Example and rules Editing the Essay, Part One
Those who have been through the ecstasies and agonies of writing the satisfaction is known by an essay(and often the sadness) of finishing. Once you have done all of the work of finding out what you would like to state, coming to an arguable and thesis that is interesting analyzing your evidence, organizing your thinking, and contending with counter-arguments, you could feel that you have nothing left to accomplish but run spell-check, print it out and await your professor’s response. But what spell- check can not discern is what real readers might think or feel if they read your essay: where they may become confused, or annoyed, or bored, or distracted. Anticipating those responses is the working job of an editor—the job you are taking on as you edit your very own work.
As you proceed, keep in mind that sometimes what may seem like a problem that is small mask (be a manifestation of) a more substantial one. A poorly-worded phrase—one that seems, say, unclear or vague—may just need some tweaking to correct; however it may indicate that your particular thinking has not developed fully yet, you are not quite sure what you would like to state. Your language might be vague or confusing considering that the idea itself is. So learning, as Yeats says, to “cast a cold eye” on your prose is not just a matter of arranging the finishing touches on your own essay. It’s about making your essay better through the inside (clarifying and deepening your thinking and insights) and through the outside (expressing those ideas in powerful, lucid, graceful prose). These five guidelines can really help.
Read your essay aloud .
We can sometimes lose sight of the larger picture, of how all the sentences sound when they’re read quickly one after the other, as your readers will read them when we labor over sentences. Once you read aloud, your ear will pick up a few of the problems your eye might miss.
As you read your essay, recall the “The Princess together with Pea,” the story of a princess so sensitive she was bothered by a single pea buried beneath the pile of mattresses she lay upon. As an editor, you need to end up like the princess—highly tuned in to anything that seems slightly odd or “off” in your prose. Therefore if something strikes you as problematic, don’t gloss over it. Investigate to locate the character associated with the problem. It’s likely that, if something bothers you just a little, it will bother your readers a whole lot.
Be sure all your words are performing important work in making your argument .
Are typical of the words https://customwriting.org and phrases necessary? Or will they be just taking on space? Are your sentences tight and sharp, or are they loose and dull? Do not say in three sentences what you can say in a single, plus don’t use 14 words where five is going to do. You prefer every word in your sentence to add as meaning that is much inflection that you can. If you see phrases like “My own personal opinion,” ask yourself what “own personal” adds. Isn’t that what “my” means?
Even small, apparently unimportant words like “says” are worth your attention. In place of “says,” can you use a word like argues, acknowledges, contends, believes, reveals, suggests, or claims? Words such as these not just make your sentences more lively and interesting, they offer useful information: he or she said that thing; “said” merely reports if you tell your readers that someone “acknowledges” something, that deepens their understanding of how or why.
3. Bear in mind the thought of le mot juste. Always look for the perfect words, the most precise and language that is specific to express what you mean. Without the need for concrete, clear language, you can’t convey to your readers just what you consider a topic; you can easily only speak in generalities, and everybody has recently heard those: “The evils of society are a drain on our resources.” Sentences similar to this could mean a lot of things that they wind up meaning very little to your readers—or meaning something very different from everything you intended. Be specific: What evils? Which societies? What resources? Your readers are reading your words to see just what you think, what you need to say.
If you’re having trouble putting your finger on just the word that is right consult a thesaurus, but simply to remind yourself of one’s options. Never choose words whose connotations or usual contexts you don’t really understand. Using language you are new to may cause more imprecision—and that can lead your reader to question your authority.
4. Beware of inappropriately elevated language—words and phrases that are stilted, pompous, or jargony. Sometimes, in order to sound more reliable or authoritative, or maybe more sophisticated, we puff up this sort to our prose of language. Usually we only end up sounding like we’re attempting to sound smart—which is a sign that is sure our readers that people’re not. Because you think they’ll sound impressive, reconsider if you find yourself inserting words or phrases. If the ideas are great, you don’t have to strain for impressive language; if they are not, that language won’t help anyway.
Inappropriately elevated language can result from nouns being used as verbs. Most parts of speech function better—more elegantly—when they play the roles they certainly were designed to play; nouns work nicely as nouns and verbs as verbs. Read the sentences that are following, and tune in to how pompous they sound.
He exited the area. It is important that proponents and opponents for this bill dialogue about its contents before voting onto it.
Exits and dialogues are more effective as nouns and there are many means of expressing those ideas without turning nouns into verbs.
The room was left by him. People should debate the pros and cons with this bill before voting.
From time to time, though, this really is a rule worth breaking, such as “He muscled his way to the leading regarding the relative line.” “Muscled” gives us plenty of information which may otherwise take words that are several even sentences to state. And since it’s not awkward to read, but lively and descriptive, readers will not mind the shift that is temporary roles as “muscle” becomes a verb.
5. Be tough on the most dazzling sentences. You may find that sentences you needed in earlier drafts no longer belong—and these may be the sentences you’re most fond of as you revise. We’re all guilty of trying to sneak in our favorite sentences where they don’t belong, because we cannot bear to cut them. But writers that are great ruthless and will get rid of brilliant lines if they’re no more relevant or necessary. They already know that readers will soon be less struck by the brilliance than because of the inappropriateness of those sentences and they let them go.