Hey, do you have any tips on how to articulate and express yourself clearly in essays? There are some people who just effortlessly structure their sentences in such a complex and detailed manner! Thanks!
Great question!
Well,
I think the people who express themselves the best are able to do so because they have a very clear structure in their mind. For me, I wrote essay plans over and over before I actually started the essay. Then I'd write the introduction, and then go back to my essay plan (which was usually quite visual) and reconsider. Lots, and lots of drafting is involved.
I think use of synonyms is important as well. The best essays understand and employ words in a way that is most appropriate. Admittedly, I'd often turn to thesaurus.com to find a better word. But, choosing a word without properly researching and understanding it's connotations often leads to people losing the sophisticated credibility of their essay.
Of course, the quality of ideas comes into this in a huge way. For me, my ideas always start small and I have an incredibly long planning process, note making, rewriting ideas, connecting parts of the texts, taking on different literary perspectives, etc. I know some people have a fabulous way of managing to connect complicated ideas immediately, but I'm not one! My process of coming up with ideas is long, and quite creative. I know it's a struggle for people who are more "math-brained" but usually they can turn out very precise essays through other processes!
I think it's also incredibly important to read your essay orally and look closely at how language flows or jars. Jarring words can affect the overall precision of your essay. Make sure the sentences are not too long, which I know becomes an issue as we try to express more complicated ideas and the syntax gets lost in it all.
Is there a particular piece of feedback you've been given that you want to focus on? Is it expression of ideas, connecting texts, techniques? Happy to help