Writing well is a challenging and laborious process. There are many aspects that need to be included in a writing piece, and sometimes it is hard to incorporate them all. Students tend to make minor, but destructive, errors that can easily be solved. In order to improve one's writing it is important to proofread, be specific, and to avoid personal pronouns. Doing this will significantly improve the appeal of one’s composition and will hopefully lead to positive reviews and grades.
By definition proofreading is examining text carefully to find and correct errors and mistakes in grammar, style, and spelling. Unfortunately, most students skip over this step in the writing process because it takes a long time. The truth is that proofreading is the most crucial step in the writing process because it is the last step before completion. Not proofreading can lead to spelling mistakes, funky word choice, and style issues. By skipping the proofreading step it can also cause writing to not sound logical as seen in the following piece of writing. “...she was really able to go in depth about the passage...I really enjoyed this project...Her fluency and gift with words really helped push our project in the right direction…” (Eades, “Winter Journal”). In this entry the author used to the word “really” seven times in one passage alone! If the writer proofread this piece, the error would have been noted and fixed right away. Unneeded words leads to awkward sounding writing that can be prevented. On top of that, inappropriate transition words are misused all the time. “For example, sexual harassment issues arose on the Patna Women’s college and the majority of the community…” (Eades, “Fall Journal”). Transition words are great when used the right way, but when they are placed in a piece of writing for no reason they harm the piece. Usually these unneeded transition words can be taken out of a piece of writing when proofread. Therefore, although proofreading is a time consuming process, it is an important step for great writing .
Lily Tomlin once said “All my life, I always wanted to be somebody. Now I see that I should have been more specific”. This life analogy also applies to writing. It is fun to write without restrictions, or “try to be somebody”, but it is better to be “more specific”. Some have said that the first rule of writing is “be specific”. This rule means that writers should remove cliché words, filler words, and vague words. In this piece of writing the author used inappropriate word choice; “Anne Lamott is a very realistic writer… Anne Lamott’s tone of voice in the piece is so comforting” (Eades, “Fall Journal”). Cliché words don’t actually convey meaning. Words such as “very”, “really”, and “truly” do not add anything interesting or exciting to a piece of writing. Therefore, it is beneficial to be specific and avoid using cliche words when writing. Vague words are also a big no in writing. “I thought that the podcast assignment was a great project for the class” (Eades, “Fall Journal”). Using the word “great” is too general. Vague words such as “great” and “good” are harmful to writing because they do not add any flare. Writers often fill sentences with weak or unnecessary words that can be deleted or replaced. Words and phrases should be deliberately chosen for the work they are doing. Therefore, in order to improve one’s writing, keep it simple and specific.
Another important way to make sure your academic writing strikes a formal and coherent tone is to avoid using personal pronouns. Writing from the first person point of view can weaken the credibility of the writer in research and argument papers. When writing is written in first person, it makes work sound like it is only based on personal opinion. For example, using word such as “me” and “I” have no positive repercussions. “she gives you the step by step process… the piece is so comforting to me” (Eades, “Fall Journal”). The use of personal pronouns expresses one’s personal opinions or judgement on a topic. In doing this, the formality and credibility of the writing is brought down. Even if personal pronouns are used to speak to the audience, it is better to reword the sentence. “If you are concerned about what information is on your Facebook account, make sure you review Facebook’s Terms of Service and adjust your privacy settings” (Eades, “Fall Journal”). It is easy to reword a sentence to avoid using personal pronouns and the first and second person. This makes the writing sounds more professional and is easier to read. Academic writing is formal in tone and is meant to be objective. The use of the first person and personal pronouns is thought of as destructive and informal and should be avoided at all costs.
Bill Wheeler said, “Good writing is clear thinking made visible”. Everyone should strive to express their thoughts in an orderly, logical fashion, although many people struggle in this category. Writing should not be an impossible task, yet small errors cause the biggest issues. The struggle to be specific, avoid personal pronouns, and proofread is a big one for the writers of the world. These simple tasks do not take a lot of work fix and avoid, but yet they make a difference in writing. Therefore, the key (major key) to improving one’s writing is to fix the simple things, such as the use of personal pronouns, conciseness, and specify, because it makes the biggest difference.
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