How to Write Better Essays

particular the ways we can simplify our use of sentences and words,

and what we can do to improve our writing skills to convey our ideas

clearly and unambiguously.

You will be shown ways of avoiding heavy, unreadable prose and how

to make your writing as light as your subject allows, more like talk in

print. This is likely to result in not only a more enjoyable experience

for the reader, but a memorable, effective piece of writing. By simpli-

fying your writing in this way, you will also be less likely to lose your

reader.

With sentences this calls for two things: keeping sentences rela-

tively short, and, wherever it needs it, using a logical indicator to

make clear what you’re doing. We will see that the problem here is not

just that we fail to use these indicators, believing that the reader can

follow our train of thought without difficulty, but that they get lost in

our sentences. You will also be shown ways of experimenting, using

the rhythm of your words and punctuation to convey meaning. This

helps to create a rhythm that is nearer to the spoken word, and the

nearer we approach this the easier it is to understand what we’ve

written.

With our use of words, similar problems tend to reappear. We’re

inclined to overcomplicate, using complex, even abstruse, language.

This can give rise to all sorts of problems, not least the use of jargon

and other words that are empty of real meaning. Ultimately, clear and

effective writing depends upon thinking clearly. Language is the vehicle

for ideas. If these are muddled and confused, then so too will be our

language and style.

In addition to simplicity, we will also examine the other element of

style, economy. We will look at the various ways we can improve our

style, giving our writing greater clarity through a more economical use

of language. We will also see how our use of evidence not only sup-

ports and illustrates our arguments, but makes our work more inter-

esting and persuasive. All of this will be brought together in a practical

way in the form of seven useful rules that we can use, day by day, to

improve our style.

Referencing and bibliographies

Finally, you will be shown how to avoid the danger of plagiarism by

referencing the material you borrow. We will look at that most difficult

of questions for most students: when do we need to cite sources and

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