Life Hack: How to Write a Good Ass Essay

Writing an engaging formal essay is not an easy task. There are many ways that a writer can go wrong. For some, the introduction is just impossible to get right. For others, it is the  organization of the essay or a lack of evidence to support their thesis. But I personally think that the most important aspects of an effective essay are the careful choice of words, a concise structure, and mechanics.

Just a simple turn of phrase can completely ruin the flow of an essay. For example, “Due to the comics, readers are able to understand what is happening in the scene thus are able to further understand Macbeth.” (Epstein - O’Halloran, “Macbeth is Tickling My Brain”)  “Due to” should have been “because of”. Incorrect word choice can muddy the meaning of a sentence. Due to is not a compound preposition, it is an adjective. In the sentence, there is nothing for the adjective to modify. Also, the sentence just doesn’t sound correct to me when I read it in my head. “There was even a class that had a 100% success rate where all seniors got jobs.” (Epstein-O’Halloran, “Fall Journal”) “Where,” in this case, should be replaced with “in which” because this paper was more formal than a discussion amongst friends. A reader is not inside of the author’s head and so does not know what the author means to say. If you wanna learn more about the commonly confused words, I found a great site.( http://bit.ly/1PIP67T)

A reader becomes disengaged when the wording in a paper is confusing. “These political and social topics are not prominent in modern society, so through these humorous commentaries and personal opinions, the author is again providing the reader with a deeper understanding of the play.” (Epstein-O’Halloran, “Macbeth is Tickling My Brain”) There are LOTS of errors in this sentence. It is obviously a run on sentence. The lack of defined pronouns is very confusing. And “These” is used twice like it is directly indicating evidence given in the preceding sentence. But it is not. “The lines often have double meanings, the language is difficult to understand and is filled with vague yet complex ideas. Macbeth is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare and thus contains the elements listed before.” (Epstein-O’Halloran, “Macbeth is Tickling My Brain”)  What is the writer even trying to say here? I honestly have no idea. The first sentence actually sounds poetic, but then the second sentence doesn’t relate to the first one whatsoever! A paper cannot be considered good if it is not well-written.

Mechanics and grammar are central to improve essay writing. “The main character of the story Akunna grew up in Nigeria and did not experience the amount of privilege that she became exposed to once she moved to America.” (Epstein O’Halloran, Fall Journal) I know for a fact Akunna is not the title of the story, yet the author makes it seem like it is. All she had to do was add commas. Jeez! It’s like she wants us to work hard to understand what she’s trying to say. “Seeing the way that her boyfriend knocks away chances and opportunities at success she is angry.” This sentence is blatantly wrong. The way that it is written makes no sense due to the lack of commas and a subject in the sentence. Grammar is the backbone of language and the foundation of a strong paper. This author is doing an amazing job messing up her grammar. Without an understanding of basic grammar, a writer cannot possibly create substantial arguments or even sentences.   

I think that confusion is a fatal flaw in a piece writing. It loses the attention of the reader. It masks the true message the writer is trying to get across. And if a writer does not utilize careful word choice, concise structure and mechanics in the correct way, the reader will become bored with the piece of writing in front of them. Remember, readers do not know what the hell you’re trying to say. So make sure that they don’t have to struggle to understand you’re writing.