Patricia Jenner: Going the Extra Mile

Essays would not be able to defend themselves when students curse them. But if they could only speak, we are likely to hear them say,

Shorten your sentences. Punctuation marks serve as breather. You just paused after the period, right? That is what we are talking about. Keep your sentences simple, and maximize use of comma and period to separate statements. Your readers will thank you for it.

Don’t mention when you’re unsure what it means. Did you say rapid increase when you actually mean that the prices of goods rise slowly? You have just fallen to the trap of reckless writing. Refrain from misleading your audience. Consult the dictionary to ensure that you are translating your thoughts right. Better yet, omit words you are uncertain of.

Use adjectives sparingly. Often, we resort to adjectives to add details to a story. But truth is, these modifiers do not offer much help stressing your idea. For instance, Peter’s hands were sweaty and his voice was shaking creates a more vivid picture than Peter looks extremely nervous.

Say it once. Once you have expressed an idea, move to the other. Do not repeat your statements only to increase word count. Conduct research instead so you can beef up your output. Do not copy though, and ensure that you give credit where it is due.

Lastly, read out aloud. It is easier to spot errors that way. This is probably what your essay is dying to tell before you proceed to using checking http://www.essaywritingservices.com/ and other sites.