Smooth Transitions and More Make an Essay Better

Why are some essays fun to read while others are difficult to get through? What things can students do to make their papers better to read?

Believe it or not, the subject matter is not the only reason an essay is interesting to read. More often it is not. However, it’s the way the essay writer online makes the essay interesting more than what he’s chosen to write about. Varying sentence structure is just one way a student can improve an essay. Students who want to make their essays more appealing (and less boring) can try some of these tips.

Vary Sentence Structure

After a student finishes her rough draft, she should go back through and see if there is a variety of sentence structures. If an entire paper (or even paragraph) only follows the standard subject-verb-direct object format, the reader will grow tired of the essay. The writer can go through her paper and find ways to vary sentences to make her writing seem less dull and more interesting.

For example, this paragraph could use some variety:

The word “pariah” originated in ancient India to indicate the lowest group in its caste system. A pariah was someone who was deemed to be untouchable. Pariahs have been around since the beginning of time. Pariahs can be found in some of the oldest writings found. People are sometimes outcasts because they seem dangerous. Pariahs are sometimes outcasts as punishment.

There is nothing inherently wrong with the example and the information is good, but the writer risks losing her reader because there is little variety in the way her sentences sound. She could instead try to make her sentences more interesting by going through the paragraph and changing the way the sentences are put together:

Although the word “pariah” originated in ancient India to indicate the lowest group in its caste system (people who were deemed “untouchable”), pariahs have been around since the beginning of time and can be found in some of the oldest literature and nonfiction we can find. Most often, one is an outcast because he is perceived as a danger to the community that has banished him. Exile is also used as a form of punishment.

In the second example, the writer has added introductory clauses and has made her sentences, in general, more complex. The writing seems to “flow” better and feels less choppy, which makes the reading seem more interesting and less predictable.

Give Examples

Sometimes a reader won’t quite “get” a writer’s meaning, but the writer can change all that by giving examples. One way to give an example is by quoting from a source; other times, statistics will help the writer explain his meaning more vividly. Examples in general are a good way to help a reader understand (“a picture is worth a thousand words”).

Exile is also used as a form of punishment. For instance, in the Old Testament book Genesis, we see that Cain is an outcast because he murdered his brother; he is a danger to the rest of his family because he has killed and therefore has the potential to kill again.

Again, citing statistics, when appropriate, can be a powerful example for one’s readers:

According to Rose Richmond, distracted teenage drivers under the age of 18 were involved in over 1000 automobile accidents in 2007.

Smooth Transitions Make for a Better Essay

Few things will pull a reader out of enjoying an essay faster than clunky transitions. When readers aren’t consciously aware that they are reading an essay (that is, when they become absorbed in the writing), they follow along and appreciate the writing without over-thinking it. However, as for the Best Essay Writing Service Reddit, when the writer pulls the reader back into “reality,” so to speak, a reader will have a hard time getting back into reading. While misspellings and poor punctuation can do the same thing, transitions are sometimes fairly easy to remedy. Here is a poorly written transition that could stand some improvement:

In most of literature and history, the pariah has been distanced from the rest of the community either as a punishment or because he is perceived as a threat to society. Toni Morrison’s pariahs are not outcasts. They are necessary to the survival of the community.

There is nothing actually “wrong” with the above example, but a smoother transition will not only make the writing feel seamless, but it will also emphasize the point she is trying to make:

In most of literature and history, the pariah has been distanced from the rest of the community either as a punishment or because he is perceived as a threat to society. However, in Toni Morrison’s fiction, pariahs serve a higher purpose. These outcasts are not banished from the land but live among the rest of society and are necessary not only to the survival of the community but also to serve as catalysts for change in the stagnant communities or relationships they are part of.

Meet Reader Expectations

Writers should strive to never disappoint their readers. If a reader is “promised” something in the essay, the writer should deliver on that promise. For example, if the writer says that he intends to “prove” why nationalized health care is a good idea, he should present as convincing an argument as possible. However, there are also small ways in which a writer should try to meet his readers’ expectations.

We also see outcasts in Shakespeare’s history plays. In more recent times, we find The Outsiders in S. E. Hinton’s book of the same title which deals with a group of outcasts ostracized because of social status.

Because the writer mentioned Shakespeare, the reader expects a reference. Before moving on to “more recent times,” the writer needs to either remove the Shakespeare reference or explain what he means (thus meeting his readers’ expectations). A service where you can ask to “write my resume” supposes that a writer could do it this way:

We also see outcasts in Shakespeare’s history plays. Two examples are found in Richard II. Both Bolingbroke and Mowbray are banished by the king, Mowbray because he murdered the Duke of Gloucester, and Bolingbroke because he has accused Mowbray and stirred up trouble (but in reality because the king ordered Mowbray to murder the Duke). The king rightly fears Bolingbroke, who later returns to England and takes the throne from Richard to become Henry IV.

A writer who satisfies his reader’s curiosity will keep that reader reading!

Revising One’s Essay is the Best Way to Make it Better

Sometimes it’s best to get the rough draft down as quickly and easily as possible. But then a reader needs to go through his essay as a discriminating reader and look for things that will make his essay harder to read and less enjoyable and then do his best to fix them. Smooth transitions and fulfilling reader expectations are two ways to make an essay more interesting to readers.

Shares:

Drop a Reply