There are many reasons why we write essays. One may write an essay to go against a particular opinion, encouraging others to support their views. Students also need to write essays as part of their academic curriculum.
However, writing a perfect English essay can be tricky, especially for those who are new to essay writing. There are many things you need to consider like using the right writing style, starting with a strong statement, avoiding redundancy, ending with a proper conclusion paragraph, etc.
In this blog post, we will discuss some tips that can help you brush up on your essay-writing skills.
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Tips for Writing a Great English Essay
It takes continuous practice and effort to write the perfect English essay. It is not something you can master over a night. Spending time reading essays written by other experienced authors may prove useful in identifying your areas for improvement.
The following tips may also be of help to you in taking your essay writing to the next level.
- Understand the Topic and Gather All the Relevant Sources
There is no point in starting an essay without any preparation. Each of your lines will be judged by readers. If you don’t understand the topic thoroughly or use official stats or figures to support your arguments, you are unlikely to produce a good essay.
Readers won’t take your work seriously, and this might negatively impact your credibility as a writer or student.
So, before you start writing an essay, read the topic thoroughly, considering all its pros and cons. Moreover, be sure to gather all the resources that you can use as a reference to support your claims/arguments in the essay.
They could be studies or research reports done by big publications or authentic sources like Forbes, Business Insider, New York Times, etc.
For example, if you are writing an essay on the topic of Global Warming. You can mention stats showing how fast our planet Earth is deteriorating due to human activities or something along those lines. Doing so will add weight to your writing and your readers will likely take your work seriously.
However, when quoting others or mentioning stats, you are more likely to fall victim to accidental plagiarism. This is because writers often struggle to find alternative wording to convey such information.
Getting assistance from a paraphrasing tool can prove useful in this scenario. These tools can efficiently reword and make any text unique in no time without changing its original meaning.
- Craft A Proper Essay Structure
An essay structure should be easy to follow. It should be presented elegantly, and your readers shouldn’t have any trouble reading your essay.
The structure of an essay usually includes an intro paragraph, a body, and a conclusion paragraph.
- Introduction – It is the opening statement presenting your views on the topic.
- Body – This is the main part of your essay where you present your arguments with in-depth analysis.
- Conclusion – As its name suggests, this section includes closing remarks. You just wrap up things with your personal thoughts on the topic.
Give proper attention to each of the above-mentioned sections based on their portion in the essay. For example, if you need to write a 1500-word essay, your intro shouldn’t exceed more than 150 words.
The body should be anywhere between 1000 and 1200 words. Like the intro, your conclusion should be no more than 150 words. You can call it a 10-80-10 rule, where 10% goes for the intro, 80% for the body, and the remaining 10% for the conclusion. By following this rule, you can easily create a perfect balance among different sections of your essay.
- Use a Professional or Academic Writing Tone
A good essay follows a formal or academic writing style. You are not supposed to use a first- or second-person point of view. Try to stay to the point using the right vocabulary. Your writing tone should be consistent from start to end.
The opening paragraph of your essay sets the tone for the following passages. You need to stick to it till the end to avoid any readability issues. Refrain from using clichés because they can make your essay look unoriginal, giving readers the perception of you being an unimaginative author.
Clichés are the universal words or phrases that readers don’t appreciate especially when used in an essay. The following are examples of clichés: as hot as lava, there’s something wrong at the bottom, in the nick of time, etc. Keep your writing free from such wording and phrases.
- Proofread Your Essay
Proofreading is necessary. Spend some time analyzing your written text and looking for potential areas for improvement. It includes removing grammar mistakes, removing any unnecessary parts, and improving clarity. If you find it hard to proofread your own essay, you can have someone else do it or use a tool to check grammar online yourself.
When you don’t proofread your essay, the chances of it being rejected by the examiner are high. No one likes to spend time reading a text full of errors. So, it’s highly advised that you should proofread at least twice to avoid any such consequences.
Final Words
Essay writing is not an easy task. You need to consider many things to write an appealing English essay. We have discussed some useful tips that can go a long way toward helping you improve your essay-writing skills.
Whenever you’re writing an essay, you should understand arguments and topics thoroughly, gather relevant data or resources to support your arguments, and stick to a formal or academic writing tone.
