50 Academic Writing Tips from GoAssignmentHelp Editors
Dec 30,21Online editors and proofreaders on GoAssignmentHelp, which provides the best assignment help services offer tips on how to avoid the most common mistakes students make while writing papers and assignments.
S.No. | What to Do/Avoid? | Example(s) |
1 | Adverbs come after verbs. | John dances beautifully. |
2 | Alliterations are not cool to read. | Always avoid alliterations. |
3 | Always finish what you are writing. | A writing piece without a conclusion. |
4 | Avoid archaic expressions. | Certain classes used this as a nourishing and restorative mixture during convalescence after accouchement. (‘Accouchement’ means ‘birthing’.) |
5 | Avoid clichés. | Every cloud has a silver lining. |
6 | Avoid colloquialisms. | Instead of:
Most of us will face retirement sooner or later. Use: Retirement is inevitable. |
7 | Avoid comparisons. | She was as cold as the ice. |
8 | Avoid exaggeration at all costs. | Instead of:
The perfect solution to the problem is… Use: One of the best solutions to the problem is… |
9 | Avoid hyperboles. | Old Mr. Scot has been our teacher since the Stone Age. |
10 | Avoid inserting remarks in parentheses. | He finally replied (after thinking for five minutes) that he prefers not to answer the question. |
11 | Avoid passive voice. | Instead of:
The research will be presented by Sharon. Use: Sharon will present the research. |
12 | Avoid repetitions. Do not state whatever is obvious and do not use the same pronouns or words or sounds more than once in a sentence. | In the Conclusion chapter, we mention the conclusion of the paper. |
13 | Avoid the use of big words as much as possible. | Use ‘acumen‘ for ‘superior mental acuteness‘.
Or Use ‘agnostic‘ for ‘someone who is not sure about God’s existence‘. |
14 | Avoid the use of eccentric or unconventional words or phrases. | Instead of:
Would you care for a libation? Use: Would you like something to drink? |
15 | Avoid the use of foreign words and phrases. | Such a bond was against the public policy and void ab initio. (‘Ab initio’ is Latin for ‘from the beginning’.) |
16 | Avoid using words, phrases, sentences, or ideas unnecessarily. No one likes redundancy. | ‘In my opinion, I…’ or ‘collaborated together’. |
17 | Beware of using analogies and metaphors while writing essays incorrectly. | Collecting notes and finding resources is like the art of cooking.You will need to explain how cooking is related to the action of collecting notes. |
18 | Dangling participles may cause confusion. | Instead of:
Sitting on the back porch, the sun set upon the horizon. Use: Sitting on the back porch, we watched the sun set upon the horizon. |
19 | Did you check the Pronoun-Antecedent agreement? | Neither Carrie nor her daughters will bring their husbands. |
20 | Do not end a sentence with a linking verb. | Yes, that is <him>. |
21 | Do not split an infinitive by inserting an adverb or other word between ‘to’ and ‘the verb’. | I used to really like studying Physics. |
22 | Do not use archaic spellings. | ‘Quire’ for ‘Choir’ in architectural contexts
Or ‘Daemonologie’ for ‘Demonology’ |
23 | Don’t generalize. | All women want to have three or more children. |
24 | Don’t overuse exclamation marks. | Read This Article!!! |
25 | Don’t use long-winded, poly-syllabic words. | Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is the fear of sesquipedalian lexicological constructions. |
26 | Don’t use obscure words. | I was so fraught with alysm that I could not finish my assignment.
‘Alysm’ means ‘feeling of restlessness or boredom because of being unwell’. |
27 | Double negatives are a no-no. | There isn’t no problem.
Or You should never eat nothing with peanuts. |
28 | Edit for dead or mixed metaphors. | The body of an essay… (It is a dead metaphor. It is used so often in essay writing, that it has now become accepted as the phrase which means the main portion of the essay).
Or We’ll have to iron out remaining bottlenecks to move ahead. (It is a mixed metaphor that combines images illogically or foolishly). |
29 | Eliminate rhetorical questions. | What would the atoms say if they could speak? |
30 | Enclose parenthetical expressions (that add to the information but are not essential) in commas. | Some foods, sugar for example, are not good for our health. |
31 | Go for understatement while trying academic writing. | It rained more than usual (while describing heavy rainfall that caused a flood). |
32 | Idioms can make writing interesting but be sure to use them correctly. | A penny saved is a penny earned.
Or When pigs fly… |
33 | If you have said something earlier, do not repeat it. If there is repetition in a sentence, paragraph, or paper, you must edit it. | Instead of:
The novel assumes that the reader has some knowledge of historical content. It assumes that the reader has some knowledge of Asiatic history. Use: The novel assumes that the reader has some knowledge of its context in Asiatic history. |
34 | Never end your sentences with prepositions. | Which journal was your article published in? |
35 | Never indulge in profanity. | The taste sucks. |
36 | Never place a comma between subject and predicate (or the verb). | Some of the greatest writers in the history of English literature, have been women. The comma is used incorrectly here. |
37 | Never shift your point of view while writing. | A writer must not shift your point of view.
If you are writing in the first person, stick to it. If you are writing in the third person, stick to it. |
38 | One-word sentences should not be used in academic writing. | Who? Or Wait! |
39 | Pay attention to subject-verb agreement. | The wolf, who has six siblings, are ferocious. |
40 | Pay attention to your usage of apostrophes. | Attention to our professor’s… |
41 | Proofread your paper carefully to check for misspelled words, keyboarding errors (such as additions, omissions, and mistakes), and errors in writing dates, figures, and enumerations. |
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42 | Remove unnecessary commas. | Little fear is the best seasoning, for my food, so I often sneak up on my maid while she is cooking.
The first comma is incorrectly used as ‘for my food’ is no extraneous information. |
43 | Revise any sentence fragments. | Instead of:
Discovered the cure for the disease. Use: The researcher discovered a cure for the disease. |
44 | Shun the use of ampersands and contractions. | Let’s consider the first theory.
Or Apples & bananas are two different fruits. |
45 | Spell check your paper to edit spelling or typographical errors. |
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46 | The first time you use an abbreviation in the text, mention it in parentheses after its full form. | The headquarters of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is in Switzerland. |
47 | Use concrete, specific language. Avoid abstract or generic sentences. | Instead of:
Learning is aided by hands-on experience. Use: Students who get hands-on experience learn more. |
48 | Use quotation as an exception. Too much quotation is distracting and drowns your voice. | Smoking should be banned from restaurants. “The regulation is long overdue” (Jones 12). “We need to ban smoking to help prevent diseases such as cancer, asthma, and bronchitis” (Smith 45). According to one restaurant customer: “I find someone smoking next to me really destroys my meal. I can’t taste it anymore” (qtd. in Smith 45). “Too many restaurant owners ignore how dangerous second-hand smoke is. They don’t take steps voluntarily to make sure their nonsmoking customers aren’t exposed, so we need to force the issue through regulations” (Jones 21). “Smoking makes my hair and clothes smell. I always have to take a shower after I’ve been out to eat in a restaurant that allows smoking” (Andrews 5).
Source: Colorado State University |
49 | Use vernacular terms wherever possible. | Corn or maize is the common name for the plant scientifically known as ‘Zea mays’. |
50 | Use words correctly. | Instead of:
Rubber is able to be molded into many shapes. Use: Rubber can be molded into many shapes. |
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