In addition to choosing your content wisely, you must also consider how you
will package your writing. Writers refer to the packaging and "feel" of their writing as their style. In this portion,
we will examine the different elements of a writer's style and how you may employ these facets of your style to the
benefit of your essays' readability.
Basic composition principles
We suggest even a passing glance at William Strunk's classic Elements of Style.
In this 1918 classic, Strunk listed some pointers we will recycle here:
- Use the active voice. Sentences bogged down in "it can be seen"'s and "it was hit by the batter"'s can
frustrate even the most dutiful readers.
- Put statements in positive form. By stating "He was not on time very often" as "He generally came late," you save
both your words and your readers from having to convert your statements into more processable language.
- Omit needless words. When possible, shorten what you have written. It will almost always increase
the piece's readability and clarity. In our pride, however, we are often reticent to see our hard-fought sentences pared down,
but think of the reader first. He will later thank you with a "Yes!" letter.
- In summaries, keep to one tense. We recommend maintaining the same tense throughout your essays, if at all possible.
It makes your writing clearer and more direct.
Introductions
Draw your readers into your words. We recommend considering a short introduction. Imagine if you were writing about a
humbling soccer experience:
Arms outstretched and legs flexing, I leaped toward the fast-spiraling globe that seemed destined for the high right corner. As I heard
the ripple of the net accepting the ball, I knew I had failed.
Though we do not wish this experience on anyone, the writer has successfully painted a detailed and active picture for the reader. Introductions
that linger on clichéd phrases like "When I was seven," "During first grade," "Soccer was important... ," and other narrative reader-killers
will make it harder to jump into your writing. Do not hurry the writing of your introduction; it is often better to craft it after you have
thought out the body of the piece.
Sentence structure
Sentence structure refers to the manner in which you craft your sentence.
As you likely learned in grammar studies in your English classes, there
are four types of sentences: simple (one independent clause), complex
(one dependent and one independent clause), compound (two or more independent
clauses), and compound-complex sentences. An independent clause can function
as a stand-alone sentence and features a subject and a verb, while a dependent
clause must be attached to an independent clause in order to exist in
a sentence. An essay, or really any piece of writing, gets bogged down in any
one type of sentence.
If your writing is loaded with 30-plus-word sentences, you may want to consider mixing in a number of simple sentences to give the
reader a mental break. If you write many short, choppy sentences, you will want to consider linking them. Logic dictates that strong writing
will have a number of complex and compound sentences. In fact, great writers will make mental connections for their readers.
Here are two examples of improved sentence structures:
First effort: It was raining. I decided to avoid the quickly flooding streets and take the
subway.
Improvement: Because it was raining, I decided to avoid the quickly flooding streets and
take the subway. We can connect these two thoughts together.
First effort: I missed forty-three school days my junior year because I contracted mononucleosis
during October, and its effects lingered well into the second semester, which began in February, worrying everyone, and
I was nervous that I could even complete my schoolwork, which seemed to pile up all over my living room. There are too
many ideas that the writer attempts to cover here. Let's break down this sentence into more manageable portions.
Improvement: During my junior year, a nasty bout with mononucleosis kept me out of school for 43 days.
From October to February, I worried both my parents and myself, preoccupied that I would never reduce the piles of schoolwork
that were growing in my living room.
By varying the structure of your sentences, you will both keep your reader drawn to your words and avoid the trap of
placing a conceited "I" in front of each new sentence.
Transition phrases
Vital to linking your thoughts together is a variety of transition phrases.
These utility players in the English language allow you to make logical
connections for your readers. These words and phrases will come at the
start of your sentences and often introduce dependent clauses. Example:
When you add "if" to "the dogs left the house," it becomes an independent
clause; it is a fragment and cannot exist on its own. Please consider
using the following words or phrases when attempting to make these connections:
- Similarities: Likewise; similarly; just as; without a doubt; undoubtedly; as well; also; too
- Contrasts: Unlike; on the other hand; conversely; on the contrary; nonetheless; regardless;
whereas; however [never to be used at the beginning of a sentence]; in contrast; despite; even though;
although; though; while; instead; by contrast
- Continuing a line of reasoning: Furthermore; moreover; in addition; further; additionally;
plus
- Chronologies: first; second; then; afterwards; after; before; even before; even after; meanwhile;
beforehand
- Summaries: above all; principally; chiefly; most importantly; most significantly
- Examples: for example; for instance; similarly; likewise
- Results: as a consequence; as a result; consequently; following that; finally; therefore; thus; hence
- Sentence linkers (conjunctions): yet; but; while; whereas; although; despite; and
Be sure to make these logical connections between one sentence and another.
Your readers will have to work much less and will be grateful that you
make sense!
Lucidity
Although there could never be a checklist to guarantee lucid writing, it is vital to communicate with your reader, skipping
confusion, obfuscation, and dangling ideas. One of the best means of checking the lucidity of your writing is to consult folks
who seldom read your writing or those who will not allow their bias and love for you to color their commentary. Another method
involves allowing your writing to sit for several days after completing it; when you have allowed the initial euphoria of completing
the work to pass, you can be much more objective and can see unclear sentences more successfully. If your writing is beautiful but not
clear, few writers will be able to appreciate it. Value clearness in writing your essays, and you will reach your readers' minds.
Narration
In some way, you will be forced to narrate in your essays, as many of them will ask how a personal experience
changed or revealed a personality trait, for example. When you are writing such an essay, remember that your reader
has likely not met you and has not seen the incidents to which you refer. One helpful trick is to assume that your
reader is an alien who has never experienced earth culture before. Explain deeply enough to allow even the least-informed
readers to follow well. Make assumptions and make your readers your enemies; this is not a wise tact in writing a
college application essay. Ask yourself: Can the reader determine the where, what, why, how, and who of each situation mentioned
in this piece?
Allow your reader to see your intelligence without overburdening them with your thesaurus-mined treasure. Your essay
narratives should appear that they were first written and not told orally; as you can easily notice, stories told orally are
almost always slang-laden and simplified. When you read your narratives aloud, they should flow, but they should not sound
as basic as a David Letterman monologue.
Conclusions
We would recommend avoiding "In conclusion," "In short," and other sealant-variety phrases. Most narrative pieces should
be wrapped up by the lasting effect that the event had on you.
Recommended reading