Writing essays is a difficult task, especially if you don’t have a degree in English. Quite often, students have to finish their essays the night before the deadline, so they might forget about the importance of originality, using some clichés. This is a reason why experts from Writers-House service decided to make this list of the worst clichés that you should avoid at any cost.
1. Starting with a question
Questions look like a good option for a hook. However, questions are overdone and they won’t make your essay look original.
Example: Do you know about the impact of plastic bottles on our environment?
Instead, try this: The impact of plastic bottles on our environment is terrible.
2. Starting with a quote
Quote introductions are also too common, so we recommend that you don’t start your essay with a quote or even statistics. If you start it with your own words, your essay will look much more authentic.
3. Starting with a definition
Actually, quotes and questions are even better than definitions. Never start your essay with a definition from a dictionary because you’ll certainly get a lower grade.
Example: The Oxford English Dictionary defines “loyalty” as…
Instead, try this: Loyalty is a term that is often redefined by society.
4. Too many complex words
You may want to include some fancy words to make your essay more professional but, in fact, it will only make you sound pretentious. In addition, the abundance of big words will eventually lead to more mistakes. We recommend that you choose simple and understandable synonyms if you can.
5. “And, perhaps, the main reason is that, because of…”
If you use more words than you actually need, it will negatively impact your score. You will create a much better impression if you manage to express more meaning using fewer words. You may feel tempted to write more words because of the required word count, but your professor will certainly notice it, so don’t even try.
6. “… was the greatest lesson of all”
This cliché is so overused that it has become boring and lost its meaning. Find a more creative way to tell your readers what the greatest lesson was.
Example: My trip to Ireland taught me a lot, but trust was the greatest lesson of all.
Instead, try this: My trip to Ireland taught me a lot about trust and how important it is.
7. First, then, lastly
When you start every paragraph of the body section with such phrases, it looks really bad. Of course, your essay must be logically structured, but such phrases are very predictable, making your text boring.
8. “In conclusion…”
Unless you’re reading your paper out loud in front of the audience, this expression makes absolutely no sense. It’s your last paragraph anyway, so everyone understands that it’s the conclusion.
9. Cheating to reach the word count
Some students just write any nonsense in white to reach the necessary word count. Does it work? Sometimes. Should you try this? No. You can be easily caught on cheating and it’s not worth possible consequences. Just take your time and write more.
10. Clichés.
There are hundreds of clichés so we won’t list them all. If you realize that you’ve heard some expression many times, we recommend that you replace it with your own words instead.
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