Academic Writing
Dos and Don’ts
DO NOT USE WORDS LIKE VERY AND REALLY
These words are redundant.
Do NOT say, “It was really serious,”
SAY, “It was serious.”
Do NOT use CONTRACTIONS
Do NOT say, “They’re certain it’s contagious.”
Say, “They are certain it is contagious.”
.
DO NOT USE PERSONAL PRONOUNS
Personal pronouns are: I, you, we, us, etc.
Do NOT say, “I think everyone should recycle.”
SAY, “Everyone should recycle.”
DO NOT MAKE WRITING ANNOUNCEMENTS!
NEVER EVER EVER NEVER SAY:
In this essay, …
I’m going to tell you….
This quote shows….
I hope you liked my essay…
Hi. My name is Joe and I am going to tell you about….
(Yes, people really do this)
Do NOT ask questions
Do NOT say, “Do you think overpopulation is a problem?”
Say, “Overpopulation is a problem.”
Do NOT rely on Spell Check
It won’t catch things like:
I do not know weather to bring my umbrella for the rainy whether.
Consider installing Grammarly!
Write numbers properly
Use words for numbers nine and below. Use numbers for 10 and above.
ALWAYS SPELL OUT NUMBERS IF THEY BEGIN A SENTENCE.
Examples:
Twelve people participated in the competition
He devoured 172 hotdogs in the contest.
I have seven sisters.
Do NOT use slang, jargon,
or texting abbreviations
USE FORMAL language.
Do NOT say, “The dude was ticked off.”
Say, “The man was infuriated.”
Do NOT say, “He was gonna fight him.”
Say, “He was going to fight him.”
Do not use VAGUE or COMMON vocabulary
Avoid words like: stuff, a lot, super, nice, thing
Do NOT say, “He learned a lot of stuff from his experiences as a child psychologist.”
Say, “He learned how the young mind managed stress from his experiences as a child psychologist.”
USE CONSISTENT VERB TENSES/Write about Literature in the PRESENT tense
Do NOT say, “He disappeared in the hole and then he chases after the cobra.”
Say, “He disappears in the hole and then chases the cobra.”
Pay
attention!
Always