Style Help

Polishing your draft:

Note: I have provided several links below. Please do not assume that I expect you to read all of the material provided in the links. These are simply resources that you may use, particularly if you feel that you need help in one or more of these areas.  

• When discussing outside sources, vary your verb choices. When using outside sources in your writing is still a relatively new skill for you, it can be difficult to do it smoothly. One way to make source integration less obvious is to vary your verb choices. To illustrate, your reader might grow tired of reading, “Smith says . . . . Smith says . . . . Smith says.” To sound less repetitive, try varying your verb choice, for example, “Smith explains . . . . Smith argues . . . . Smith counters,” etc. Here’s a link to a list of verbs that will help you vary your choices in these types of situations: Active Verb Choices for Discussing Ideas.

• Topic sentences: Many students, when they think about the nature of topic sentences think “one topic=one paragraph.” I would like to ask you to consider this in a different way—“one paragraph=one topic.” The difference here that I want you to understand is that it’s okay to take more than one paragraph to develop a single topic; however, you should not discuss too many large topics in a single paragraph. This is not to say that you might not address more than one concept in a single paragraph, but there should be a single, controlling idea that directs all of the details and concepts presented in that paragraph. Topic sentences, like thesis statements, don’t necessarily need to come at the beginning, but each paragraph should be written (or revised) with its topic sentence in mind. Here are a couple of links that provide tips on writing topic sentences:
  (1) arts.uottawa.ca/writcent/hypergrammar/partopic.html
  (2) utoronto.ca/ucwriting/topic.html

• Transitions: While inexperienced essay writers will often think about adding topic sentences when they revise a paper, transitions are often overlooked. I’ve just provided a transition between the ideas in this part of the assignment. If transitions don’t come naturally for you, you will want to go through your draft and provide transitions where they seem to be lacking. A good strategy for finding areas that need transitions (and a good strategy for revision in general) is to read aloud. If, as you move from one sentence to another or one paragraph to another, your paper sounds choppy, abrupt, or confusing, it is likely that you need some transitions. Here are a couple of links to help you learn how to use transitions more effectively:
  (1) unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/transitions.html
  (2) writinghelp-central.com/article-transition-words.html

• Varying your sentence types: Varying your sentence types helps add interest to your writing. It rids your paper of the monotony that a short-simple-sentence-after-short- simple-sentence structure will guarantee. It guards against the confusion and fatigue that your readers will feel if faced with one long complex sentence after another with no breaks or opportunities to breathe. Here are a couple of links to help you learn more about varying sentence types and sentence combining:
  (1) owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/573/01/
  (2) kristisiegel.com/variety.html

• Clear and concise language: Avoid the temptation to be wordy and complicated where simple and straight-forward language will get the job done and get it done more effectively. When I assigned the rough draft for this essay, I talked about using descriptive language, using adjectives and adverbs, and making careful noun and verb choices. Being descriptive, using language artfully, and making careful word choices, however, does not mean you need to be complex, wordy, or (heaven forbid) pretentious. The writers who say it most simply are usually the best, and there’s an art to writing simply; it’s harder than it looks. Here are a couple of links to help you learn more about writing concisely.
  (1) grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/GRAMMAR/concise.htm
  (2) owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/572/01/