How to Study

Keep Rewriting
Now take an even closer look at your sentences and paragraphs. 
Try to make them smoother, tighter, and easier to understand:
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Use action verbs and the active voice: “Some apes in captivity
have survived for 30 or more years” is better than “Ages of 
30 years or more have been enjoyed by some apes in captivity.” 
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Consider dropping constructions beginning with “there is
(was)” from your vocabulary: “There was a storm at sea” 
is a tired and boring way to proclaim, “A storm raged.” 
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Is there too much fat? Seize every opportunity to make the
same point in fewer words. 
Chapter 7 
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How to Write Terrific Papers
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Are there places where phrasing or construction is awkward?
Try to rearrange the sentence or section so that it flows 
better. 
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Did you use descriptive, colorful words? Did you tell your
reader, “The planes were damaged,” or paint a more colorful
and creative picture: “The planes were broken-down hulks of
rusted metal— bullet-ridden, neglected warbirds that could
barely limp down the runway”? 
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Consult a thesaurus for synonyms that work better than 
the words you originally chose. But don’t get carried away 
and use words so obscure that the average reader wouldn’t
know their meaning. When in doubt, opt for the familiar 
word rather than the obscure, the shorter vs. the longer, 
the tangible vs. the hypothetical, the direct word vs. the
roundabout phrase. 
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Have you overused cliches or slang expressions? Especially 
in academic writing, neither are particularly appreciated. 
Your paper may be “dead as a doornail” if you don’t “get the
lead out,” get rid of some of the “oldies but goodies,” and
make sure your paper is “neat as a pin.” 
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Have you overused particular words? Constantly using the
same words makes your writing boring. Check a thesaurus 
for other possibilities. 
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How do the words sound? When you read your paper aloud,
does it flow like a rhythmic piece of music? Or plod along 
like a funeral dirge? 
How to Study
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One of the best ways to give your writing a little “oomph” 
is to vary your sentence structure. Use short sentences 
occasionally. Even very short. Without subjects. Use simple
sentences, complex sentences (an independent clause and 
one or more dependent clauses), and embedded sentences
(combining two clauses using relative pronouns rather than
conjunctions). And despite what Mrs. Dougherty taught you
in eighth grade, it really is okay to start sentences with “and”
or “but.” And to use sentence fragments for emphasis and
effect. Really. 
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Always remember the point of the paper: to communicate
your ideas as clearly and concisely as possible. So don’t get 
lost in the details. If you have to choose between that 
“perfect” word and the most organized paper imaginable, 
opt for the latter. 
Again, mark corrections on your draft with a colored pen or pencil.
No need to reprint your paper yet—unless it’s gotten so marked up
that it’s hard to read!