What Words Should You Avoid When Writing An Essay?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

, , , ,
  • 1) Contractions. …
  • 2) Idioms. …
  • 3-5) “So on,” “etc,” “and so forth“ …
  • 6) Clichés. …
  • 7-11) “Thing,” “stuff,” “good,” “bad,” “big“ …
  • 12) Slang, jargon, teen speak. …
  • 13) Rhetorical questions.

What are the do's and don'ts in essay writing?

  • DO give yourself time. Two weeks is ideal, but twelve days would work too. …
  • DON'T plagiarize. …
  • DO be honest. …
  • DON'T exceed the length limit. …
  • DO be descriptive. …
  • DON'T write a resume in essay form. …
  • DO respond to the prompt. …
  • DON'T use cliches or overuse idioms.

What words are excluded from the word count of an essay?

Certain words such as ‘don't' , ‘

I'

ll' etc are counted as a single word even though they are used for more than one word. These words are popularly known as ‘contractions'. Hyphenated words such as ‘up-to-date' are counted as a single word. The title of your essay usually won't count towards the word limit.

What should you not write in an introduction?

  1. Apologize. Never suggest that you don't know what you're talking about or that you're not enough of an expert in this matter that your opinion would matter. …
  2. Announce your intentions. …
  3. Use a dictionary or encyclopedia definition. …
  4. Dilly-dally.

What is the first thing you should do when writing an essay?

  • Preparation: Decide on your topic, do your research, and create an essay outline.
  • Writing: Set out your argument in the introduction, develop it with evidence in the main body, and wrap it up with a conclusion.

What words are not allowed in formal writing?

  • Do not use first-person pronouns (“I,” “me,” “my,” “we,” “us,” etc.). …
  • Avoid addressing readers as “you.” …
  • Avoid the use of contractions. …
  • Avoid colloquialism and slang expressions. …
  • Avoid nonstandard diction. …
  • Avoid abbreviated versions of words. …
  • Avoid the overuse of short and simple sentences.

How do you not start an essay?

  1. An introduction to your story. Imagine you were telling a friend a story about life as a pitcher on the baseball team. …
  2. A famous quote. …
  3. A definition. …
  4. What the heck? …
  5. Anything that would show up on Google.

What words should I use in an essay?

  • Firstly, secondly, thirdly. …
  • In view of; in light of; considering. …
  • According to X; X stated that; referring to the views of X. …
  • Moreover; furthermore; in addition; what's more. …
  • In order to; to that end; to this end.

How do you avoid using you in an essay?

Replace instances of “you” in your essay either by using “

individual” or “one”

to refer to a single hypothetical person and using “people” to refer to a large group to whom something you're saying applies. Replace instances of “your” in your essay by using the possessive forms of “individual,” “one,” and “people.”

What is a bad introduction?

When you don't have much to say on a given topic, it is easy to create this kind of introduction. Essentially, this kind of weaker introduction contains

several sentences that are vague and don't really say much

. They exist just to take up the “introduction space” in your paper.

How can I make my essay better?

  1. Make an outline. Know what you are going to write about before you start writing. …
  2. Acquire a solid understanding of basic grammar, style, and punctuation. …
  3. Use the right vocabulary. …
  4. Understand the argument and critically analyze the evidence. …
  5. Know how to write a proper conclusion that supports your research.

How do you begin an essay?

  1. An opening hook to catch the reader's attention.
  2. Relevant background information that the reader needs to know.
  3. A thesis statement that presents your main point or argument.

What are the 5 parts of an essay?

  • Introduction. The first part of your essay will be the introduction and it should begin by telling the reader specifically what topic your essay is addressing. …
  • First Body Paragraph. …
  • Second Body Paragraph. …
  • Third Body Paragraph. …
  • Conclusion.

What words are not used in academic writing?

  • Contractions. Exclude the presence of contractions. …
  • Slang terms. When you write a paper you should avoid using slang terms. …
  • Colloquialisms. Refrain from colloquialisms. …
  • Clichés. …
  • Unsophisticated words. …
  • Redundancy. …
  • Gendered language and subjective phrases. …
  • Commonly misused words.

What word should be avoided in a thesis statement?

Avoids vague words such as “

good

,” “interesting,” “a serious problem,” “in many ways,” etc. NOTE: A thesis statement should not be a well-known fact (Ex. Bats are nocturnal mammals.). *A Helpful Tip?

What are the common mistakes that an academic writer should avoid?

  • Plagiarism – Every source you use in an essay should be clearly cited.
  • Informality – Use formal, academic language in your writing.
  • Wordiness – Keep your writing concise by avoiding padding words.
  • Biased language – Look out for biased language and stereotypes.

What is a bad hook for an essay?

A bad hook

will have the opposite effect on readers

– they won't read any further than a few sentences. Let's say your essay topic is about climate change, here are two hooks.

What are some weak words?

  • “ really,” “very” These words are usually unnecessary and can be cut out. …
  • “ just” …
  • “ that” …
  • “ totally,” “completely,” “absolutely” …
  • “ thing,” “it” …
  • “ there was” …
  • “ as” used as a subordinate conjunction. …
  • “ down” or “up”

Is it bad to use we in an essay?


1st Person Plural Avoid using we or us in an essay

. … This sentence is not so bad, but again it tries to include the reader in the essay. This is fine for books, but for an essay it is artificial and a breach of expected roles. The reader (your marker) should remain a separate and impersonal individual.

What words should you not use?

  • That. It's superfluous most of the time. …
  • Went. I went to school. …
  • Honestly. People use honestly to add emphasis. …
  • Absolutely. Adding this word to most sentences is redundant. …
  • Very. …
  • Really. …
  • Amazing. …
  • Always.

What are the three main parts of an essay?

The main parts (or sections) to an essay are

the intro, body, and conclusion

. In a standard short essay, five paragraphs can provide the reader with enough information in a short amount of space.

How do you avoid using formal writing?


Never use

“I,” “my,” or otherwise refer to yourself in formal academic writing. You should also avoid using the second-person point of view, such as by referring to the reader as “you.” Instead, write directly about your subject matter in the third person.

What can I write instead of I?

I for one I myself myself yours truly me personally personally for me ourself self the author

How do you avoid formal writing?

  1. Use nouns instead.
  2. Use indefinite pronouns (everyone, someone, anything) instead.
  3. Cut the “you” out altogether.
  4. Avoid giving commands (where “you” is the implied subject)

What is a bad example of a topic sentence?

○ Revised:​

The Dust Bowl left Oklahomans with barren fields and forced many of them to migrate to California where they competed with the locals for jobs

. The first example is a bad topic sentence because it does not explain ​how​the Dust Bowl impacted people in Oklahoma and California.

Is it bad to have a long introduction?

It

can be fine to leave the writing

of the introduction for a later stage in the essay-writing process. … Your introduction may be longer than that, and it may take more than one paragraph, but be sure you know why. The size of your introduction should bear some relationship to the length and complexity of your paper.

What are the 8 elements of essay?

  • Thesis. The thesis is the statement of an essay that determines the primary focus. …
  • Outline. One of the main steps in writing an essay is creating an outline of material to create the most effective structure. …
  • Introduction. …
  • Body. …
  • Conclusion.

What is the most important part of writing an essay?

At the end of the day

the thesis

is definitely the most important part of your essay. However you can't just state your thesis statement and then walk away. You must back it up with research and evidence. Make sure to have at least three pieces of evidence that you can use to back up your thesis statement.

How do I make my essay stand out?

  1. Try starting with a question.
  2. Begin with a bold statement.
  3. Use an interesting quote.
  4. Put the reader in medias res, that is, in the middle of things. …
  5. Challenge the reader by speaking directly to him/her.
  6. Tell the reader what you do NOT want to do in your writing.

Why is writing an introduction so hard?

They're difficult to write first

because you have to consider what the reader needs to know about your topic before getting to the thesis

. So, I, like other instructors, suggest writing them last—even after the conclusion—though it's always a good idea to write with a working thesis in mind.

Do essays have headings?

An essay consists of three basic parts:


The essay itself usually has no section headings

. Only the title page, author declaration and reference list are written as headings, along with, for example, appendices. Check any task instructions, and your course or unit handbook, for further details.

Why do I struggle with writing essays?

The biggest reason writing an essay is

so hard

is because we mostly focus on those external rewards like getting a passing grade, winning our teacher's approval, or just avoiding accusations of plagiarism. … Stop trying to write a good essay (or even a “good-enough” essay).

How long should essays be?

Type of essay Average word count range High school essay

300–1000 words
College admission essay 200–650 words Undergraduate college essay 1500–5000 words Graduate school admission essay 500–1000 words

How many sentences should a essay have?

In academic writing, most paragraphs include

at least three sentences

, though rarely more than ten. So, how many paragraphs are enough, and how many are too many? For historical writing, there should be between four and six paragraphs in a two-page paper, or six and twelve in a five-page essay.

How many paragraphs should a essay have?

In its most basic format, an essay can contain

three paragraphs

. Each paragraph gets typically dedicated to each part of the article. Those who support the five-paragraph-essay have decided that the body of the essay should be three paragraphs. Realistically, you could write fewer or more sections in this part.

What is a hook?

A hook is

an opening statement

(which is usually the first sentence) in an essay that attempts to grab the reader's attention so that they want to read on. It can be done by using a few different types of hooks, which are a question, quote, statistic, or anecdote.

Amira Khan
Author
Amira Khan
Amira Khan is a philosopher and scholar of religion with a Ph.D. in philosophy and theology. Amira's expertise includes the history of philosophy and religion, ethics, and the philosophy of science. She is passionate about helping readers navigate complex philosophical and religious concepts in a clear and accessible way.