Within and between – techniques to ensure your writing flows
When your writing flows, your reader can easily absorb your ideas and understand what you’re trying to communicate.
Using accurate reporting verbs
Look through your essay and underline your reporting verbs. Then decide whether you have used the most suitable verb in each case.
The power of verbs
To raise the quality of your writing, check your verbs. Select verbs that say exactly what you mean and carry the right amount of weight.
Using ‘however’ and ‘therefore’ in your essay
‘However’ indicates a strong contrast or contradiction while ‘therefore’ indicates the direct logical conclusion of what went before.
Paraphrasing: what it is and how to do it
Swapping the author’s words for your own, even with the help of the thesaurus, won’t save you from plagiarism. Indeed, although the thesaurus is a useful writing tool, it can also be a trap. In a PhD, dissertation or essay, successful paraphrasing is taking the nub of someone else’s argument and relating it to the point you are making.
How to make cuts
The main point of cutting back a piece of writing is to make your work more impactful—more energetic and more persuasive.
Transition words
Transition words and phrases help your work to flow smoothly from one paragraph to the next. They act as a helpful signpost.
Watch your pronouns: be clear what you’re talking about
If your essay is peppered with comments such as ‘Who?’ or ‘What?’, you may have made a common grammatical error. To check, look for the pronouns.
When to quote rather than paraphrase
When done well, quoting can enhance your work. Here are three reasons to use direct quotes in your Arts or Humanities essay.
Finding your faults
When we edit, most of us simply read the text, line by line, correcting as we go. But it can be more effective to read for one kind of fault at a time.
