12 Things to Cut From Your Academic Essay
And how replace them.
Different modes of writing call for different technical approaches. Articles, blogposts, short stories, poems, and diary entries each call for different wording, presentation, and tone. Think of them as generic conventions.
Sometimes, you can break these rules, especially in creative writing or experimental pieces. But sometimes trimming the fat of your writing allows your strengths to shine through.
Academic essays tend to judged harshly based on a rigid set of rules and ultimately graded. Therefore, when writing a paper or essay as part of your education, it is worth ensuring that your writing style is tidy. The ideas in your essay are more important than your writing style. However, inadequate writing may sell your ideas short. I have found that complex ideas are best expressed through straightforward writing.
Note: As an English literature student, this advice may be more applicable to humanities. With humanities, especially in linguistic and literature related courses, the quality of your writing, not just the content, tends to be marked with more scrutiny. Regardless of your course, this cutting the following can help you communicate your ideas with clarity. Be aware that some exceptions may apply if your writing needs to be scientific or data-heavy.
1. First-Person Filters and Personal Anecdotes
Unless the assignment specifically requires you to write from experience or write a self-reflection, who you are as an individual does not matter in the essay. If the focus of the essay is analysing data or literature, keep your distance. You are the mastermind behind your essay, but you are not a character in it. Refrain from describing your qualifications and relevant life experiences in an attempt to sound credible. Show off through analysing the source material well.
If analysing literature, use “we”, “the reader”, or “name of a secondary critic” instead of “I”. Phrases like “in my opinion/my interpretation/ I believe that” hold no weight. Cut them, and say it as it is.
When describing your own interpretation, externalise your reading process: state your interpretation (without the first-person pronoun) then refer to the quotes, techniques, literary devices in the text that relate to this interpretation. Follow a similar process when analysing data. This makes whatever you are analysing the focal point, rather than yourself.
2. “Really”, “very”, “significantly”, etc
These words are dramatic. There’s no need to overcompensate in stressing the importance of what you are writing about. There are better ways to emphasise point than flowery words. If you explain your point sufficiently, its relevance should speak for itself.
It could be a matter of using a stronger adjective or noun. This also could be a matter of rewording to make the sentence stronger. While the adverb is redundant and does nothing but overcompensate, you could instead say: “this is significant because…” and then explain what makes it so important.
3. (Most) Adverbs and Adjectives
Adverbs are controversial in any style of writing. While their place in fiction writing is scrutinised, there is even less need for them in academic writing. Whenever you use an adjective in your essay, take it as a hint to be more specific. Unpack what the adverb can only imply.
Adjectives can sometimes have impact in academic writing. Keep them if they help specify an aspect of what you are analysing or have concrete meaning. For example, an adjective may be needed to determine the type of data or the literary devices. If the only purpose the adjective serves is to overcompensate or be superfluous (including adjectives that are already implied by the noun or add unnecessary emphasis), cut it.
4. Emotive Language
First, there are some exceptions. When analysing a book, a poem, or a film, it is fine to analyse how word choice, atmosphere, and technical details evoke certain emotions. Likewise, if you are analysing psychological data, for example, analysing emotions may be relevant. Analysing emotion can be powerful in these cases.
Otherwise, subjective emotion should not be used to justify your points through pathos. Do not use emotive phrasing to manipulate your reader into siding with you in lieu of evidence. Instead, focus on justifying your stance through analysing and explaining the relevant facts.
5. Empty Rhetorical Devices
Including the previous four points, be wary of any words that seem to emphasise your point, but lack substance. Disguised under intellectualism, you may have found a logical fallacy, such as hyperbole, sweeping generalisations, appeals to authority or tradition, false dichotomy, or confirmation bias. The list goes on.
Rhetorical fallacies come in many forms and are so commonplace, it is easy to come desensitised. Think of advertisements and tabloids that are written by someone whose sole prerogative is to convince you to buy their product or agree with them instantly.
It may be morally questionable, but it clearly works. I once read a pitch by some Irish bloke that was so littered with honey-tongued rhetorical devices, it convinced me to eat my own children and sell their meat to rich people.
However, in essays, rhetorical fallacies hold no weight and put your credibility into question. The best way to avoid this is to research common rhetorical fallacies and examples of them. They sneak up on you.
6. Conjunctions in Long Sentences
A rule I follow is to not exceed 40 words in a sentence. In most cases, your sentences should not need more than 30 words. Before I held myself to this rule, my essays consisted of 50 to 70 word sentences. I do not envy whoever marked them. Sentences that long are a nightmare to follow.
Sentence structure should be varied. This can add some engaging, rhythmic flow to your writing. Also, some sentences require more complex structuring than others. However, if you ever feel the need to exceed 40 words, chances are, you have lost control of the sentence.
When editing your essay, take note of the length of each sentence and reconsider the longest ones with scrutiny. There is likely a more fluid way to express what you are trying to say, and it likely involves an extra full stop. The most obvious solution is to split the sentence into two or three by removing the conjunctions. You may also need to reword the sentence(s) and unpack the ideas further.
7. Long paragraphs
Long sentences breed monster paragraphs. Variation is fine, within reason.
No lecturer or teacher is ever willing to give a straight answer to how long a paragraph should be. “As long as it needs to be” is their motto, until you test their unsaid boundaries on paragraph length.
The short answer is that 200–300 words is safe for most word counts. If your essay is below 1,000 words, you can go shorter. If the overall word count is above 3,000, you can get away with longer.
If a paragraph exceeds 400 words, it’s likely convoluted and overwhelming to read. Although they should flow together, each paragraph should only contain one idea. Paragraphs this long are usually a mishmash or two or more ideas.
Defeat the monster paragraph by looking for a natural shift in tone, topic, angle, or aspect of your analysis within it. Sometimes splitting the paragraph is as easy as pressing enter. However, it may need more reconstruction to become two solid paragraphs.
8. Passive voice
Switch to active voice and listen to your argument switch from tentative to convincing. The active voice also sounds smoother and is easier for your reader to follow.
9. Prolixity (or filler words)
In addition to unnecessary adverbs, here’s a list of words that add nothing to your writing. There are countless more but here are the top common offenders that drain your word count:
- that
- simply/merely/basically
- actually
- just/only
- quite/almost
- start/began
- in order to (simplify to “to”)
- seem
- sort of/kind of
- maybe/perhaps
These either add nothing or are too vague. You may not need to cut these words every time they pop up. However, if the sentence makes sense without them (or with a stronger, more specific alternative) consider giving them the chop.
10. Clichés and figures of speech
Most creative writing advice encourages you to avoid clichés like the plague regardless of what you are writing. I think their familiarity can have its place in making dialogue and informal writing relatable.
But in academic writing, figures of speech and idioms make your writing sound informal. To make your point clear, do so with blunt analysis.
11. Anything that disrupts the flow
Don’t refer back to previous points. Instead of repeating yourself, make sure you’ve explored the previous point sufficiently before moving on. Discuss one point at a time and trust that your reader will remember.
Also, don’t spend a lot of your word count discussing ideas that don’t fit. That doesn’t mean you cannot refer to counterarguments but they need to be handled with care. Don’t spend an entire paragraph (or more) justifying a counterpoint to your main theme, only to switch back. That makes the overall argument of your essay seem fickle and unfocused.
Instead, you should maintain your stance throughout the essay and do everything you can to fairly justify it. This includes the discussion of counterarguments. Acknowledge the extent of their validity but counter them with your opposing evidence, bringing it back to your side. Think of it as a debate.
Rough example: “Although [counterpoint] suggests that [explain how their stance differs and the “redeeming” aspects], it does not acknowledge/it must still be noted that [your point] because [evidence]. Therefore…”
12. Too Much Hesitation
Every piece of writing is subjective, no matter how rational and intellectual it may seem.
Therefore, as the writer of your essay, it is already implied that these are your ideas. Of course, you shouldn’t make up facts/data or make sweeping generalisations, and you should give credit to secondary sources. But you are meant to be analytical and make your purpose clear. You are allowed to say things as they are without beating around the bush.
Phrases like “this suggests/implies”, “evokes a sense of”, “reflects”, “demonstrates” are enough to communicate (with conviction) that your point is an interpretation. Modifying them with “may”, “could”, “it is my opinion that” is overkill.
Putting a disclaimer before everything you say hinders the strength of your argument. Be bold!
