One cannot attribute an essay to a simple type of written work, as it contains independent severe reflections and considerations. Writing an essay involves observing the correct structure, using the right arguments, and avoiding typical mistakes. When writing a large essay — 5 pages or more — it is more important than ever to check your essay, especially carefully for mistakes. Of course, this is a time-consuming process. Fortunately, studying typical mistakes when writing your essay will help you avoid them and write a competent and captivating text. Together with writingcheap.com, we have compiled a list of the most common mistakes for you and advice on how to avoid them.
8 Most Common Mistakes In Essay Writing
Haste
Working in a hurry does not leave a chance to get a proper essay. You should think it over in advance. After writing the draft, it is recommended to postpone the paper for a day or two and then assess it with a fresh look.
Long introduction
An oversized introduction is one of the typical mistakes. The introduction that takes up one-third of the text causes fatigue and boredom instead of interest. It is recommended to attract the reader’s attention from the very beginning by describing the main topic. The introduction, as well as the conclusion of a competent essay, focuses on the main problem. It is necessary to formulate the question correctly and make a conclusion, not just repeat the task.
Correct structure
A proper essay should consist of alternating long and short phrases. Extensive reasoning with a meaning that the reader cannot understand will not interest anyone. Long paragraphs should be divided into smaller paragraphs. It is recommended to give an essay for reading to as many people as possible, listen to comments, and eliminate defects.
Length of phrases
The length of the phrases depends on how the work is perceived when reading it. Long and lengthy sentences do not emphasize the quality of work. Often, it is the short sentences that better prove the truth and show the author’s point of view. The heap of adjectives, modal, and introductory verbs creates a heavy writing style, distracting from the work’s essence.
A simple reading aloud helps to identify a typical error. If you have to take a deep breath in the middle of any complex sentence, it should be divided into two simpler ones. If there are doubts about the correct punctuation, it is desirable to avoid complex structures. Short sentences are better than an illiterate text.
Wordiness
An essay is a brief overview of the topic, so it is vital to manage the volume set by the rules competently. You will have to give up any ideas, unnecessary details that hide the essay’s main subject. The work should be carried out with maximum adequacy, full disclosure of the problem. The inability to correctly characterize the problem is most often due to the lack of developed lexicon of the author. When expressing an idea, it is necessary to formulate it correctly, according to the basics of stylistics. At the same time, a one-sided view and faceless narration should be avoided. The essay is appreciated for its uniqueness, for disclosing the author’s personality.
Argumentation
The problem with arguing your own opinion is one of the typical disadvantages of an essay. It is caused by incorrect work with information, lack of analysis skills, and social experience. The presence of unverified facts, biased evaluations, provocative statements, and untruthful expressions is a consequence of the uncritical perception of information from the media and the Internet. The theoretical part of the essay should be argued through the disclosure of theses and concepts.
The desire to make an impression often encourages the author to use words that are rarely used. Facts, terms, concepts should be used in a moderate way. Demonstration of abstruse phrases from the encyclopedia will only repel the reader.
The downside of the error is the abundance of factual data and the minimum number of own thoughts and conclusions. A literate essay contains the optimal number of arguments and statements. One or two ideas, detailed and confirmed by examples, will suffice.
Tenuous conclusion
A tenuous conclusion is a common mistake in the essay. The student can write general, unimportant phrases, but the conclusion is essential, as it results from all the work, confirming the author’s agreement or disagreement with the leading judgment of the essay. In the form of one or two sentences, a correctly formulated conclusion combines the main ideas of the arguments and summarizes the reasoning of the entire essay.
Poor proofreading
Checking your essay is not only about correcting grammatical and punctuation errors. It is necessary to exclude ambiguous sentences and stylistic errors from a paper. A competent essay must comply with the rules of the genre and rules of English. If you doubt your own strength as a proofreader and editor, you can use one of the numerous online services.
