Have you ever read one of your essays and noticed the phrase “this shows” popping up again and again? At first glance, it seems harmless — it does the job: 15 other ways to say this show in an essay, it links your evidence to your point. But repeated phrases, especially simple ones, can make writing look lazy, bland, or formulaic. Readers (or graders) may feel they’re reading a template rather than your unique voice.
What you want instead is variation, precision, and subtle shades of meaning. A stronger, more nuanced phrase can do more — it can highlight strength, suggest inference, imply caution, or emphasize discovery. In this article, I’ll help you: 15 other ways to say this in an essay..
- Understand different categories of “this shows” alternatives
- Know which one fits best in which context
- Avoid overuse or awkwardness
- Practice with real examples
- Expand your writing voice so “this shows” feels like just one option among many..
Let’s get started.
What “This Shows” Really Does (and What It Doesn’t)
Definition and function
When you write “this shows,” it means something like: 15 other ways to say this shows in an essay. ay
“This (evidence, data, example, quote) demonstrates or indicates that X is true or important.”
So it’s a bridge — linking your supporting detail to your argument or interpretation. It’s a signal: “Look at what I just presented, and see how it supports my point.”
Yet, in more formal or polished writing, you’ll often want to refine that connection. That’s where synonyms, variations, and more precise phrasing help: you get to communicate how it supports, how strongly, with what nuance, or from what angle. Say this shows in an essay
Benefits of using richer variations
- Clarity and precision: Some alternatives implicitly carry more or less force (e.,g. “proves” is stronger than “suggests”).
- Varied rhythm and tone: Avoiding repetition makes your prose more enjoyable to read.
- Nuance: Sometimes evidence doesn’t prove — it indicates, suggests, or hints at.
- Stronger writing voice: Your phrasing choices reflect your confidence, caution, or interpretive stance.
Risks and misconceptions
- Overusing fancy words can backfire: say this shows in an essay that a phrase that’s too obscure or awkward will distract the reader.
- Picking a word without considering its strength can mislead: e, “this proves” when the evidence is weak.
- You don’t always need a “this shows” phrase — sometimes you can embed the connection more tightly into your sentence and skip it altogether.
How to Choose an Alternative (Step-by-Step Guide)
Here’s a mental checklist to follow when replacing “this shows”: say this shows in an essay
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Ask yourself: how strong is my evidence?
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Is it direct, authoritative, and quantitative?
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Or is it suggestive, anecdotal, interpretive?
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Decide your writer’s stance:
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Am I asserting confidently?
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Or am I cautiously interpreting?
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Or somewhere in between?
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Match verb strength to evidence strength:
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Strong evidence → “demonstrates,” “proves,” “confirms”
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Moderate evidence → “indicates,” “suggests,” “reveals”
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Interpretive or speculative → “implies,” “hints,” “evokes”
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Watch for subject: “this” is vague. Sometimes better to be explicit: “this data,” “this finding,” “the result,” “the passage,” etc.
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Place the phrase strategically: You don’t always have to start with “This ___.” You can weave it: “The result reveals…,” “We see in this example how…,” etc.
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Read it aloud: If it feels clunky, revise. Clarity and flow matter more than novelty.
15 Effective Alternatives to “This Shows” + Explanations & Examples
Below are 15 options, grouped roughly by strength or nuance. For each, I’ll explain the connotation, show when you might use it, and give an example (before & after). Say this shows in an essay
1. This demonstrates / Demonstrates
Connotation: strong, fairly assertive, clear link
Use when: your evidence is solid, you want a confident tone
Example:
- Before: “The experiment yielded a 50% increase in yield. This shows the catalyst works.”
- After: “The experiment yielded a 50% increase in yield. This demonstrates the catalyst’s efficacy.”
You can also invert: “This result demonstrates that …”
2. This proves / Proves
Connotation: strongest; claims no dispute
Use when: you have incontrovertible or very well-supported evidence
Caution: use sparingly — many claims in essays don’t rise to “proof.”
Example:
- Before: “Out of 100 trials, none failed. This shows the method is reliable.”
- After: “Out of 100 trials, none failed. This proves the reliability of the method.”
3. This confirms / Confirms
Connotation: supportive, affirming an existing idea or hypothesis
Use when: you’re reinforcing something your thesis or a prior claim predicted
Example:
- Before: “Survey results were overwhelmingly positive. This shows that users prefer the new design.”
- After: “Survey results were overwhelmingly positive. This confirms that users prefer the new design.”
4. This indicates / Indicates
Connotation: moderate, somewhat tentative
Use when: your data or evidence points in a direction, but it’s not definitive.
Example:
- Before: “Sales spiked in Q4. This shows consumer interest is high during the holiday season.”
- After: “Sales spiked in Q4. This indicates greater consumer interest during the holiday season.”
5. This suggests / Suggests
Connotation: tentative, interpretive, cautious
Use when: you are inferring or hypothesizing, not claiming absolute certainty..
Example:
- Before: “The student attendance dropped significantly. This shows they’re disengaged.”
- After: “The student attendance dropped significantly. This suggests disengagement among students.”
6. This reveals / Reveals
Connotation: implies uncovering something hidden or less obvious
Use when: your evidence brings to light something new, surprising, or deeper
Example:
- Before: “The diary excerpts mention recurring nightmares. This shows the protagonist’s trauma.”
- After: “The diary excerpts mention recurring nightmares. This reveals the protagonist’s deep trauma.”
7. This highlights / Highlights
Connotation: draws attention, emphasizes
Use when: you want the reader to focus on a particular aspect
Example:
- Before: “The statistics compare male and female participation. This shows the gender gap.”
- After: “The statistics compare male and female participation. This highlights the gender gap.”
8. This exemplifies / Exemplifies
Connotation: shows by example, a model case
Use when: the example is representative of a broader pattern
Example:
- Before: “In this case, their policy fails to reduce emissions. This shows the flaw in their logic.”
- After: “In this case, their policy fails to reduce emissions. This exemplifies the flaw in their logic.”
9. This manifests / Manifests
Connotation: becomes evident, especially over time. Say this shows in an essay
Use when: an effect or quality appears gradually or is revealed through behavior.
Example:
- Before: “Over time, the character’s letters become terse. This shows his growing bitterness.”
- After: “Over time, the character’s letters become terse. This manifests his growing bitterness.”
10. This evinces / Evinces
Connotation: somewhat formal, “makes visible,” “shows clearly”
Use when: you want a more elevated style, and the evidence is fairly clear
Example:
- Before: “Her hesitation in answering questions shows her uncertainty.”
- After: “Her hesitation in answering questions evinces her uncertainty.”
11. This signifies / Signifies
Connotation: indicates meaning, symbolic or interpretive weight
Use when: the evidence is not just factual but meaningful
Example:
- Before: “He tucks his shirt in when entering the classroom. This shows he respects the rules.”
- After: “He tucks his shirt in when entering the classroom. This signifies his respect for the rules.”
12. This underscores / Underscores
Connotation: emphasizes or reinforces
Use when: you want to restate or highlight an important point supported by evidence.e
Example:
- Before: “Her early success followed by failure shows how fickle luck is.”
- After: “Her early success followed by failure underscores how fickle luck can be.”
13. This displays / Displays
Connotation: presents visually or clearly
Use when: you want a somewhat neutral, descriptive tone
Example:
- Before: “The chart shows a drop in prices.”
- After: “The chart displays a drop in prices.”
14. This presents / Presents
Connotation: introduces evidence or a case
Use when: you want a soft, somewhat formal tone
Example:
- Before: “The comparison shows the difference in approach.”
- After: “The comparison presents the difference in approach.”
15. This points to / Points to
Connotation: indicates indirectly, suggests direction
Use when: evidence is part of a cumulative case
Example:
- Before: “The rising trend shows growing support for reform.”
- After: “The rising trend points to growing support for reform.”
Additional Tips & Insights
Avoiding overuse (and the “synonym trap”)
Rotating synonyms mechanically isn’t enough. It’s better to build sentences so you don’t need “this shows” at all.Say this shows in an essay
Sometimes the most elegant way is: active statement — “X demonstrates Y,” “Y emerges from X,” etc.
Don’t force a fancy word if it sounds awkward. Clarity matters more than variety.
When you might skip a signal phrase entirely
Sometimes you can integrate the evidence and interpretation in one sentence: say this shows in an essay.
“A 30% rise in enrollment demonstrates that student interest soared.”
“Caught lying twice, the witness likely had motives — the data implies guilt.”
You don’t always need the “This ___” scaffolding.
Layering nuance
You can combine: “This strongly suggests,” “This clearly reveals,” “This rather ironically underscores,” etc. Just don’t turn it into a pileup. Say this shows in an essay
Matching the tone and discipline
In scientific or technical writing, you might favor neutral or strong terms: “indicates,” “demonstrates,” “confirms.”
In humanities, you might prefer interpretive verbs: “reveals,” “evinces,” “signifies.”
In less formal essays, “highlights,” “shows,” and “points to” may be fine.
Watch your subject and object
Instead of vague “this,” specify:
- “This result”
- “This pattern”
- “The passage”
- “Her remark”
- “The data from Table 3”
More specificity strengthens clarity: “The data reveals…” rather than “This reveals…”.
Common Mistakes & How to Avoid Them
| Mistake | Why it’s a problem | Fix or alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Using a strong verb with weak evidence (“this proves” when the evidence is ambiguous) | Overstates your case, invites pushback | Use “suggests,” “indicates,” etc. |
| Using an obscure or overly complex alternative just for variety | Reader stumbles; the prose feels forced | Stick to clear verbs your reader knows |
| Replacing “this shows” everywhere, regardless of nuance | You lose subtlety | Think: Does the evidence prove? Point to? Reveal? |
| Repeating alternatives too often | Same problem — monotony in a different form | Rotate, but also restructure sentences |
| Leaving “this shows” undeclared (what is “this”?) | The reader has to guess | Specify subject (“this finding,” “the data,” “this example”) |
Real-Life Examples (Full Paragraphs)
Here are two short example paragraphs showing how you can weave these alternatives into your writing.
Example 1: Science / Economics essay
The quarterly revenue rose from $2 million to $5 million—a growth of 150 percent. This dramatic increase demonstrates the effectiveness of the new marketing strategy. Furthermore, customer feedback scores improved by 40 percent, which confirms that clients responded positively to changes. Taken together, these data points indicate that the firm’s pivot toward digital channels is paying off.
Notice how we used demonstrates, confirms, and indicates. Each choice corresponds to how strong or reinforcing the evidence is.
Example 2: Literary / Humanities essay
In the third chapter, the protagonist’s language shifts from hopeful to bitter. This shift reveals the deepening disillusionment he feels. His reference to “empty promises” later in the novel exemplifies his loss of faith in social norms. Additionally, his silence at the climactic trial underscores how powerless he has become.
Here, reveals, exemplifies, and underscores help paint a more textured picture than repeated “this shows.”
Why Writers Use (and Learn) Signal Phrases
Signal and lead-in phrases are widely discussed in writing pedagogy because they serve multiple roles:
They guide readers by marking transitions between your voice and evidence or sources.
They help avoid dropped quotations or abrupt shifts in voice.
They let you vary tone and stance (assertive, tentative, neutral) by choosing appropriate verbs.
In many academic guides, writers are encouraged to vary signal-verb choice for style, clarity, and nuance.
Replacing “this shows” is a part of mastering that variation.
FAQs (You Asked — I Answer)
01. Q: Is it always wrong to use “this shows”?
- No. “This shows” is acceptable — it’s simple and clear. The problem is monotony, not the phrase itself. If you use it occasionally and with intention, it’s fine. say this shows in an essay
02. Q: Are there more than 15 alternatives?
- Yes, the English language is rich. The list I gave covers especially useful ones. Others, like illustrate, pinpoint, display, make clear, bring out, cast light on, etc., are also valid.
03. Q: What about passive constructions (“it is shown that…”)
- Passive voice is sometimes necessary, but often weaker. “It is shown that X” can sound vague or impersonal. Better: “The study shows that X,” or “This evidence indicates that X.”
04. Q: How many times in an essay should I vary these?
- There’s no fixed rule. Use variation where natural. say this shows in an essay Don’t force a fancy word just to avoid “this shows.” Prioritize clarity and flow.
05. Q: What if the evidence is weak?
- Then use weaker verbs: indicates, suggests, points to. say this shows in an essay Or explicitly state limitations: “While modest, the increase suggests a positive trend.”
06. Q: Are there discipline-specific preferences?
- Yes. In some sciences, “demonstrates,” “confirms,” and “indicates” are common. In sociology or literary criticism, you may see “reveals,” “signifies,” “evinces.” It helps to skim papers in your field and notice authors’ choices.
07. Q: Can I start a sentence with one of these verbs?
- Absolutely. For example:
“This result underscores the need for further study.”
Or:
“It highlights a gap in existing research.”
Or invert:
“The survey results exemplify the wider trend.”
08. Q: Does changing “this shows” improve my grade?
- It won’t magically get you a better grade, but it can improve readability, style, and clarity. say this shows in an essay Those contribute to stronger writing overall.
Summary & Next Steps
Using “this shows” is fine — it does the job — but leaning on it alone can make your writing flat and repetitive. By choosing richer alternatives like demonstrates, suggests, reveals, exemplifies, etc., you’ll express nuance, reflect confidence say this shows in an essay (or caution), and engage your reader more strongly.
Here’s how to move forward:
Keep the 15 alternatives above in mind.
As you write or revise, spot every “this shows” and ask: Is there a better verb?
Check strength: Is my evidence strong enough to prove or just suggest?
Read your sentence aloud — does it flow?
Over time, aim to weave evidence and interpretation in tighter sentences so you don’t always need a separate signal phrase. say this shows in an essay