How to Write a Good Essay (Tips)

Powerful/Meaningful (alt. to show) A-J

- Acknowledge, address, analyze, apply, argue, assert, augment - broaden - calculate, capitalize, characterize, claim, clarify, connect, compare, complicate, confine, consider, construct, contradict, correct, create, convince, critique - declare, deduce, defend, demostrate, deny, describe, determine, differentiate, disagree, discard, discover, discuss, dismiss, distinguish, duplicate - elaborate, emphasize, enploy, enable, engage, enhance, establish, evaluate, exacerbate, examine, exclude, exhibit, expand, explain, exploit, express, extend - facilitate, feature, forecast, formulate, fracture - generalize, group, guide - hamper, hypothesize - identify, illuminate, illustrate, impair, implement, implicate, imply, improve, include, incorporate, indicate, induce, initiate, inquite, instigate, integrate, interpret, intervene, invert, isolate - justify

Transitions: introducing examples

- an example of this is (the fact that, the following, etc.) - to illustrate this - this is exemplified by the fact that/to exemplify (weird, but helps strengthen English literature essays) - for instance - for example - in this manner - in particular - namely - [x] can be shown strongly/most clearly when...

Transitions: to show causes

- as a result - because of this (i wouldn't use this one in formal writing) - consequently - hence (can also be used in the middle of sentence to explain a why) - for this reason - the consequences of this is

Intro

- don't open with a quote and don't be overly broad - avoid generalizations - should address the topic of your essay then narrow down to what you want to talk about in regards to your topic - thesis: should include the argument you want to make about the narrowed down topic, and three (or however many required) reasons to support it. W = X+Y+Z - thesis explains who, what, and why in a concise manner

History Papers: general tips

- find your argument in historiography. as a student, it is important you show your prof that you understand there are debates regarding your interpretations. it's also important that you demonstrate that your argument is supported by experienced researchers. even if your essay focuses of primary document analysis, surely some have analyzed it before, make sure to mention these scholars and their contribution to the debate. - use citations wisely. as said before, it's important to ground your argument in the work of other historians,. in this sense, citations are very useful. that being said, depending on the length of your paper, too many citations may suggest laziness as you have made little effort paraphrasing. a few carefully selected and well-integrated quotes in your paper should do the trick. - unless prohibited, use footnotes to give extra info. using footnotes that are important to the topic but can't find a way into your paper will show your prof a mastery of the topic at hand.

Transitions: listing

- firstly; secondly; thirdly; finally - to begin with; in addition; in conclusion - these are the following: - these are as follows:

Transitions: drawing conclusions

- from this, I can extrapolate (personal pronouns are mostly left out of formal writing, so 'it can be extrapolated' is a good alternative) - from this, it can be inferred that... - it is clear that from [x] , [y] means... - this shows the reader/audience that... - this enables us to understand the fact that... - [x] shows that [y] feels... - from this, it is clear that...

Transitions: continuing an idea

- furthermore - moreover - in addition - as well as this - what's more - additionally - regarding this - the fact that [x] is so, shows that

History Papers: when writing

- if your prof gave you a question to answer in advance, make sure you answer this question and this question only. while you should always supply your arguments with examples, these should be concise and focus on the main topic of your essay. - make sure your essay has a thesis statement (even when you're asked to answer a question). your prof should know from the very beginning of your essay what you will be arguing and what position you will take. all paragraphs after until your conclusion should support your thesis. - try to follow the 'classic' essay model (intro, body, conclusion) - always support your arguments with evidence. it may come from other historians or from a primary document. whatever it is, make sure it solidifies and defends your argument. - intros and conclusions are (usually) not optional. your intro should help the reader understand what the text will argue and how it will do so, while your conclusion should finish the text by summarizing key points and perhaps make a suggestion for future studies - be precise; you're writing a history paper, dates and names matter. - be clear and concise but make sure that all of your points are well-developed - extra: write a simple introduction then rewrite it when the paper is finished

Transitions: comparing and contrasting ideas

- in comparison - in contrast - unlike [x], [y]... - like with [x], [y]... - similarly - comparatively - in the same way - another way of viewing this is - yet - still - nevertheless - on one/the other hand - notwithstanding - in spite of this - however - besides - though/although - on the contrary/contrary to this

Transitions: overall conclusions

- in conclusion - in short - to summarize - in summary - to conclude

Powerful/Meaningful (alt. to show) L-Y

- locate, loosen - maintain, manifest, manipulate, measure, merge, minimize, modify, monitor - necessitate, negate, nullify - obscure, observe, obtain, offer, omit, optimize, organize, outline, overstate - persist, point out, possess, predict, present, probe, produce, promote, propose, prove, provide - qualify, quantify, question - realize, recommend, reconstruct, redefine, reduce, refer, reference, refine, reflect, refute, regard, reject, relate, rely, remove, repair, report, represent, resolve, retrieve, reveal, revise - separate, shape, signify, simulate, solve, specify, structure, suggest, summarize, support, suspend, sustain - tailor, terminate, testify, theorize, translate - undermine, understand, unify, utilize - validate, vary, view, vindicate - yield

History Papers: before starting

- make sure you have closely read the instructions given by your prof. there are many types of historical essays (argumentative, historiographical reviews, etc.). It's important that your style is adapted to the type of essay you're required to write - gather all your info. some profs want students to write essays using only class material, others expect them to do more research. if the latter, make sure to gather all (most) of your info beforehand. if you can, use libraries and academic papers. - take careful notes as you're reading to prepare for your essay. of your prof gave a specific question, make sure to read critically for info that will help answer it. if your prof hasn't given a question, still read carefully and try to find different ways historians address certain issues. - some plan, some don't. i suggest planning to help map out your ideas and form an argument. it's impossible to cover all of the facets of a problem in one essay, so planning may be the easiest way to ensure you cover all of the important aspects. it'll also help make sure your arguments remain connected and support a central claim. - find a few (historical) essay that are well-written and take note of their structure. never, ever, copy, even if you're tempted to. the goal of this is to find more academic vocab and see how it's used by actual scholars

Weak Verbs (summary)

- says - explains - relates - states - goes on to say - shows - tells - this quote shows

History Papers: other tips

- take a position and stick to it - make sure that your refs are specific and factual - answer the entire question in your thesis - use past tense and third person consistently - for DBQs, use the rule of 'three groups of three'; if you analyze 1 incorrectly, you still have a group and are safe. - know how to answer the prompt

Conclusion

- the worst part imo - synthesize don't summarize. show how your arguments relate back to the thesis - try not to copy paste your thesis into the conclusion, word it so that the readers understand through XYZ, you were able to conclude and support argument W (referring back to the thesis formula) - do not add any new information, do not add quotes - your final sentence should tie up the essay in a pretty bow, but try to avoid cliches

Transitions: repeating ideas with greater or equal detail

- to repeat - that is, - in other words - to be precise - to be exact - more precisely/exactly - to reiterate

Body

- topic sentences should not be a word for word copy of your thesis - the order of arguments in your thesis is the order of your paragraphs - depending on the length of your essay, there should be at least two justifications to your argument - so, just as the intro has a formula, X = A+B, and so forth - A and B should be backed up with some sources/quotes. don't forget that if you are quoting from class notes to put either the prof's last name, or (class notes) - be sure to have clear and concise arguments, don't be flowery - USE WORDS THAT ARE ACCURATE. thesaurus is great but if you use a word that sounds cool but doesn't capture the meaning you want to convey then don't use it, because it may just change the meaning of your argument. - quote whatever isn't yours. it is completely fine if 90% of your sentences are quotes. its weird to get used to, but don't worry about it.

Protips

- when writing the body paragraphs, your 'weakest' paragraph should be in the middle, strongest as your last, and the second best as your first - if you're stumped on the intro, skip it. write out the body first, then the intro and you'll be able to concisely word your thesis. - think of your essay as an infomercial. your intro is the loud and clear HERE'S MY PRODUCT, the body is blasting information on why the product is so cool, and the conclusion is the final push for the viewer to buy that product. make your teacher want to agree with your thesis! - use a mix of paraphrasing and quotes! - don't forget your works cited (the MLA Handbook is a great tool, also OWL Purdue) - prime time for essay writing is in the morning or at night, but make sure you edit it meticulously -EDIT ON PAPER NOT ON YOUR SCREEN

Tips from a history prof

1. if you approach writing as a mystical event where you sit down at a blank page and expect to be visited by divine inspiration, it's not gonna work out. Writing is not a talent, it's a skill. It's a muscle. If you don't use it, it dies. 2. Be comfortable with writing absolute garbage. Get all your thoughts down: write trash. Then edit; devote 1/2 of your time or more to editing. This is when you write your thesis. This is when you decide where paragraphs are. 3. Know how to use a comma. If you use more than two in a sentence, it's too many. You're doing something wrong. In American writing, beauty is not in the length and complexity of a sentence. Beauty is in short sentences, with a variety of structures. 4. If you can cut a word, cut it. Ask yourself, do I really need all these words? Keep only what is necessary, leave room for the important stuff. 5. Avoid canned expressions. The phrase 'a needle in a haystack' was effective the first time it was used in an essay -- it no longer is. It would be better to write the most boring sentence than to write a cliche metaphor that serves no purpose. 6. When you use the word "which" you should probably be using the word "that". If you don't know, assume it would be "that" 7. Avoid obscure vocab or jargon. Obscure vocab displays nothing about your intelligence or academic success. 8. Read good writing with the intention of absorbing how those authors write successfully.

Essay Writing Strategy

1. rewrite/copy down the prompt 2. make a messy bullet point list of what you already know (shouldn't be organized) 3. cut down and reorder your bullets to make a neat list 4. gather all of your points and make them into one introductory sentence (thesis) 5. combine all of that to make the backbone of your essay 6. start planning/writing out your essay (body) 7. write out an intro and conclusion to fit your body paragraphs 8. delete your outline bullets and start to edit

Strong Verbs (analysis)

Argues, admonishes, analyzes, compares, contrasts, defines, demonizes, denigrates, describes, dismisses, enumerate(s), expounds, emphasizes, establishes, flatters, implies, lionizes, lists, minimizes, narrates, praises, processes, qualifies, questions, ridicules, suggests, supports, trivializes, vilifies, warns

Step 5: re-read and edit it

Check for grammar, spelling mistakes, and use the checklist you made to make sure you have all of the requirements you need.

Planning Out a Paper: 1 - write out a checklist of the info given by your teacher

Example: - MLA format - 12 pt., Times New Roman, double spaced - 3 paragraphs - 200-400 words - include at least 4 quotes - cite sources this will help you make sure you don't miss anything that'll bring your grade down

Step 4: get fancy

Example: According to the U.S Embassy's Human Rights team. there were "nearly 10,000 human rights violations" (Argentina: Secret U.S Documents Declassified on Dirty War Atrocities, National Security Archives) - Throw in quotes and stats where they are relevant. This promotes your writing skills and shows your teacher that you put in the effort.

Step 2: write out all of the important points and details you need to include

Example: Prompt: What were the causes of the Argentine Civil War? - Context: 1976-1983; guerrilla warfare Political: military coup, general Uriburu; Juan Peron declared a new constitution, 1949 Economic Instability: flourishing economy prior to WW1; inflation hurt economy - This will help you avoid accidentally skipping something or forgetting a topic.

Step 3: write out all of your bullet points in full sentences

Example: The Argentine Civil War started in 1976 and lasted until 1983. This war is mostly known for the guerrilla warfare tactics, giving the war the name 'The Argentine Dirty War'. - Write out each of your bullet points into a full sentence and keep them in order.