Essay Writing for English Majors

Use these 4 basic principles to write effective essays.

Image by Anne Karakash from Pixabay.

English majors do not get enough instruction on how to write. College English teachers sometimes assume that students who choose the major know all they need to know about how to write effective essays, but while some English majors may write well because they are good readers, many need additional instruction that they never receive. Here are some basic principles that English majors can use to write better essays.

Writing is Communication

The purpose of writing essays is to communicate our ideas efficiently to our audience. We write down our ideas to elucidate them, not to obscure them, and we do not write to play games or waste somebody’s time. We write to help and to teach.

We communicate effectively in writing when our writing is clear, concise, direct and standard. Advanced writers may choose to deviate from these basic principles, but their reasons for doing so should be clear.

Clarity is often a function of syntax, sentence structure, and word choice.

• Syntax: Your sentences and clauses should follow a standard Subject-Verb-Object word order unless you have a good reason to deviate. You should master the use of parallel structure.
• Sentence Structure: You…