Two much off da errs & unproperly usin’ wards; gramma & speeling is sooooo heard for undertaking.
Therefore, it is important to apply oneself in learning to communicate as clearly as possible. Good spelling, punctuation and grammar are your friends in writing good essays. Essays that are easy to read and understand allow people to hear what you are saying and will assist you in changing people's hearts and minds. Developing this skill for essay writing will simultaneously develop your ability to communicate effectively in all other mediums.
With that said, writing essays is a rather unique way of communicating. It does differ considerably from talking, preaching, emailing, texting or social media posts.
It is a more formal, long-form, considered style of writing, where certain conventions should be observed.
College staff will typically offer some guidance early on in any academic course to help with writing. Unless you are well versed in the art and science of essay writing, I would highly recommend attending such classes. Form and style guides, along with other essay writing resources may also be available. Check with your college staff.
There are also cheap, short, readily available books and ebooks on punctuation, grammar and the like if you feel you need additional help in that area.
Most word processors offer at least a basic level of spelling and punctuation correction. Online services such as Grammarly and Ginger, in both their free and paid versions, will provide further grammatical correction. Getting others to proof-read a few early essays, as mentioned above, can also help a lot.
Use these resources! It will lift the overall quality of your essays (and quite likely your grades), as well as increase your comfort in sharing your writing with others who may benefit from the content of your work.
Another fantastic and easy way to improve your writing is to consciously observe, as you read books and articles, how talented, professional authors write. Noting their style of writing and use of grammar and punctuation will see you incorporating their good form into your own writing, producing better writing yourself in no time at all.
And finally, regarding good spelling, punctuation, and grammar, let me just say relax (especially if English is not your first language). This facet of writing will rarely make up more than 10% of your grade. Do you best and learn as you go, and improve, but don't make a mountain out of a molehill.
You want to learn to write well, and the tools mentioned above will help enormously to this end, but do not get yourself wound up about it. And don’t waste inordinate amounts of time on it. But don’t neglect improving either.
Find a good balance. Be consistent. Use the tools at your disposal, and remain committed to improving. I’m sure you're making enough sense to be understood already, and will ever-increasingly become an even more effective communicator if you apply yourself.
In the book of Romans (5:4), Paul tells us that perseverance produces character, and character gives us hope. So hang in there! God can work wonders in us - even in the field of academic study - and the well-founded hope you will discover for yourself as you push on will be hope you can offer others; a sound hope that writing academic essays will develop beautifully if you embrace the challenge.
And if at any point you are struggling, don't be too proud to ask for the help you need. Helping others is a core part of The Salvation Army's DNA and someone will only be too happy to provide whatever help you need.
Next Post: Who Am I to Say?
March 2018 (Updated January 2021)