The Write Place © 2013
Created by C. Mohrbacher
10+ Tips for Improving Your
AcademicWriting
"Writing is nature's way of letting you know
how sloppy your thinking is."
~from a Guindon cartoon.
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, omg)
 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.” They are overused.
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.
 Weaken 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 relationship 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.”
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 (plural)/medium (singular)

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 (plural)/datum (singular)

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 (plural)/criterion (singular)

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.
 In his article, “Four Steps to Buying a Good Mountain Bike,” Morgan says,
“Choosing a new mountain bike is like buying a new house. One must go
slowly and research, research, research.”

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’ Mazdas
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?
The Write Place © 2013
Created by C. Mohrbacher