Many students struggle with their essay writing simply because they don’t completely understand what the best way to go about them.
Even then, essay writing should not be a difficult task if you follow through with the below advice and tips.
1. Always use active voice
As much as possible, when writing an essay, use active voice. Most student essays are straight boring and dry because many students use passive voice to write their essays while ignoring the active voice in their work.
Active voice adds reader interest and impact on the written message making it lively. This can earn you more marks.
2. Avoid jargon and technical language
In the temptation to sound smart and clever, many students lose marks when they become overly technical or vague in their language.
Jargon is bad for essays and as much as possible should be replaced by acceptable, simple terms and language. Simply, if you can find a simple alternative to a word, avoid jargon and technical terms, just do it.
3. Use short sentences
Long sentences everywhere, sound plain and boring. If you extend these to three lines or so, you end up jumbling ideas. As a result, you confuse the reader and no communication happens.
If there is a shorter way to say something, do it. Think twice before thinking of complex sentences. Ideas need to be in short, precise, and impactful sentences.
4. Indefinite references
Indefinite references often appear in essays where long sentences are used. Logically, when you write five ideas in one sentence, you are bound to get lost. If you don’t, then your reader will be lost.
If this happens, then communication will be lost. Try as much as possible, to use direct sentences to infer definite points or ideas. This will help your essays from becoming generic, confusing, and boring.
5. Use strong topic sentences
The first line of the first paragraph takes the reader into the body. If possible, try to say what the topic is in the first sentence of the first paragraph. This adds impact to the sentence and this can help you communicate better.
Also, once the sentence starts strongly, you make readers eager for supporting sentences and ideas. This makes them want to read and hence, more marks for you.
6. Avoid a chatty tone
When you write a paper, what sounds cool in spoken language should be omitted. An essay is a statement of a thesis and how to prove it. Don’t use informal niceties, conversational terms, exclamation marks, slang, and other elements that sound less formal.
The essay should at least sound formal even if you love to chat. This sounds boring, but it will give heaviness to the message and earn you marks.
7. Observe sentence structure
Sentence structure and how sentences communicate the messages are of utmost importance. Correct all grammar mistakes in your work.
The easiest way to do this is by using succinct and direct statements that add value to your work. Also note that if your essay is scientific, always italicize the scientific terms where appropriate.
8. Cite your sources properly
There are different rules of writing and citing sources. A well-cited paper looks more convincing and adds value. In fact, professors and lecturers alike respect well-cited work. Use the appropriate citation that is provided by your teachers to score well.
Students should always verify (well in advance) what types of citations are required on an assignment. Should they use footnotes, parenthetical notes, or just a bibliography. Also is it the MLA, Chicago, or APA style? Clarifying these ahead of time can save a lot of headaches later.
great and useful tips. I’m already using it. At this very moment I write my essay.
Thank you for these informative tips you’ve shared and I can definitely use this for my future essay writing.
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