what to use instead of is in an essay

Examiners take to read countless essays each twelvemonth. When you think about it from their point of view, they probably become pretty bored of reading answers to the same questions over and over again.

You're in with a better run a risk of impressing them if you avoid using the words and phrases they've inevitably read umpteen times before. Today, nosotros take you through some of the normally used words and phrases that examiners are sick of reading, and give you some suggestions for what you could write instead to make your writing stronger and more than distinctive.

1. Many ways…

Much Ado About Nothing is a much more fun and enjoyable play than the phrase "in many means" might suggest.

Starting an essay is hard; just equally a novelist has to use a compelling opening line to make people want to keep reading, so the first line of an essay needs to be attending-grabbing. Unfortunately, many students struggle with writing a strong opening line, and terminate up with something rather less engaging. A mutual one is to state the obvious, or summarise too broadly, and the expression "in many means" crops up frequently. For example, in respond to an essay title of "How does Shakespeare show that Beatrice and Benedick are attracted to each other?", a student might be tempted to begin their essay with the words, "Shakespeare shows the attraction betwixt Beatrice and Benedick in many ways…" This "in many ways" construction is a weak and vague opening, and the essay would be better off without information technology. It would be improve to exist more specific, perhaps by making some opening observations well-nigh the role of this attraction in the play. This introduces the subject of how Shakespeare shows it without stating the obvious.

2. In this essay…

On the subject of weak opening lines, many essays begin by the student saying, "In this essay, we will wait at such and such." This is stating the obvious, so the words "in this essay" are unnecessary. Incidentally, the utilize of the 'regal nosotros' as seen in this example is likewise a cliché, and all-time avoided in an academic essay if you can.

iii. The next indicate I want to make is that…

You may take been told to signpost your essay construction, but a degree of subtlety is desirable.

This phrase is an obvious attempt at padding an essay out to increase the discussion count. You don't demand to signpost an essay in this mode, and what'due south more than, this is a weak way of moving from one statement to another. Ideally, y'all should brand thematic links between paragraphs or points, moving logically through your arguments, rather than simply list them one by 1 in the manner implied by a phrase similar "The next point I want to make". If you can introduce the bailiwick of the next paragraph in the previous one, equally a follow-upwards to what you've just been saying, then you volition avert the demand to make a jarring leap with a phrase like this.

4. In order to

Simply writing "to" without the "in order" nearly always results in a more elegantly worded judgement, and reduces the impression that y'all're trying to pad out the essay to attain the desired word count.

5. It is interesting to annotation that…

Larkin's poetry is usually written in a straightforward and direct style; aim for your essay to do the same.

Some other reason for students using overly long-winded or clichéd phrases in their essays is that they are often labouring under the misapprehension that sure phrases make their essays sound more intellectual. Introducing a point with the phrase "It is interesting to annotation that…" is an instance of this. Students perhaps imagine that information technology gives of an air of intellectual curiosity, just it's actually a waste of words. The sentence will almost certainly work – and exist stronger – without it. For example:
"Information technology is interesting to notation that Larkin neglects to mention…"
It'south a stronger, more decisive statement if you remove the starting time few words:
"Larkin neglects to mention…"
An alternative, and more than elegant, structure might exist: "such and such is notable past its absence in Larkin's work".

6. The author uses…

Another cliché in student essays – specifically English essays this time – is to make points past saying "the author uses…", equally in "The author uses such and such a literary device to depict the reader in" or "The author does such and such to catch the reader's attention" or "The writer uses such and such to evidence…". Simply stating what the technique is and what consequence it has will be sufficient; it's obvious that it's the author who's using it, then you don't need to say as much.

7. The primary manner

Another classic example of vagueness is "the Brontës were influenced past their upbringing in the hamlet of Haworth" – explain how!

The irritating thing nigh this phrase (for example, "The master manner in which Brontë creates a feeling of gloom is past…") is that it suggests that you don't have a full grasp of the facts. Information technology'south implying that there are other ways too, only that the writer thinks they can get away with non discussing them properly. Leaving aside this, it'southward nevertheless an annoyingly over-used phrased, so if you lot can't avoid it, supersede it with "primarily". Otherwise, try to be more than specific.

viii. Equally mentioned earlier in this essay

You should endeavor not to repeat yourself, as implied past mentioning something you've said already; and ideally y'all shouldn't refer to "this essay" at all. If you do need to refer to something y'all've mentioned previously, you could utilise the word "same" instead.

nine. State of affairs

The Battle of Actium should non be described merely every bit a "situation".

A staple of History or Politics essays, referring to something happening as "the situation" weakens your essay because it's likewise vague. An case would be, "The situation in London was no better" or "Octavian took stock of the Mark Anthony situation". It's always better to be specific in essays, every bit existence vague makes it look as though y'all don't quite know what you lot want to say, even if yous do.

10. Aspects

If you discover yourself using the expression "various aspects" in an essay, remind yourself that this is too vague and endeavor to qualify what these "aspects" actually are.

11. You

There's no place for the second person (for case, "y'all would think that the experiment would show that…") in an essay; academic prose should be written in the tertiary person.

12. I

The focus of the essay should be your thoughts and ideas themselves, not a narrative of how y'all came to them.

Information technology'southward an oft-quoted piece of essay advice, simply to a large extent avoiding the first person pronoun "I" is also advisable. However, information technology'south a balancing act because, for humanities essays at least, it's practiced to include your ain opinion. The pull a fast one on is non to permit the essay to become dominated past your opinion, or continually to brand comments such as "I feel this is considering…" or "I think such and such is being disingenuous." The focus should exist on an objective and balanced assessment of the arguments, with your own opinion included perhaps at the cease, as y'all weigh up what you've been discussing. It'southward even so possible to include your authorial voice without using the first person pronoun, and even without maxim "it seems to me that…"; simply state it in the third person: "The show appears to point more than towards such and such…"

13. Considered to exist

Yous'll nigh certainly observe that changing "considered to be" to but "considered" makes your judgement flow better.

fourteen. Showtime names

The formal conventions of essay-writing dictate that people (such as other authors, historical protagonists and so on) are e'er referred to people by their surnames, so first names are a no-no.

xv. Things

Then explain exactly what aspects of quality of life in London were improved past social housing.

But like "aspects", the word "things" is too vague. If y'all're tempted to write something like "Things in London had improved", make it more than specific: "Social housing had improved quality of life in London", for example.

16. Lots/lots of

On the subject of vagueness, another phrase to look out for is "lots" or "lots of". It's non only vague – it's too vernacular. It'southward ameliorate to say "much" or "many" if you have to (and then "there were many reasons" rather than "at that place were lots of reasons", for case). Fifty-fifty better, exist specific and include actual figures; "5,000 more than immigrants arrived in the town this year than last" is far meliorate than "There were lots more immigrants arriving in the boondocks this year than last".

17. On account of

Using three words when ane would suffice is a symptom of not knowing what y'all want to say, and thus trying to bolster the discussion count. It's much better simply to say "because" rather than "on account of".

18. Additionally

An essay structure shouldn't seem similar a mathematical procedure of adding different points together.

Some students use this word as an alternative to "besides" and "too every bit". However, used in this context information technology'south weak – and it tin can be a tell-tale sign that y'all're writing a ho-hum essay that simply lists facts. Better phrases to apply instead include "what's more", "furthermore" or "moreover"; all these help build an argument, while "additionally" makes information technology look as if y'all've tagged on an extra fact equally an afterthought.

19. Words that imply absolutes

Words such as "e'er", "never" and "everywhere" should be avoided because they're difficult to defend and imprecise, coming under the category of sweeping generalisations. At that place are usually plenty of exceptions when you make a statement such as "People everywhere were feeling the effects of such and such" or "Never before had such generosity been witnessed". Exact figures are preferable, and if these aren't possible, and then at least soften your statement to allow for the possibility of exceptions.

xx. In conclusion

At that place can be few more than hackneyed phrases than "in decision". It's infantile and puts one in heed of the essays one wrote years ago when in main school. We know that the essay is coming to an stop – we tin can come across that – so we don't demand to signpost information technology by maxim "in conclusion". Instead, but launch straight into your endmost arguments.

Other ways to make your essay more than original

Strive for originality in your writing.

We end by looking at some more than general tips to assist y'all write a more original essay. It's not simply private words and phrases that examiners are tired of reading; what you write about, and the fashion in which you write about it, tin likewise become tiresome when everyone writes the same things. The following tips should help you increment the originality of your essay; you'll find more item on each of these tips in our article on how to write a more original essay.

Use more advanced language and syntax

We've already seen how the language y'all utilize can make your essay boring, so a more than general slice of advice is to try to utilise more advanced linguistic communication and syntax (judgement structures). You could try using techniques such as analogy to explain circuitous concepts, every bit most students will not recall to exercise this. Providing you lot tin can demonstrate a firm agreement of what you're writing virtually, explaining information technology clearly and confidently, it doesn't actually affair how you do it, so a well-chosen analogy could piece of work well.

Write nigh less well-known aspects of the subject

Using lesser-known concepts and ideas is swell, though brand sure that they aren't lesser known because they're wrong.

Though the essay question will give a pretty proficient indication of what your examiner wants you to write almost, you lot tin however add more than interest to your essay, and make it stand out from the others, past including some less well-known facts and angles that you might not already have looked at in course. Y'all can get inspiration past reading more widely around the subject, for example more obscure scholarship, or, for literature, other works past the same author. You tin then make comparisons with other texts, bringing in opinions that the examiner probably won't be expecting, and your essay will be a lot less predictable as a result.

Choose a dissimilar structure or bending

Finally, a formulaic structure is a cinch way to guarantee that you'll be writing the same essay as anybody else. Some of the language nosotros looked at earlier is partly the outcome of a formulaic structure ("In this essay", "the next betoken I want to make", "in conclusion", and and then on), and writing an essay that doesn't send your examiner to sleep might exist easier if y'all try experimenting with a different structure or approaching the topic from a slightly different angle to the one you lot think they'll be expecting. You lot'll still need some sort of introduction and conclusion, only with a picayune imagination, you should be able to produce an essay that's a bit unlike from the rest.

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Source: https://www.oxford-royale.com/articles/words-phrases-examiners-dislike/

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