Hello All!
I hope this post is finding you in good health and safety!
I know these are trying times for all of us, especially with classes transitioning to a virtual setting. Fear not, the Writing Center and other tutoring services are still available online.
However, sometimes you won’t be able to make an appointment for various reasons. Maybe having a separate pair of eyes peering over your paper can be daunting, or you finished your work with only a half an hour to spare and cannot meet with a tutor in time!
So, until you are able to meet with our lovely staff, or someone else to discuss your work, I have a few tips and tricks that can give your paper a quick touch up before its impending submission.
Bonus: They take less than 10 minutes to implement by yourself!
- Brain to Mouth Translation – Stick it into Google Translate!
When you visit the writing center, you will often be told to read your paper aloud. Hearing your work allows you to notice any awkward phrases or typos that you may have originally thought made sense. That’s why I suggest copying chunks of your paper and sticking them into a translation app to have the software read for you, so there’s more time to concentrate on catching errors!
- Transitions – Imagine your paper is a conversation!
As convenient as it is to see an essay as separate mini arguments bunched together to support an overarching theme, you still want to be able to read it as one cohesive unit. With this in mind I suggest looking at only the first and last sentence of each paragraph. When people converse they connect their claims! Don’t be afraid to make reference to a previous passage, even if it was focused on a separate idea.
The effectiveness of your transitions can be the difference between an okay essay and a great one. Choose words that progress the paper in a way THAT MAKES SENSE in the context of your argument and the genre of essay. So give them a bit of extra attention before submitting.
- Avoid over usage – Rule of thumb: Try to not use the same term more than twice within a single paragraph!
It’s easy to fall victim to excessive verbiage, which can cause your paper to feel stagnant and an unenjoyable read. Take the Following:
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- “George Washington was our first president. He is an icon to all who rule under a Democracy. He is etched onto our currency. And, he served as a war general.”
- “George Washington was our first president, later to be an icon to all who rule under a Democracy. His image is etched onto our currency. And, he served as a war general.”
Although this is an extreme case, did you notice how much more exciting it was to read the second example because of the variety it produced?
Look over your paper and spend a few minutes tweaking any repetitive words and phrases.
Be aware that these tips can never replace the invaluable advice from others.
On a time crunch, however, they might be the seasoning your paper needs.
Contributed by: Jordan Kirkland, Writing Center intern
The Writing Corner 
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