Back to TABLE OF TOPICS: WRITING ASSIGNMENTS IN HISTORY COURSES
Guidelines for Clear Writing
Whether your assignment is to write an in-class essay exam, a take-home essay exam, a review essay, or a research paper, follow these simple guidelines for clear writing:
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The
subject
of each sentence must be clear.
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The action of the subject (what the subject is saying, feeling, or doing) must also be clear.
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Avoid writing in the
passive voice. When writing history, identify an actor or an agent of change whenever possible.
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History "happened." Write about historical events in the past tense.
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If you have several points to make, write several shorter sentences rather than one long one.
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Be sure that each sentence adds something of substance to the one before it.
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Make certain that each sentence is logically connected to the one before (and after) it.
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The sentences of each paragraph must be logically linked (don't jump around).
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Each paragraph (group of linked sentences) should focus on a single point and make its point clearly.
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When you begin a
new
point, start a new paragraph.
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Create
transition sentences
to help your reader understand the connection between two paragraphs. See
Connecting the Parts of an Essay.
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As each sentence in a paragraph should be logically connected to the one before it and the one after it, so each paragraph in an essay should be logically connected to the one before it and the one after it.
See also
How to Begin and End an Essay
and
Connecting the Parts of an Essay.
Next: Creating a Writing Outline