The Write Place © 2013
Created by C. Mohrbacher
10+ SUGGESTIONS FOR
IMPROVING YOUR
ACADEMIC WRITING
"Writing is nature's way of letting you know
how sloppy your thinking is."
~from a Guindon cartoon.
The Write Place © 2013
Created by C. Mohrbacher
Purpose of Writing
• To convey information or meaning efficiently and
effectively with as little inconvenience to the reader as
possible.
The Write Place © 2013
Created by C. Mohrbacher
1. Use The Appropriate Tone
• Academic tone is formal, but approachable. Avoid
the following:
• Clichés (e.g., white as snow, crystal clear, selling like
•
•
•
•
•
•
hotcakes)
Slang (e.g., awesome, that’s how I roll, ‘sup)
Colloquialisms or regional language (e.g., at all, hot dish,
ya sure you betcha)
“you” and “I,” except when and where specifically
instructed to do so
Contractions
Useless intensifiers like really, very, so, amazingly,
extremely
Avoid “basically” and “states.”
The Write Place © 2013
Created by C. Mohrbacher
2. Avoid Using All Forms of the Verb, “to be”
• Includes: be, is, am, are, was, were, being, and been
• To be verbs:
• Support passive construction
• JFK was killed by Lee Harvey Oswald (passive).
• Lee Harvey Oswald killed JFK (better).
• Make writing “flabby” and wordy
• There are many students who are struggling to pay for overpriced
textbooks. (flabby and wordy)
• Many students struggle to pay for overpriced textbooks.
• Weakens the force and liveliness of your writing.
• It was last week when Lauren was running in the park and was attacked
by a skunk that was rabid. (weak)
• Last week, a rabid skunk attacked Lauren as she ran in the park.
The Write Place © 2013
Created by C. Mohrbacher
3. Reduce the Number of Prepositional Phrases
• Prepositions indicate a connection, relationship, location, or direction
(e.g., toward, of, for, in, out, of, at, by, around, from, to)
• Don’t eliminate altogether, only when a shorter phrase, adverb, or
adjective is an equal substitute.
• Too many prepositional phrases interfere with meaning and make
writing dull and lifeless.
• Example:
• “There will be an evaluation of the program by us in order to achieve
greater efficiency in the servicing of clients.”
• “We will evaluate the program so that we can serve clients better.”
• OR “We will evaluate the program to serve clients better.”
The Write Place © 2013
Created by C. Mohrbacher
4. Avoid Using the Wrong Word
• Affect/effect
• Affect (verb): The death of my dog deeply affected me.
• Effect (noun): The death of my dog had a deep effect on me.
• Imply/infer
• He implied I didn’t care about politics.
• I infer from his speech that he is a conservative.
• Media/medium
• Most media—tv, radio, and the Internet—are own by large conglomerates.
• Television is a medium that is quickly changing due to technological improvements.
• Data/datum
• All of the data support the idea that the earth is round.
• One of the study’s datum opposes another of the study’s datum.
• Criteria/criterion
• The criteria for being a good writing consultant are sensitivity to the student,
knowledge of the writing process, and the ability to ask for help when it is needed.
• A criterion for being a good writing consultant is sensitivity to the student.
The Write Place © 2013
Created by C. Mohrbacher
5. Quotations
• Commas and periods go inside quotation marks: He said, “I don’t like Fords.”
or “I don’t like Fords,” he said.
• When citing in-text, the end quotation marks go before the parenthesis: Jones
said, “The statistics prove that driving drunk is dangerous” (234).
• Single quotation marks only go inside double quotation marks in most fields:
She said, “I read the chapter, ‘APA Documentation,’ in our English 191
handbook.”
• Don’t include a quotation without indicating who said those words.
• You must surround all of an author’s words with quotation marks, even if you
use only a few words and also cite the source: Most students feel
“challenged, stressed, and depressed” during final exams (Jones 23).
The Write Place © 2013
Created by C. Mohrbacher
6. Avoid Vague Pronoun Reference
• Jones is sometimes compared with Smith, but he
is quite different
• Jones is sometimes compared to Smith, but Smith is
quite different.
• Jody found the hammer in the car that her uncle
had used.
• In the car, Jody found the hammer that her uncle had
used.
• In the average television drama they present a
false picture of life.
• The average television drama presents a false picture
of life.
The Write Place © 2013
Created by C. Mohrbacher
7. Missing Comma After Introductory Element
• Frankly, we should all tell the truth.
• As a matter of fact, he turned in his assignment
yesterday.
• In 1968, hundreds of students disappeared or
were killed during a demonstration in Mexico City.
• Fourteen years ago, my grandfather retired from
teaching.
• Without a loan, we cannot fund the concert.
The Write Place © 2013
Created by C. Mohrbacher
8. Avoid Comma Splices
• Occurs when 2 sentences (or independent clauses) are
separated by a comma.
• The Spanish culture attracts me, the architecture is beautiful.
• The Spanish culture attracts me because the architecture is beautiful.
• The Spanish culture attracts me. The architecture is beautiful.
• The Spanish culture attracts me; the architecture is beautiful.
The Write Place © 2013
Created by C. Mohrbacher
9. Don’t Forget the Possessive Apostrophe
• Need apostrophe for possessive case; no apostrophe
when indicating plural
• That is David’s shoe.
• Building materials must be listed on the invoice.
• When a possessive noun ends in s
• the boys’ bikes
• the babies’ cribs
• the Joneses’ Mazda
• Charles’ coat or Charles’s coat
• When a plural noun does not end in s
• men’s room
• women’s education
• children’s development
The Write Place © 2013
Created by C. Mohrbacher
10. Paragraphs
• Topic sentences help you organize your
paragraphs.
• When you move to a new idea or time or step or
location, begin a new paragraph.
• Paragraphs should neither be too long nor too
short.
• Include transitions from paragraph to paragraph
or within the paragraph when you move from one
point to another (first, primarily, finally, next,
following, after, then)
The Write Place © 2013
Created by C. Mohrbacher
11. The Big Five Homonyms
• To, too, two
• To = a preposition meaning toward
• Too = means “also” (After she spoke, I spoke too); also means “excessive amount” (I ate too
much)
• Two = the number 2
• Their, there, they’re
• Their: They took off their coats.
• There: She put the book over there.
• They’re: contraction for “they are”
• Then, than
• Then refers to time (I did it then) or transition (Then I went to the store).
• Than refers to comparison. I received a worse grade than Henry on the biology midterm.
• Your, you’re
• Your: It is your coat, not mine.
• You’re: You’re the best friend I have ever had.
• Its, it’s
• This shirt looks weird. Its collar is too tight.
• Where is the book? It’s on the bookcase.
The Write Place © 2013
Created by C. Mohrbacher
Other Faculty Pet Peeves
• Never use only an author’s first name.
• Don’t use no double negative—never.
• “Alot” is not a word. Use “a lot.” Better yet, use “much”
or other more academic word.
• “Should of” is wrong. Write “should have” (or would have, or could have)
• Avoid using too many rhetorical questions: Should we care about the
homeless? Is Congress avoiding the issue? Can we ignore the increasing
number of people on the streets? Are we afraid our taxes will increase if we
build more homeless shelters?