In this section you will learn about

ToneClarityBiasAssumptionsPresentation

Essay Style

TONE

What do we mean by tone?

Think about the tone of voice you use when speaking to children, peers, friends and superiors.

Your essay should be written in the tone of voice that you would address an interested ‘lay person’ – i.e. someone who can follow the topic, but doesn’t know the subject inside-out.

Tone

Things to avoid:

The first person: “I believe that…”“In this essay I will propose…”

A chatty or casual tone of voice: “Well, if you think that is bad,

she…”“Everybody knows what he…”

Tone

Things to avoid:

Personal language: “If you look at the facts, you will

discover…”“When we meet new people , we

always…”Phrases of speech:

“It was easier said than done.”“The speaker gave the topic a wide

berth.”

Tone

Things to avoid:

Slang, text or IM style English: “Iz kool U will C L8R”“btw, she was afk @ the time lol ”

Acronyms: “TV was invented in the USA.”“She published the essay ASAP.”

Tone

Things to avoid:

Rhetorical Questions:“Who says that people aren’t supposed to

do it?

“Smoking is bad for you, so why do we do it?

“The question is ‘Are superfoods really that super?’ Perhaps not.”

Tone

Things to avoid:

Symbols: “& the population was ÷ by a

large %...”“The record was ©1989.”

Contractions: “They can’t stop dancin’ about.”“She doesn't want fish ’n’ chips.”

Tone

Things to avoid:

Abbreviations: “E.g. Capt. and Mjr. are high

ranks…”“Jan. is the 1st month of the yr.”

Pleonasm:“He kidnapped his own son!”“The one-horned unicorn trotted

away.”

Tone

CLARITY

What is clarity?

This means making your writing clear, so that the reader can connect to your ideas and understand your arguments.

Your essay should be written simply, directly and to the point, and so that no additional explanations are needed.

Clarity

Avoid long sentences:

Readers may have difficulty following them – and so may you. Stick to one main idea per sentence.

As a general guide, use a maximum of 20 words per sentence.

Clarity

Avoid overtly descriptive text:

“The magniloquently epic poem was indicative of a verbose elocutionist.”

“She was intensely accurate when circumnavigating the turbidly boggy quagmire upon the paving stones.”

Clarity

Avoid irrelevant detail:

“He was born in 1971 (the same year as me!) and…”

“London, nicknamed ‘The Big Smoke”, has the highest concentration of galleries in the UK.

Clarity

Active or Passive voice:

Active:“Pele scored the final goal of the match.”“Recent studies show a rise in inflation.”

Passive:“The final goal of the match was scored

by Pele.”“Inflation has risen, according to recent

studies.”

Clarity

Word length:

“Fred lost all his money and consequently his children went hungry.”

“The fundamental problem is….”

“The criteria necessitates ninety per cent success.”

“Inflation has risen, according to recent studies.”

Clarity

Avoid Clichés and phrases of speech:at the end of the daythe fact of the matterfew and far betweena level playing fieldin this day and ageto all intents and purposeswhen all’s said and donein the final analysiseasier said than donea wide berth

Clarity

come full circlepar for the coursethink outside the boxavoid like the plaguefit for purposemass exodusat this moment in timethe path of least resistancea baptism of firein any way, shape, or form

BIAS

What is bias?

In your writing you may be asked to be ‘for’ or ‘against’ something, but bias is when you favour a particular position, often unconsciously, without any evidence or critical thinking.

Your essay should be written from a neutral point of view, and any position should be backed up with evidence.

Bias

What is bias?

Students often used biased language unconsciously, often because they are speaking

from their own social, gender or racial position.

Your language should be as neutral and objective as possible, so that any reader could identify with it. Biased language can alienate readers from a perfectly good argument.

Bias

Avoid gender bias:

“He is likely to lose his work if he does not save it.”

“He or she is likely to lose his or her work if he or she….”

“They are likely to lose their work if they ….”

“Students are likely to lose their work if they ….”

Bias

Avoid gender bias:

“Mankind now covers the whole of the planet.”

“Policemen in Britain do usually not carry guns.”

“Before becoming an actress, she was a waitress.”

Bias

Avoid overgeneralisation:

“Doctors believe that alternative therapies are useful.”

“Policemen in Britain do usually not carry guns.”

“Before becoming an actress, she was a waitress.”

Bias

ASSUMPTIONS

Avoid personal beliefs:

“God loves everyone.”

“Gods do not exist.”

“Ultimately, we will all become vegetarians.”

“People are basically nice.”

Assumptions

Do not write from personal experience:

“My son is addicted to gaming, and so are most boys.”

“It is hard getting up in mornings, so it is easy to see why people are late.”

“All mothers love their children.”

Assumptions

Avoid judgemental thinking:

“Doctors should have their patients at heart.”

“The government should be doing something about unemployment.”

“It is better to turn the other cheek than to fight back.”

Assumptions

Avoid labels:

“Lame, elderly people are at risk of…”

“Women drivers are less likely to…”

“Silicon valley has a disproportionate number of autistic people.”

Assumptions

Presentation

What is the best way to present your essay?

There are many different ways of designing the look of your essay in Microsoft Word or Publisher, but you will be looking for the clearest and simplest style possible.

Your tutor will give you specific rules, but here are some general guidelines:

Presentation

Start as you mean to go on:

Check that your page layout is:A4Portrait

Set your margins to wide :Approximately 2.5 cm.

Presentation

Font:

You may prefer to type in Comic Sans, but when handing in ensure you choose something like:

ArialCalibri

Times New Roman

Presentation

Line Spacing:

You may prefer to type using singlespacing…

Presentation

…but double spacing allows your tutor towrite comments.

Paragraphs

Use indents but no space betweenparagraphs...

Presentation

…or no indents but one space between paragraphs.

… and you will produce a success!