ACADEMIC PARTNER

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Steps to write an effective essay
Tips to master grammar in an Essay
Tips to master sentence structure in an Essay
Tips to enhance Essay writing skills
Common mistakes in Essay Writing
Steps to write an effective essay

The process of writing an effective essay can be outlined in the following steps:

Let’s look at each of the above and understand what needs to be kept in mind for each.

1) Define the purpose - Broadly, the purpose can be either to give an overview or an analysis. More
specifically, it should be pre-defined as an essay intended to:

a) Persuade - whether for or against, you should be atleast moderately passionate about the issue.

b) Explain/Educate- you should be suitably well-informed about the issue.

2) Organize your ideas

a) Brainstorm- This helps you to think laterally and divergently on the various issues and challenges
with respect to the given topic. The following are some simple tips to brainstorm effectively:

i) Write the topic in a circle

ii) Arrows and smaller circles outside

iii) Fill these circles with points/facts/info. which support the respective point

In fact, you can use two very effective techniques for brainstorming.

Technique-1: The SPHELTIR technique of brainstorming

This approach is a yardstick to evaluate the topic from multiple environmental dimensions- social,
political, historical, economic, legal, technological, international, and religious. This method is more
useful for brainstorming on factual topics.

Technique-2: The POPBEANS approach to brainstorming

This is also a useful tool to think about topics that require both structure and diversity. The tool assesses
the following aspects surrounding a given topic- people, objects, place, behavior, event, action, nature,
and society. This method is particularly useful for abstract topics.

Let’s take up an example topic and see how we can use this technique.

Sample Topic: "Black"

As you can see, this single-letter is extremely abstract in nature and requires you to think outside of the
box. Using the POPBEANS approach, you can think of the following pointers for this topic:

• People - Corrupt/ dishonest people

• Objects - Black hole, manipulated balance sheet (commerce point)

 • Place - Historical monuments, graveyard, South or North pole

• Behavior - Rude and aggressive behavior

• Event - 26/11, other tragic events

• Actions - Honor killing, female foeticide, negligent behaviour

• Nature - Environmental degradation, catastrophic events,

• Society - Decline in values, morals

Remember, the above are simple pointers that you can relate with the topic in any way possible. You
can build content on these pointers and take the essay in any direction.

b) Outline: Another aspect of organizing your ideas for the essay is to prepare effective outlines.

i. Note down the main points- consider: chronology, logic, sequence

ii. Put the strongest points at the start and the end, leaving the weakest in the middle

iii. Ensure a logical and structured flow

3) Writing the essay

In its most basic and traditional form, an essay has three elemental parts: introduction, body and
conclusion. Each of these parts has a specific purpose which means the reader will be looking for
expected features.

i. Introduction: Any introduction starts with a general opening statement which informs readers
about the subject and gradually narrows to a specific thesis. The thesis statement, tells the
reader what you are going to say about your topic.

Thesis statements often come at the end of the introductory paragraph.

Tips to write a good introduction:

• Attract attention by some quotes, anecdotes, statistics, etc.

• Give an overview of the essay's focus and flow

• Finish the introduction with the Thesis Statement

• It is not a summary but merely an introduction to what is to follow

• Introduction should not exceed 10% of the total length of the essay

• Writer's block occurs the most here-so consider writing it after completing the rest of the essay.
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 ii. The Body

The body is made up of the paragraphs which support your thesis. These paragraphs contain the
evidence, arguments, and examples that support your ideas. The number of paragraphs will depend
upon on the number of ideas covered. Try to follow ‘one point-one paragraph’ rule.

The following need to be kept in mind at this stage:

• Each main idea becomes a body paragraph

• Start each body paragraph by writing a main point

• Then, write supporting points for the main point

• Elaborate on the supporting points

Effective body paragraphs possess three important qualities:

1. Unity: Focus on one main idea.

2. Development: This occurs when the idea is elaborated in the paragraph. This elaboration usually
consists of the evidence and examples that support the point you are making in the paragraph.

3. Coherence: Everything in the paragraph relates to and expands on the main idea of the
paragraph.

4) The Conclusion

The conclusion starts with a summary of the specific points of your essay, followed by a restatement of
your thesis (usually in a slightly reworded form), and ends with a rather general statement about the
implications of your thesis). Considering the time given to write an essay, please try to conclude in a
concise way and do not try to introduce any new idea.

Tips to write a good conclusion:

• Review the main points (but do not restate them)

• Provide a final perspective on the topic

• Remember not to violate the intent specified by the Thesis Statement

For example, consider the topic "UN-Reforms". Let’s see which course this topic will take with different
lines of thinking:

• Persuade: Does the UN need reforms? (list arguments ‘for’ or ‘against’)

• Explain: The UN needs urgent reforms ( list the steps proving why)

• Educate : The need for UN reforms (list the areas that need attention)
There are three kinds of ideation that you can up for essay topics:

• Theoretical-the underlying basis

• Conceptual- the tools/concepts

• Empirical-the illustrations/examples

All three refer mainly to the body paragraphs:

• Theoretical – the main point of a body paragraph

• Conceptual - the elaboration of the body paragraph

• Empirical -examples to substantiate the body paragraph

Tips to master grammar in an Essay

Writing great essays is a craft that cannot be mastered overnight. It requires constant practice in the
right direction. Given the high weight age provided to Essay writing in the selection process of various
top MBA colleges including the IIMs, it is important for an aspirant to master this craft. In this article, we
provide you certain grammar rules that you should keep in mind while writing essays.

A. Subject-Verb Agreement

The verb and subject has to agree. When the subject is singular, the verb has to be singular. If the
subject is plural, the verb must be plural.

1. When a singular subject is divided by a comma from an accompanying phrase, it stays singular:

The kid, together with his grandmother and his parents, is going to the beach.

Wrong: David, accompanied by his student, were at the studio.

Right: David, accompanied by his student, was at the studio.

2. Collective nouns, like family, majority, audience, and committee are considered singular when they
act in a collective manner or represent one group. They are plural when they act as individuals.

Collective nouns are ideally singular in sentence

A majority of the stakeholders wants the merger.

Here the "majority" acts as a singular, and therefore has a singular verb: "wants."

The jury were in disagreement.

3. Phrases divided by and are plural; phrases divided by or are singular. Neither/nor and either/or are
also singular.

Ted, John, and I are going.

Because they are divided by and the plural form is used

4. Be careful, you choose the right subject in sentences in which the verb precedes the subject.

Wrong: There is many reasons why I can't help you.

Right: There are many reasons why I can't help you.

Here 'reasons' is the subject.

Beware of confusing singular/plural words:

Singular / Plural

Medium / Media

Datum / Data

B. Modification

1. Errors while using Adjectives and Adverbs.

Check if a word modifier is an ADJECTIVE or an ADVERB. Make sure the correct form is used.

• An ADJECTIVE describes a noun. It also answers the questions of: how many, which one, what kind?

• She is a talented tennis player. (Answers: What kind of tennis player?)

• An ADVERB shows either a verb or an adjective and answers the questions: when, where, why, in what
manner, and to what extent?

She plays tennis well. (She plays tennis. how?)

This exercise is relatively easy. (How easy?)

Most adverbs are formed by adding-ly to the adjective, such as he worked quickly.

Wrong: She is a real talented dancer.

Right: She is a really talented dancer.

"Really" here acts as an adverb, modifying the adjective "talented"

Wrong: The new student speaks bad.

Right: The new student speaks badly.

"Badly" modifies how the student speaks.

2. Errors of Adjectives with Verbs of Sense.

The following verbs of sense are described by ADJECTIVES:

Be / look / Smell / taste / feel / seem

Wrong: After the three-week vacation, she looked very well.

Right: After the three-week vacation, she looked very good.

NOTE: "She is well" is also correct in the meaning of "She is healthy" or in describing a person's well-
being.
Wrong: The strawberry shortcake tastes deliciously.

Right: The strawberry shortcake tastes delicious.

3. Location of Modification

A modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that describes another part of the sentence.

You should place a modifier as close as possible to what it is modifying. Modifiers sometimes appear to
modify words that they don't actually modify.

Examples:

1. On reaching the train station, his friends met him and took him immediately to his speaking
engagement in Springfield.

This sounds as if the friends reached at the train station. It

should say... "When Jay reached at the train station, his friends met him…

Tricks: note that 'its' is a possessive of 'it', and 'it's' is the contraction of 'it' and 'is'.

C. Pronouns

At times, it's difficult to say which noun a pronoun replaces and which case - subjective or objective -
should be used.

The pronoun you use depends on if the pronoun is being used as the subject (or the object) of a
sentence.

Subject / Objective

He / Him

She / Her

Who / Whom

I / Me

they / Them

We / Us

1. Pronoun Subject-Object.

Figure out whether a pronoun is the SUBJECT or the OBJECT of a verb or a preposition.

Wrong: How could he blame you and her for the accident?
Right: How could he blame you and her for the accident?

Example

(He/him) is better equipped.

Here, pronoun is the subject of the verb suited, meaning "he" acts as the subject.

WHO vs. WHOM

When the pronoun is acting as a subject, it should be 'who'. If the pronoun acts as an object, it should be
'whom'.

Example

I don't know (who/whom) David meant.

'Whom' is in the object form because it is the object of meant

(with Steve as the subject).

2. Whether the pronoun and its verb agree in quantity

Remember that the following are singular:

Each / Either / Anyone / anything / everyone / everything /Neither / no one / nothing / What / whatever
/ whoever

These are plural:

Several / Others / few / Both / many

1) Wrong: Everyone in the team have to come to the meeting.

Right: Everyone in the team has to come to the meeting.

The forms "either... or" and "neither.. .nor" are singular, taking a singular verb. However, if the noun
closest to the verb in the "neither..nor or either...or" is plural, then the verb is plural.

2) Wrong: Neither his bodyguards nor he was there.

Right: Neither he nor his bodyguards were there.

3. Whether possessive pronouns agree in number and person.

1) Wrong: Some of you will have to carry their own food.

Right: Some of you will have to carry your own food.

Some is singular.
2) Wrong: If anyone comes over, take their name.

Right: If anyone comes over, take his name.

The subject is anyone, which is singular, which requires a singular pronoun (his).

4. "Objects" of to be verbs stay in the subject form.

1) Wrong: It should have been her who called.

Right: It should have been she who called.

5. A relative pronoun (which, that or who) refers to the word preceding it. If the meaning is not clear,
the pronoun is in the incorrect position.

The word 'which' introduces non-essential clauses, 'That' introduces essential clauses. 'Who' refers to
individuals, 'that' refers to a group of people, class, type, or species.

1) Wrong: The queue at the bank was very slow, which made me late.

Right: I was late because of the queue at the bank.

OR The queue at the bank made me late.

6. In forms that use impersonal pronouns, use either "one..one's", his or her" or "you.. your."

1) Wrong: One should get their teeth checked twice a year.

Right: One should get one's/his or her teeth checked twice a year.

OR: You should get your teeth checked twice a year..

2) Wrong: One should take your responsibilities seriously.

Right: One should take one's/his or her responsibilities seriously.

OR: You should take your responsibilities seriously.

D. Parallelism

Similar types of elements in a list should be in a similar form.

Matching constructions must be expressed in parallel form. It is often rhetorically effective to use a
particular construction several times in succession, in order to provide emphasis. Here is an example.

As a naturalist, Teddy Roosevelt made many exploration discoveries, as a military leader he helped to
inspire victory in Cuba, and as a statesman he established America as a superpower.

Writers often use a parallel structure for dissimilar items.

Wrong: They are strong, attractive, and cost only a dollar each.

(The adjectives are 'strong' and 'attractive', but cannot be understood before 'cost only a dollar each'.)

Right: They are strong and attractive, and they cost only a dollar each.

Parallel constructions is expressed in parallel grammatical form: all nouns, all infinitives, all gerunds, all
prepositional phrases, or all clauses must agree.

Wrong: All MBA students should learn word processing, accounting, and how to coding.

Right: All MBA students should learn word processing, accounting, and coding.

This principle is applicable to any word that begins with each item in a series: prepositions (in, on, by,
with), articles (the, a, an), helping verbs (had, has, would) and possessives (his, her, our).

Repeat the word before every element in a series. If not, include it only before the first item. Anything
else simply violates the rules of parallelism.

In effect, your treatment of the second element of the series determines the form of all subsequent
elements:

Wrong: He put his money in stocks, in real estate, and a home for retired performers.

Right: He put his money in stocks, in real estate, and in a home for retired performers.

When proofreading, check that each item in the series agrees with the word or phrase that begins the
series.
Tips to master sentence structure in an Essay

In this article, we provide you certain sentence structure rules that you should keep in mind while
writing essays.

A. Commas

The comma is the most misused punctuation mark, possibly because writers fret so much about
following the rules that they forget to pay attention to how the words sound when spoken. Commas
allow a reader understand the rhythm of the sentence. If you are having problems with commas, say
your sentence out loud, and listening for natural pauses. The task of a comma is to slow the reader
down for a brief moment, making the reader pause. The omission of a comma can make phrases and
clauses to collide into one another, thus confusing the reader. Commas can alter the meaning of your
sentence.

For example:

The pasta tastes terrible, however the cook fixes it.

The pasta tastes terrible; however, the cook fixes it.

In the first sentence, the pasta tastes terrible no matter how the cook fixes it. In the second sentence,
the cook improves the taste of the pasta. Again, the comma influences the meaning.

Rules for Commas:

1. Use a comma to divide two independent clauses connected by and, but, or, nor, for.
David was usually a shy man, but he screamed when he entered the room.
The unknown man lying under the tree appeared to be dead, or just possibly he was only
sleeping.
If the independent clauses are short, you can do away with the comma.
The lady was still and her foot was bleeding.
His cap was on but his trousers were off.

2. A comma is used to separate elements in a list or series. Don't omit the final comma.
Rahul tried to take a breath, to keep from fainting, and to remember his first aid.
Next to the man was a teapot, a packet of biscuits, and his dog.

3. A comma is used to distinguish introductory phrases and clauses from the independent clause,
especially if the phrase or clause is long.
After catching his breath, Ram squatted next to the doctor and took his pulse.
When he felt nothing, David picked up the feather and blew it.
Although he had never played the piano before, he somehow managed to make beautiful music.
4. In case the introductory phrase is either a gerund, participial, or infinitive phrase, put a comma
even if the phrase is short. Otherwise the reader may be confused:
When Ram began to speak, rats ran across the room.
Not: When Bob began to speak rats ran across the room.

5. When there is a series of adjectives, use a comma if the adjectives could also be separated by
'and'.
The big, fat and tough man began to start crying.
(Wouldn’t write as: The big and fat and tough man)
If the 'and' doesn't seem to fit, don't use the comma:
The man's blue cotton shirt was kept in a corner.
(Wouldn't write as: The man's blue and cotton shirt)
If the rule stated above seems confusing, read the sentence out loud. If there is a slight pause
between adjectives, put in commas. Otherwise, leave them out. Another test: if you can change
the order of the adjectives, put in commas.- For example:
The charming, brilliant teacher
Not: The brilliant, charming teacher
The yellow party dress
Not: The frilly yellow dress

6. Use commas to set off clauses but do not use commas for restrictive clauses. (Quick review: An
essential or restrictive clause is one that can't be left out of a sentence. Clauses that don't define
can be lifted from the sentence without changing the meaning.)
Apples that are green taste sour.
(That are green defines which apples we mean)
Apples, which grow in the tropics, do not need refrigeration.
(Which grow in the tropics refers to all apples. The clause can be taken from the sentence
without altering the meaning.)
Let's look at a sentence that you could punctuate either way, depending on the meaning:
The men who were hungry and mentally tired began eating the KFC bucket.
(who were hungry and mentally tired is a defining clause, telling us which men we mean
The men, who were hungry and mentally tired, began eating the KFC bucket.
Who were hungry and mentally tired describes all of the men and doesn't differentiate these
men from other men who weren't hungry and mentally tired.)

7. Words or phrases that interrupt the sentence should be set off by commas.
Now then, let's get down to work.
"Help me," he said, before falling in the pond.
On the other hand, error can lead to revelation.
What the coach asked, in fact, is impossible to achieve.

8. Use commas to set off an appositive. An appositive is a noun or pronoun that explains or
identifies the noun that precedes it.
 Mrs. Wormwood, my favorite teacher, is wearing a wig.
Sussie, the president of the student council, is on probation.
Remember that commas are one way to make your writing clear. Reading your sentences aloud
is a very good way to find the natural place for commas, as is inspecting your sentences for
ambiguity or confusion.

B. Semi-colons

1. Use a semicolon to link two separate clauses.

To give a good New Year's party, you must consider the lighting of the dance floor; no one feels
comfortable under the bright glare of fluorescent lights.
Please note that the two clauses are connected in thought. Also-and this is the thing to
understand about semicolons-you could use a comma and a conjunction in place of the
semicolon.
To give a good New Year's party, you must consider the lighting of the dance floor, since no one
feels comfortable under the bright glare of fluorescent lights.

2. A semicolon is used to separate elements in a list if the elements are long - or if the elements
themselves have commas in them.
To get completely ready for your dinner, you should wash your utensils; make sure your old
stereo works; prepare a lot of tasty, strange food; and expect weird, antisocial, and frivolous
behavior on the part of your guests.

3. Semicolons belong outside quotation marks.

A beautiful lady at the party sat in a corner and read "The Secret Diary of Luv Khurana"; she may
have been shy, or she may have found "The Secret Diary of Luv Khurana" too exciting to put
down.

C. Colons

1. Use a colon when making a list.

There are four ingredients necessary to a good party: music, lighting, food, and personality.

D. Hyphens

A. Use the hyphen with the compound numbers twenty-one through ninety-nine, and with
fractions used as adjectives.
CORRECT: Seventy-five students formed a majority.
CORRECT: A two-thirds vote was necessary to be considered eligible.

B. Use the hyphen with the prefixes ex, all, and self and with the suffix elect.
CORRECT: The law protects against homicide.
CORRECT: The president-elect was called up to chair the meeting.
 C. A hyphen is used with a compound adjective when it comes before the word it modifies, but not
when it comes post the word it modifies.
CORRECT: The no-holds-barred party continued late into the night. The party continued with no
holds barred.

D. Use the hyphen with any prefix used before a proper noun or adjective.
CORRECT: His pro-Asian sentiments were thoroughly applauded.
CORRECT: They believed that his activities were un-European.

E. The dash is used to refer to a sudden change of thought. In general, however, formal writing is
best when you think out what you want to say in advance and avoid abrupt changes of thought.
CORRECT: The inheritance must cover the entire cost of the proposal-Shiva has no other money
to invest.

E. The Apostrophe

The apostrophe shows ownership. Most of the time, it presents no confusion: David's cat, the man's
finger. The tricky part is using an apostrophe when the owner is plural.

RULES FOR APOSTROPHES

1. When the plural noun doesn't end in -s, put an apostrophe and -s.
(This is the easy part.)
the man's fingers
the fungal's growth
the rat's hairballs

2. If the plural ends in -s, add an apostrophe at the end.

the childs' bottoms
the horses' stable
the politicians' agenda

3. When the word is a proper noun that ends in -s, add an apostrophe and an -s. (This is the part
people get wrong.)
Keats's poem
Ron's riddle
Rahul's crisis
Tips to enhance Essay writing skills

• Improve your vocabulary

To write an essay, that captures the attention of the reader and makes it worth reading, you should
work on building a sound vocabulary and develop consistent reading habits. If you read novels,
magazines, blogs, articles that interests you, it will help to build thinking ability and write good content
in case of any abstract topic. A good vocabulary acts like a cherry on the cake.

• Always form a viewpoint

The reader looks for a stand or your opinion on the given topic. What you think about the topic is
reflected in your writing style. It is important for you to substantiate the given topic with the relevant
examples or facts to build upon the good impression.

• Develop the curiosity in the minds of the reader

The kind of the language used, the writing style, the use of the vocabulary will turn things around you.
Proceed in a manner that generates the interest and develops the curiosity in the reader to read it till
the end. Simply writing or stating the facts will not solve the purpose. Rather, you should try to build up
the story presenting the facts and figures and keep the reader hooked up till the last word.

• Do focus on the presentation skills

One important thing in the essay writing is your way of presentation to the reader. Make sure that you
organize your thoughts and ideas well in the essay. Keep in mind the following parameters to make it
worth reading:

o Mention the TITLE

o Indent (for each new paragraph)

o Avoid slang/casual references

o Avoid too many corrections/cuttings

o Avoid spelling mistakes

o Handwriting should be neat and legible.

• Practice within the time frame:

The more your practice, better will be your essay writing skills. Pick up latest topics and write essays on
them within a specified time frame. A bit of regular every day will surely make a difference in your
writing style and make you better prepared when it comes to the real time testing. This will also help
you formulate an effective strategy for essay writing tests.
Common mistakes in Essay Writing

Writing great essays is a craft that cannot be mastered overnight. It requires constant practice in the
right direction. Here, we point out certain mistakes that you must avoid in order to write effective
essays.

1. Fill Sentences

While writing, you should streamline your essay by avoiding redundant sentences.

• Avoid sentences that do not forward your argument.

• Avoid asking a question that you answer later.

• Avoid sentences that announce that you are shifting the topic.

Instead, use transitional phrases instead of writing sentences to change your subject.

FILL: Who should be the next president? I think Mike Dukakis should give it another try.

TO THE POINT: Mike Dukakis should make a second bid for the presidency.

2. Be Concise

Do not use multiple words when one will do. Writers tend to add phrases like "take into consideration"
in order to sound scholarly. This only makes the text sound inflated and sophomoric. Don't use excessive
and unnecessary verbiage.

WORDY: I am of the opinion that the following managers should be admonished for their use of
customer response services.

CONCISE: We should tell the managers to enhance customer service.

3. Qualification

Writing an essay on the Analysis of Issue is walking a tight rope. You have to be persuasive about your
argument, yet you cannot be excessively one-sided. The Analysis of Issue questions do not have a clear-
cut "answer" to the essay topic, so do not overstate your case. To express that you are reasonable,
sporadically use qualifiers such as fairly, rather, somewhat, relatively, and such expressions as seems to
be, a little, and a certain amount of. However, excessive use of qualification will dilute your argument
and weaken the essay.

WORDY: The Hess spy case was rather serious breach of national security and likely helped the Soviets.

CONCISE: The Hess spy case breached national security and helped the Soviets.

4. Start Strong
Try not to begin a sentence with There is, There are, or It is.

These roundabout expressions usually indicate that you are trying to distance yourself from the position
you are taking. Weak openings usually result from writing before you think- hedging until you find out
what you want to say.

5. Active & Passive Voice

The passive voice is weak because it diminishes accountability. When you use the active voice the verb
performs an action. The passive voice does not directly suggest that the user does something.

The passive voice is useful on occasions. For example, if you wish to express something without blaming
anyone or the question is of responsibility. For example "collateral damage has taken place". The
sentence blames no one and does not assign who actually did it.

PASSIVE: The assignment was completed by John in record time.

ACTIVE: John completed the assignment in record time.

6. Self-Reference

Effective writing should not include phrases as "I believe," "I feel," and "In my opinion." The panelists
know whose opinion is being expressed and he need not be reminded.

WEAK: I am of the opinion that excessive self-reference may add a level of pomposity to an otherwise
effective essay.

FORCEFUL: Excessive self-reference may add a level of pomposity to an otherwise effective essay.

Self-reference, like qualification, is effective when used sparingly.

7. Redundancy

The unnecessary repetition of an idea is called Redundancy. It implies lack of experience by itself. You
may eliminate redundant words or phrases without changing the meaning of the sentence.

Watch out for words that add nothing to the sense of the sentence.

Here are some common redundancies:

1. Refer back to

2. Few in number few

3. Small-sized small

4. Grouped together grouped

5. In my own personal opinion in my opinion

Redundancy often results from carelessness, but you can easily eliminate redundant elements when
proofreading.

8. Vague Writing

Don't just ramble on when you're writing your essays. Choose specific, descriptive words. Vague
language weakens your writing because it forces the reader to guess what you mean instead of
concentrating fully on your ideas and style.

WEAK: Brown is highly educated.

FORCEFUL: Brown has a master's degree in business administration.

Notice that sometimes, to be more specific and concrete, you will have to use more words than you
might with vague language. This principle is not in conflict with the general objective of concision. Being
concise may mean eliminating unnecessary words. Avoiding vagueness may mean adding necessary
words to illustrate your point.

9. Cliché

Cliches are overused expressions, expressions that may once have seemed colorful and powerful but are
now dull and worn out. Time pressure and anxiety may make you lose focus; and that is when cliches
may slip into your writing. A reliance on cliches will suggest you are a lazy thinker. Keep them out of
your essay.

WEAK: Performance in a difficult situation is the acid test for a leader.

FORCEFUL: Performance in a difficult situation is the best indicator of a leader's abilities.

10. Jargon

There are two types of jargons you should avoid. The first is the specialized vocabulary of a group, often
used by a group of people such as doctors, lawyers, or coaches. The second is the overly flowery and
complex language that complicates the essay. Using words that do not fit the tone or context of your
essay will not impress anyone.

If you are not sure of a word's meaning or contextual appropriateness, leave it out. A simple but
appropriate word will add more impact to your argument. When you come across words you are unsure
of, ask yourself "Would a reader of a different field be able to understand what exactly I mean from the
words I have written?" "Is there any way I can say the same thing more simply?"

Here are some sample jargon phrases:

• optimize

• time frame
 • utilize (use)

• finalize (end, complete)

• conceptualize (imagine, think)

11. Voice Shifting

If you are writing an explanatory essay, an occasional self-reference os okay. You can even call yourself
"I" if you want, as long as you keep the number of first person pronouns to a minimum. However, less
egocentric ways of referring to the narrator are "we" and "one." If these ways seem too format, stay
with "I."

For example:

• In my lifetime, I have seen many challenges to the principle of free speech.

• We can see...

• One must admit...

The method of self-reference you select is the narrative voice of your essay. Any of the above narrative
voices are acceptable. However, whichever you choose, you must be careful not to shift narrative voice
in your essay. If you write 'we' in the first sentence, do not use "I" in a later sentence.

INCORRECT: In my lifetime, I have seen many issues to the principle of free speech. We can see how a
free society can get too complacent when free speech is taken for granted.

Likewise, it is wrong to shift from "you" to "one"

INCORRECT: Just by following the news, you can readily see how politicians have a vested interest in
pleasing powerful interest groups. But one should not generalize about this tendency.

12. Colloquialisms

Conversational speech is full of slang and colloquial expressions. However, you should avoid slang on
your essays. Slang terms and colloquialisms can be confusing to the reader. Even worse, a colloquial
writing style may give readers a poor impression of your education, and may even look arrogant.

INAPPROPRIATE: He is really into cooking.

CORRECT: He enjoys cooking.

13. Sentences

Beware of two common caveats:

Sentence fragment, which is a statement with no independent clause

Run-on sentence, which is a combination of two or more independent clauses that are improperly
connected

Sentence Fragments

Every sentence in formal writing must have an independent clause: a clause that expresses a complete
thought and can stand alone. Dependent clauses do not express a complete thought and cannot stand
alone. Errors are made when dependent clauses are used. Independent clauses contain a subject and a
predicate and do not begin with a subordinate conjunction.

NOTE: Starting a single-clause sentence with coordinate conjunctions like and, but, or, nor, for is
acceptable in moderation, although it is not the ideal english usage.

INCORRECT: Melting Glaciers. That is what the scientists and journalists are worried about this month.

CORRECT: Melting glaciers is the cause of concern for scientists and journalists this month.

Run-On Sentences

Shortage of time may also cause you to write two or more sentences as one. When you proofread your
essays, look out for independent clauses that are not joined with any punctuation or are only joined
with a comma.

RUN-ON SENTENCE Example:

'Current healthcare practices are unfair they discriminate against the people who need healthcare
most.'

You can correct run-on sentences in two ways. First, you could use a full-stop to make distinct sentences
of the independent clauses. The second method of repairing a run-on sentence is usually the most
effective. Use a conjunction to turn an independent clause into a dependent one and to make explicit
how the clauses are related.

CORRECT: Current insurance practices are unfair, in that they discriminate against the people who need
insurance most. One cause of run-on sentences is the misuse of adverbs like however, nevertheless,
furthermore, likewise, and therefore.