Writing the perfect essay is a combination of research, creativity, and, most of all, practice. So, it is something you can work on to get better. To craft the perfect academic essay, you must first learn the basics. That is the styles and rules governing the writing and the structuring and referencing. That said, this article gives you practical tips you can start implementing today to write better essays. Let’s get started.
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Always Start With An Outline
One of the most basic but relevant essays writing tips is creating an outline. An outline is a general layout of your essay idea and guides you during the writing process. The logic is that if you start writing without a plan, you are more than likely to leave out important ideas or stray away from the plot.
Typically, you want to create an outline that contains:
- Your introduction idea, along with the thesis statement
- Ideas and their supporting evidence for the body paragraphs
- A conclusion that brings everything together and restates your statement
As a rule of thumb, your essay should not contain less than three strong ideas, along with evidence supporting your thesis. That means having at least three body paragraphs.
Have Your Main Idea In Mind When Writing And Support It With Evidence
As you write your piece, make sure you’ve got your thesis at the front of your mind. Ensure that every idea and evidence you include in your writing support that thesis. While it might be tempting to add side plots or ideas because they sound interesting, doing so can make your work confusing and all over the place. Instead, stick to the initial thesis and analyze it thoroughly so that the reader understands or even agrees with your viewpoint by the time they reach the concluding paragraph.
Polish Up Your Grammar
A determined writer can definitely push through your essay to the end, even with several grammar mistakes. But in most cases, they will still miss much of what you are saying, as their mind will be fixated on the numerous errors in the paper.
Poor grammar will undoubtedly suck the life out of your writing- and probably have the reader losing interest in the first few lines. We can’t overemphasize the importance of good grammar. So, make daily efforts to polish your grammar by:
- Reading books more often.
- Teach yourself the basics, like article use, punctuation, sentence structuring, etc.
- Get rid of transitions that bring no value to the essay.
- Have a dictionary or thesaurus whenever you are writing to grow your vocabulary.
- Practice-write as regularly as you can to apply the skills you learn.
Beware Of Repetition, Which Can Suck The Creativity Out Of Your Writing
It’s not uncommon for a professor to give a topic and ask you to write a 6-page essay on it. With tasks that need you to keep to one idea the whole time, it’s very easy to find yourself overly repetitive. However, repetition will only make you look lazy in your professor’s eyes, even if you took your time to do research.
So, every time you draft an essay, go through it and highlight any words that sound repetitive. Once you know where you repeated yourself, consider eliminating or replacing these parts. However, be careful not to use awkward or unfamiliar words to make your work sound unique.
Use Active Voice As Much As Possible
“The bag was carried by Jane.”
“Jane carried the bag.”
Both sentences say the same thing. However, the first is in passive voice and the latter in active voice. Change your writing by using an active voice as much as possible. The trick here is to always start with the subject performing the action. Active voice not only shows that you have good grammar skills but also breathes life into your essay so that it stands out from the rest.
Get Someone To Check And Critique Your Essay
Not sure if your writing is getting better? Have someone else critique it. Getting someone to look at your essay can actually help you see mistakes you probably didn’t even know you made. One of the best places to get a professional writer or editor to look at your essay is online. Simply look up essay help online to talk to an expert writer.
Proofread Thoroughly
Even the greatest of writers make mistakes in their writing. That’s why you should never submit an essay you haven’t gone through to eliminate errors. When proofreading, make sure you go beyond correcting grammar and punctuation mistakes. Remove clichés, fluff, and any ambiguous phrases.
Final Words
If you have been struggling with writing great academic essays, implementing these tips will definitely help you write better. Remember, it will take some practice. So, while you will notice an immediate improvement, you will grow better with time.
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