(You might also want to so you avoid using them in essays, too!)
4. Writing off-subject
Your thesis statement is a promise to your reader about what you will cover in your paper. Don't write "off" this subject; don't include sentences that do not support or elaborate on this main idea. For instance, if your thesis statement for an expository "process" paper is "Making a set of bookshelves requires precise skills," don't include sentences describing your favorite author or the kinds of books you plan to place in the bookshelves. If your thesis statement for a descriptive paper is "My room is a place of refuge," don't include more than incidental references to the other parts of the house or to your neighborhood.
This article discusses taboo words to avoid in academic writing. To give you an opportunity to practice proofreading, we have left a few spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors in the text. See if you can spot them! If you spot the errors correctly, you will be entitled to a 10% discount.
A narrative sometimes seems particularly difficult to contain within the confines of a thesis statement. Consider, for example, a narrative paper about the biggest fish you ever caught. "The biggest fish I ever caught at Bass Lake hit on my spare house key at the very end of a long day of fishing." A common mistake is to tell the story of the entire fishing trip: when you left home, where you stopped for gas and bait, a description of the scenery, and so on. Remember that what you have promised to tell your reader is about catching the biggest fish ever; every sentence and paragraph should relate to this.
5. Avoid Overusing Flowery Language In Your Essays
In general, beginning authors use too many of this word in their writing. Even old pros often search this word during the editing process to delete those that are unnecessary. Deleting extra words strengths your work.
Adverbs are words that usually end in “–ly”. They can be helpful, but should not be overused. Adverbs are a good example of “telling, not showing”, when there is a better action verb or descriptor to convey the same information.
3. Inadequate or unfocused topic sentences
Do not, out of enthusiasm, haste, or laziness, abandon the basics of paragraph structure for paragraphs subsequent to your thesis statement. From start to finish the paper should follow a consistent progression leading coherently to a reasonable, well thought out conclusion. Therefore, make sure every single paragraph in your paper contains its own clearly stated topic sentence as well as the specific details to support each, though not necessarily in that order–the following example, for instance, starts with an illustration and concludes with a topic sentence:
While we do provide a list of the most common words to look for, there are whole categories of words that you should avoid in your writing, unless you have a specific reason to use them.
Words to Avoid in Academic Writing | Cambridge Proofreading
Laura! This was a fantastic lesson! I taught in the classroom for 11 years, but I’m currently homeschooling my lovely and bright 11th grade daughter. We use SO many of your lessons! We did this lesson the other day on Words to Avoid. We also did another one of your lessons, The Necklace. As I was grading it, I was amazed at the quality of her responses! I commented to her about what a great job she had done and she said, “Well, I tried to avoid using those words.” WOW! Immediate results! You rock, Laura Randazzo. You’ve got a gift, girl.
Words NOT to Use in an Essay and Replacement Options
The statutes of academic language propose that any academic text should state its contents explicitly. Taboo words, such as the ones listed above, “subvert” this “explicitness” by deterring the readers from discerning the crux of any academic text. Therefore, it is necessary, especially for amateur academic writers, not to include such words in their works.
List of 125 Words and Phrases You Should Never Use in an Essay
Clean up your prose by minimizing superfluous language that serves nothing but to distract and confuse. This helps deliver more accurate, straightforward text that reflects precisely what you want to say in a much more efficient way.
What are some words you should never use in an essay
Rhetorical questions might be useful in philosophical essays. But, in the context of academic writing, which seeks to impart valuable information to readers in an upfront manner, such questions only work toward increasing the word count without contributing toward anything significant.
Words and Phrases to Avoid in Academic Writing
An idiom is any group of words that renders a sense of profundity and depth to a piece of text. However, such depth takes away the unequivocal nature of academic texts. Hence, one should avoid using idioms while writing for academic purposes.