Essay Writing Tips
The body
The introduction is followed by the body of the essay. It consists of a number of paragraphs in which you develop your ideas in detail. Limit each paragraph to one main idea. Prove your points continually by using specific examples and quotations. Use transition words to ensure a smooth flow of ideas from paragraph to paragraph.
Conclusion
The conclusion is the last paragraph of the paper. Its purpose is to summarize your main points, leaving out specific examples. It should restate the main idea of the essay.
Revise the First Draft
Once you have prepared the first draft, revise it. This involves rethinking your ideas, refining your arguments, reorganizing paragraphs, and rewording sentences. You may need to develop your ideas in more detail, give more evidence to support your claims, or delete material that is unnecessary. Read your essay out loud. This sometimes makes it easier to identify writing that is awkward or unclear. Have somebody else read the paper and tell you if there’s anything that’s unclear or confusing.
Proofread the Final Draft
Look for careless errors such as misspelled words, incorrect punctuation and capitalization. Errors are harder to spot on a computer screen than on paper. If you type your essay on a computer, print out a copy to proofread. Remember, spell checkers and grammar checkers don’t always catch errors, so it is best not to rely on them too much.
Use simple language.
Avoid the use of bombastic and archaic words and terminology.
Write shorter sentences
Avoid the use of lengthy sentences consisting of many clauses. Let your sentences be short and pithy. However, for the sake of variety and emphasis, a long complex sentence can be added here and there. It will add to the beauty and total effect of the essay.
Be brief
Give relevant facts and avoid circumlocution, repetitions and digressions. However, some elements of illustrative matter are fine, provided that they fit tightly into the frame-work of the essay.
Divide the essay into neat paragraphs
The essay should be neatly divided into paragraphs. Each paragraph should arise naturally out of the earlier one and give a distinct idea which is generally an advancement of the ideas expressed earlier. Give proper attention to the introductory and concluding paragraphs.
Let the language be your own though you may make some use of proverbs, quotations and poetical tags, if necessary.
