Is On The One Hand Formal?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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The discourse marker, or sentence connector used by the OP; “on the one hand on the other hand” expresses

two contrasting ideas, opinions or facts

. It is a perfectly acceptable expression in formal papers; however, there is nothing to prevent it from being shortened to “on the other hand”.

Is on the one hand correct?

“On the one hand” is clearly a figure of speech. On the other hand, “on one hand” can be a

literal reference to a person’s hand

. As a native British English speaker, I would always use “on the one hand … on the other hand” in the OP’s context.

What is another way of saying on the one hand?


contrastingly


instead
reversing it conversely on the flip side however on the other side of the coin contrarily oppositely nevertheless

Can I use on the other hand in academic writing?

Simply put,

you cannot use on the other hand without first including on the one hand

. Even when used correctly—to contrast connecting ideas in support of your argument—these academic phrases can usually be cut from your writing.

Is on one hand informal?

And most English speakers will understand this without any problems. As such, it is fine to use ‘on the other hand’ by itself in many contexts. However, some consider using ‘on the other

hand’ by itself informal

. As such, you may want to avoid this in formal writing, such as academic essays or business documents.

Is on the other hand a cliche?

A phrase is a cliche, on the other hand,

if in usage it is overused and ineffective

. Neither of these qualities is objectively measurable, and so the declaration that a phrase is a cliche will always be a subjective one. “On the other hand”, which I just used, is an idiom, by virtue of being mostly noncompositional.

Can you use on the other hand without on the first hand?

5 Answers. You are right,

it is fine to use “on the other hand”

without explicitly mentioning “the one hand” – the reader/listener can easily infer it. Indeed, using “on the one hand… on the other hand” in most contexts sounds laboured and overwrought.

Where did on the other hand come from?

The first use of the phrase can be traced to

1630

. It is a figurative use of the literal action of holding out two hands and offering people two options. If you pick the one option it will differ from the one on the other hand.

What is the meaning of one hand?

1 :

having or using only one hand could beat him up one

-handed. 2a : designed for or requiring the use of only one hand.

What is the difference between on the one hand and on the other hand?

used when you are comparing two different facts or two opposite ways of thinking about a situation: On the

one hand I’d like a job that pays more

, but on the other hand I enjoy the work I’m doing at the moment.

What can I say instead of begin?

initially originally firstly at the start at the outset beforehand incipiently in the beginning primarily to start with

Is on the flip side formal?

On the flip side is another way of saying on the other hand. It is

a little less formal

and would be most commonly heard in The USA rather than in Britain.

What is a different word for Whereas?

Find another word for whereas. In this page you can discover 23 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for whereas, like:

while on the contrary

, while, although, considering that, though, since, when, when in fact, insomuch as, however and because.

Can I use on the other hand in formal writing?

And most English speakers will understand this without any problems. As such, it is fine to use “on the other hand” by itself in many contexts. However, some consider using “on the other hand” by itself informal. As such,

you may want to avoid this in formal writing

, such as academic papers or business documents.

How do you say on the other hand professionally?

  1. additionally.
  2. also.
  3. besides.
  4. further.
  5. furthermore.
  6. moreover.
  7. on the contrary.
  8. on the other hand.

Why has the writer used the phrase on the other hand?

—used

to introduce a statement that contrasts with a previous statement

or presents a different point of view He’s a good guy. His brother, on the other hand, is a very selfish man. Profits are earned by those who own and employ capital.

Rachel Ostrander
Author
Rachel Ostrander
Rachel is a career coach and HR consultant with over 5 years of experience working with job seekers and employers. She holds a degree in human resources management and has worked with leading companies such as Google and Amazon. Rachel is passionate about helping people find fulfilling careers and providing practical advice for navigating the job market.