Essay writing is a complex task that is more than just a matter of words on paper. Every word of your essay should be chosen carefully and strategically because it has the potential to make or break your argument. It is important to consider the words you use in your essay to ensure that it effectively conveys your message in a meaningful and powerful way.
The wrong choice of words can make your essay boring, unoriginal, and even weaken your argument. On the other hand, the right choice of words can make your essay shine, stand out from the rest, and illustrate your points in a clear and powerful way.
We provide tips for writing good essay, how to choose words that effectively convey your message and make your essay more powerful. We also discuss words and phrases to avoid when writing an essay to ensure that you create an original, engaging piece of writing.
Finally, we offer some general tips for creating a perfect piece of writing. With these guidelines in mind, you will be able to create an essay that communicates your ideas and impresses your readers.
Write like a blogger,
journalist or novelist? Fail…
So your marker is trying to assess your knowledge of the information and your critical, insightful, and balanced presentation of it.
Focus on being “critical”, “insightful”, and “balanced”. Do not make the mistake of trying to be “engaging”, “exciting”, or “entertaining”.
If you are trying to convey a certain tone in your essay, it is also important to think carefully about your choice of words. For example, while informal language may be appropriate in some contexts, it may seem unprofessional or even offensive when trying to convey a formal tone in an academic setting.
Therefore, it is important to choose your words carefully and avoid those that might detract from your message, so that you maintain a consistent and appropriate tone throughout your essay.
In fact, the more you try to excite or sell your marker on a position by using superlatives, the more they’ll roll their eyes.
Your marker is going to decide what grade he’s going to give you in the first few minutes of reading. The language you use in the first few paragraphs matters. A lot.
Word groups that lower your paper grade
Exaggerated words that you should
not use in an essay
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Absolute Best -
Absolute Worst -
Breaking -
Convincing -
Ground -
Miraculous -
Sensational -
Superb -
Thoroughly -
Unbelievable
First in tips for writing good essay: it is not recommended to use overly exaggerated words in your essay. Using this type of language can give the impression that you are trying to convince your teacher to buy a run-down property.
Studies have shown that when students overuse words with a reinforcing effect, their academic performance tends to suffer. These words are known in academic circles as “boosters”.
Using synonyms for overused words can help you keep your paper sounding academic. Synonyms provide variety in word choice while still allowing you to convey the same message with precision.
For example, instead of using the phrase “the best of both worlds”, try using another phrase such as “all the advantages”, which still conveys the same sentiment without sounding too emotional.
Your goal is to have the appearance of a very sober analysis of the pros and cons of a particular point. The same research study mentioned above emphasized that sober analysis tends to get higher grades.
So you don’t want to give the impression that you’ve exaggerated.
One of the biggest mistakes students make when writing an essay is to overstate their claims. Students think their goal is to present a powerful argument that will overwhelmingly convince their marker of one fact or another.
In reality, a truly critical thinker-even in an argumentative or critical essay-is critical of both himself and others.
That’s why they don’t overstate one side of an argument. Even if they come to a conclusion at the end of their piece, it’s only after they’ve picked apart the flaws and problems with all sides of an argument.
They may present a seemingly overwhelming statistic next to a less overwhelming statistic to show that there is disagreement within an issue. Even if both statistics seem to support a statement, present them side by side to show that even people who agree on the big issues disagree on some of the smaller points.
One of the best ways to show that you have made a deep, thoughtful, and insightful “critical commentary” on a topic is to show the small differences between different scholarly sources you have read. It also shows that you didn’t get carried away and believe something wholeheartedly in a way that seems reckless.
Assertive words that you should
not use in an essay
Second in tips for writing good essay: we don’t know anything fully, unambiguously, and undeniably. Therefore, nothing is ever ‘confirmed’.
Even the “theory” of gravity is just a theory. In fact, it’s been changed and updated many, many times since Isaac Newton got hit on the head by that apple.
In fact, the basis of university thinking is the idea that we never really know anything to be completely true. It goes back to scholars like Nicolaus Copernicus. In 1514, Copernicus proposed that the sun revolved around the earth.
At the time, this was a preposterous claim! Everyone knew, was absolutely certain, that the Earth was the center of the universe. The sun rose in the morning and went to bed at night – that’s the way the world was.
However, by observing the positions of the stars at night, Copernicus showed us that we could observe that it was not the sun that was moving through space – it was us!
Copernicus showed us that we have to allow our beliefs to be shaped by our observations. Thinking something is true – no matter how much it seems to be true! – is not enough. We must always keep our minds open to new ideas.
This new way of thinking was called skepticism by Copernicus’ contemporary, Francis Bacon.
Today, students are taught to be skeptical at all times. So we try not to use words that leave no room for new data to change our minds.
Take a look at some words that are overly certain and consider replacing them with more skeptical terms:
Stay away from these assertive claims
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Certainly -
Confirms -
Incontrovertibly -
Irrefutable -
Knows -
Proves -
Settles the Debate -
True Facts -
Undeniable -
With Absolute Certainty -
Without a Doubt
Use this instead…
-
Reinforces -
Supports -
Highlights -
Emphasises -
Argues -
Identifies -
Agrees -
Shows -
Defends -
Current Scientific Consensus -
Backs Up
Emotional words that you should
not use in an essay
Third in tips for writing good essay: if you use emotionally charged language in your essay, it may indicate that you have not taken the time to think critically about your arguments.
Therefore, using emotionally charged words is a warning sign to your instructor that more analysis and research is needed. To ensure that you appear to have reached a conclusion through careful evaluation and research, avoid using emotional language.
Expressing your argument in a more neutral way may be more effective in demonstrating to your reviewer that you are not subject to the prejudices of the researcher. A reasoned approach will be far more persuasive.
It is highly recommended that you stay away from the following words:
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Abhorrent -
Absurd -
Beautiful -
Disagreeable -
Disgusting -
Gorgeous -
Perfect -
Repulsive -
Ridiculous -
Sickening -
Stupid -
Unintelligent
Final tips for writing good essay
When writing an good essay, you should let the data speak for itself and not inject your personal thoughts into the work. Unlike journalistic or blogging pieces, the focus should be on the information presented, not the writer’s opinion.
Essay writing should be precise, clear, and direct. It requires thoughtfulness and evaluation. However, it is best to remain even-tempered and professional in your approach. If you are overly dramatic, express strong feelings, or are aggressive in your approach, you may not get the results you want.
Fourth in tips for writing good essay: there are times when focusing on words you should avoid is more important than words you should include. You can start to build up your grades by paying attention to your choice of words and phrases.
Check your essay more than once.
And last in tips for writing good essay: proofreading your essay is an important step in the writing process. Taking the time to check for errors can help you refine your essay and ensure that it is free of typos and mistakes.
Using a spell checker or peer review can help ensure that your essay is as error-free as possible. In addition, it is beneficial to read your essay aloud to yourself, as this will allow you to catch any mistakes that the spell checker or peer reviewer may have missed.
Finally, once you have proofread and edited your good essay, it is important to double-check that all of the sources you have used have been accurately cited and that all of your quotations have been properly formatted according to the instructions provided by your instructor. By taking these steps, you will be able to submit an essay that is free of errors.