- This demonstrates effectively
Using these alternatives makes your arguments sound strong and convincing without repetitive phrasing.
Literature Reviews: Summarizing Research
When summarizing other scholars’ work, avoid repeating this shows:
- This demonstrates
- This indicates
- This suggests
- This confirms
- This validates
- This emphasizes
- This highlights
- This supports
- This reflects
- This evidences
- This substantiates
- This affirms
- This corroborates
- This clarifies
- This portrays
- This illustrates
- This underscores
- This signifies
- This demonstrates clearly
- This points to
This ensures your literature review flows naturally while showing your understanding of prior research.
Personal Essays: Expressing Self-Reflection
When writing about your own experiences, you can make this shows more personal:
- This reflects
- This highlights
- This reveals
- This illustrates
- This demonstrates
- This underscores
- This communicates
- This signifies
- This points to
- This affirms
- This suggests
- This indicates
- This portrays
- This emphasizes
- This mirrors
- This conveys
- This captures
- This exemplifies
- This validates
- This celebrates
For instance, instead of “This shows my growth,” say “This highlights my growth,” which feels personal yet polished.
Comparative Essays: Drawing Parallels
When comparing ideas, events, or texts, replace this shows with:
- This parallels
- This mirrors
- This reflects
- This demonstrates similarities
- This underscores differences
- This highlights contrasts
- This illustrates connections
- This signifies overlap
- This points to trends
- This emphasizes comparison
- This indicates resemblance
- This evidences contrast
- This portrays similarity
- This affirms patterns
- This corroborates findings
- This depicts analogy
- This communicates difference
- This reinforces correlation
- This validates the comparison
- This exemplifies relationship
These phrases make comparisons clearer and more professional.
Expository Essays: Explaining Ideas Clearly
Expository writing is about clarity and explanation. Alternatives for this shows include:
- This demonstrates
- This explains
- This illustrates
- This highlights
- This depicts
- This indicates
- This reveals
- This underscores
- This portrays
- This suggests
- This emphasizes
- This reflects
- This communicates
- This affirms
- This validates
- This points to
- This exemplifies
- This clarifies
- This substantiates
- This signals
These ensure your explanation is smooth and avoids repetitive phrasing.
Analytical Essays: Breaking Down Ideas
Analytical essays require precise evidence. Replace this shows with:
- This indicates
- This illustrates
- This demonstrates
- This highlights
- This underscores
- This reveals
- This suggests
- This affirms
- This validates
- This portrays
- This points to
- This communicates
- This exemplifies
- This emphasizes
- This substantiates
- This mirrors
- This reflects
- This corroborates
- This clarifies
- This reinforces
This variety keeps analysis readable and professional.
Argumentative Essays: Strengthening Claims
When arguing a position, these phrases replace this shows:
- This proves
- This demonstrates
- This substantiates
- This supports
- This validates
- This confirms
- This reinforces
- This emphasizes
- This highlights
- This affirms
- This evidences
- This corroborates
- This asserts
- This verifies
- This indicates
- This illustrates
- This clarifies
- This exemplifies
- This portrays
- This communicates
Strong alternatives make your argument persuasive and credible.
Reflective Essays: Personal Growth or Learning
For reflective writing, use alternatives that show understanding or insight:
- This reveals
- This reflects
- This highlights
- This demonstrates
- This illustrates
- This underscores
- This communicates
- This affirms
- This signifies
- This portrays
- This emphasizes
- This validates
- This indicates
- This mirrors
- This exemplifies
- This clarifies
- This captures
- This suggests
- This signals
- This confirms
This makes reflections engaging and thoughtful.
Tips for Using Alternatives Effectively
- Adjust tone according to audience. Formal essays need precise words, while creative essays allow playful phrases.
- Avoid overusing any single alternative. Rotate them naturally for variety.
- Match the phrase to context. Scientific papers need evidence-focused phrases; literary analysis can be more expressive.
- Keep sentences clear. Avoid making phrases overly complicated.
- Read aloud. This helps ensure the sentence flows and the alternative fits naturally.
Conclusion
Learning to say another way instead of this shows in an essay is a simple but powerful skill. It enhances your writing style, keeps your readers engaged, and makes your arguments more persuasive. If you are writing academically, creatively, or personally, there are alternatives that fit every context.
Experiment with these phrases, rotate them in your writing, and notice how your essays become sharper and more professional. Which phrase will you try first in your next essay
