Useful Essay Writing Tips

Teachers use essays to assess the skills of their students. However, writing essays is a dreaded task among many students. Most lack the necessary skills to deliver properly written essays, which adversely affects their grades. Others find essay writing to be boring and overwhelming to even come up with an introduction. With proper knowledge, essay writing is not as daunting as many may feel. This essay provides useful essay writing tips that can you use to confidently write your college essays.

Read Other People’s Essays

There are several essays for sale online at essayzoo.org that provide useful tips to student while writing their essays. Reading other people’s essays can improve your essay-writing skills. It can give you a new perspective to look at things as writers presenting their arguments differently. Additionally, the wider you read other people’s work, the more you acquire knowledge on a variety of subjects and disciplines. Reading other people’s work also improves your creative and critical thinking skills. As you read, you get to question the style of the essay, the strengths, weaknesses, and the persuasive nature of the writer. You also get to understand the balance between the argument and the evidence provided for application in your essays.

Trying to Sound like an Academic

You should try to sound like an academic when writing college essays. Anchor your writing on the use of simple, short, and clear sentences that are connected through relevant explanations. Large words and complex phrasing make it difficult for the reader to understand what you are trying to say. Giving evidence through integration of sources makes one sound academic. Avoid overusing quotes, but instead focus more on using your own research. Also, avoid first and second person phrases as they sound unprofessional. For example, instead of using “I or we learnt…” you can put like this “it was learnt that…” Finally, use an authoritative voice to claim the impact of your essay in a particular field.

Write your Essay: Create a Thesis Statement

Writing a college essay requires you to create a thesis statement that informs the reader on the point of the paper. The thesis should not only state the topic you are writing, but also the purpose of the essay. It answers the essay question directly using a single sentence mostly at the end of the introductory paragraph. Therefore, developing a thesis statement is a lengthy thinking process. You have to collect data, organize evidence, and establish the facts. After this, you present the main idea as a discernible thesis statement. This is important, as it provides your stand as the author. Therefore, avoid making general statements, but instead narrow down the topic, and be specific by encompassing all the arguments in the paper.

Make Paragraphs Plan

Each paragraph should carry a central idea, and should be explained in the sentences. Each paragraph should be composed of three parts. Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence that summarizes the information to be described. The topic sentence is usually the first. It is followed by a body, which provides an explanation of the claim. The body should also provide the required evidence to substantiate the claim. Finally, a paragraph should have a concluding sentence, which comes in last and provides a recommendation on what to do. Your concluding sentence can also act to introduce the next paragraph. This will ensure the flow of content from one paragraph to the next.

After writing: Edit your First Draft

It is important to edit and proofread the first draft before submission. This entails checking to make sure that you used the correct paper format. You can also choose to rearrange the essay to ensure flow of points with the strongest ones appearing first. Proofreading is also important, as it ensures that the essay has a good flow. Good flow ensures the transition from one paragraph to the other is smooth. Additionally, try to avoid mistakes by looking for grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors, and make any amendments. You can submit this to professional proofreaders as they can offer useful tips on writing college essays. Finally, check to make sure that you have met the word count.

Syntax, Punctuation and Tone of Voice

It is important to look at the arrangement of words and phrases to form sentences in the essay. You should ensure that the essay uses easy language for the readers to understand. It is possible to use easy to comprehend language, and apply sophisticated sentence structures at the same time, which makes you sound intelligent. Apply both long and short sentences, but pay extra attention that the long ones do not become too rambling and difficult to comprehend. Additionally, look at the punctuation and grammar. Finally, use an interesting and engaging tone to absorb the reader into the content. This avoids boredom, and reassures the reader. Finally, lookout for the use of passive voice.

Add the Finishing Touches

Paying attention to the small details after you have completed your essay can go along way in avoiding mistakes in writing. Checking finishing touches require rearrangement of paragraphs such that the strongest points come in the first and last paragraphs of the essay. The weak points should be in the middle of the paper. Additionally, the paragraphs should appear in an orderly manner. For instance, a descriptive essay should systematically outline the process in the correct order. Also, review the essay requirements and double check with what you have written to see if you adequately answer the question. Finally, proofread the essay, and check for flow, grammar, and spelling errors.

Let your Friends Read it and Express their Opinion

When your essay is ready at last, you can allow your friend to read it and offer their opinion. Having a fresh eye look at your work helps to identify the slightest errors. Friends have a different approach, which can offer insight on some of the changes that may make the paper better. They provide valuable feedback on the flow, grammar, punctuation, and spelling for you to act upon. Some will suggest to you the final touches you need to finalize your essay, which makes it stand out from the rest in your classroom. Additionally, friends will also highlight some of the formatting mistakes that you could have missed leading to a refined essay.

In Conclusion

Essays are a means of assessment for many students. However, most of them lack the necessary skills to deliver quality papers. Writing quality essays requires one to improve their skills by reading other people’s essays. They should also use academic language by using simple, short, and clear sentences. Another useful tip in essay writing is ensuring that you come up with a thesis statement, and plan for your paragraphs. Refine your essay by editing your first draft, checking the syntax, punctuation, and tone of voice to ensure that it is professional. Finally, add finishing touches, and allow your friends to read it and proofread it, as this also helps in identifying mistakes in your essay and correcting them.