Have you ever wondered what your instructors mean when they write "wordy" or "passive voice" or "awk" in the margins of your paper? Do you sometimes sense that your sentences could be stronger, clearer, shorter, or more effective? Do you often feel that you know what you mean but do not know how to say it? If you often get feedback from your instructors that you need to "tighten your prose" or "look at your word choice," you may need to work on your writing style. When you read your writing it may seem perfectly clear, but other people may not be getting your point. If you have checked your grammar, punctuation, and even that handy thesaurus on your computer and still find a ton of circled words and question marks on your graded paper, you may need to work on your writing style—the way you put together a sentence or group of sentences.
Part of the problem with style is that it's subjective. Different readers have different ideas about what constitutes good writing style, and so do different instructors and different academic departments. For example, passive voice is generally more acceptable in the sciences than in the humanities. You may have an instructor who keeps circling items in your paper and noting "word choice" or "awkward" and another who comments only on content. Worse yet, some of what readers identify as writing problems may technically be grammatically correct. A sentence can be wordy and still pass all the rules in the grammar handbooks. This fact may make it harder for you to see what's wrong, and it may make you more likely to think that the instructor is picky or out to get you when you read her comments. In fact, the instructor probably just cares about your development as a writer. She wants you to see what she thinks interferes with your argument and learn to express your ideas more directly, elegantly, and persuasively.
Say what you mean
First, remember that your goal in academic writing is not to sound intelligent, but to get your intelligent point across. You may be reading complicated textbooks and articles, and even when they don't make sense to you, they all sound smart. So when you have to write a paper, you may try to imitate this type of writing. But sometimes when you imitate the style, you miss the most important goal—communicating and being understood. a Your instructor can't read your mind—she can only read your paper. And if she can't understand what you are saying, she's going to have trouble giving you credit for it. Remember that the most important goal in every paper is to get your point across as straightforwardly as possible. (See our handout on argument if you need more help understanding why getting your point across is important .)
Say it in the appropriate tone
Beware too of the opposite problem: writing exactly like you speak to your friends over lunch at Lenoir. We've written this pamphlet in a chatty, friendly style, so that youÂ’ll read it and think "this isn't such a painful way to learn about style." Ours may not be the appropriate style for an academic paper. Some instructors may think it's okay to say "the Renaissance was a drag" or "the cool thing about the Balkans is...," but most won't. When in doubt, be conservative, and don't think that because a discipline is "artsy" or "out there" that instructors in that discipline want you to write like that.
This caution doesn't mean you should write all your sentences in a choppy, obvious, "see Jane run" style. It just means that you should make sure that your instructor isn't distracted from what you are trying to say by how you are saying it.
How to improve
If you learn how to recognize matters of style in your writing, you will have more control over your writing—the way someone reads your paper will be a result of choices you have made. If those choices are deliberate, you'll have more control over how the reader reacts to your argument. So let's look at the what instructors often perceive as the biggest style "crimes." You probably don't have trouble with all of these, so focus your attention on those issues most relevant to your own writing. First we'll explain some common, style-related writing problems, then we'll show you some handy tips for finding them, and finally we'll work on correcting them in your revision process. (That's right: at first you may have to include a revision devoted entirely to style in your writing process, at least until you get used to recognizing and correcting these issues as you write.)
This term is used to cover a couple of style problems that involve using more words than you absolutely need to say something. Especially when we talk, we use a lot of little filler words that don't actually have anything to add to the meaning of our sentences. (The previous sentence has several examples—see if you can take five words out of it without losing any of its meaning.) In writing, these filler words and phrases become more obvious and act as delays in getting the reader to the point of your idea. If you have enough delays in your sentence, your readers might get frustrated. They might even start skimming your paper, which seems a shame after all of your efforts to communicate with them.
Your wordiness may derive from a problem unrelated to your writing style: uncertainty about your topic, lack of a developed argument, or lack of evidence. If you're not sure what you want or have to say, you may have trouble saying it. As you struggle to find what you mean or play with a vague idea or concept, you may write garbled or rambling sentences. If this happens to you, it doesn't mean that you are a "bad" writer or that you have a "bad" writing style or "bad" ideas. It simply indicates that you are using writing as a way to think—to discover your point. It's okay to let yourself think on the page and write to discover precisely what you mean. Taking thirty minutes (or more) to let yourself write and clarify your point for yourself may save you lots of time later. Write to yourself until you can quickly explain to a friend what you are writing about, why you believe it, and what evidence supports your position. Then, sit down to write your paper with your reader in mind. Note: Some writers, in an effort to make a page limit, will be wordy on purpose—this tactic will be obvious to the reader, and most instructors will be less than impressed. If you find yourself struggling to meet length requirements, see our handout on for some tips. If you are still way off on page length and our handout hasn't helped you, you may want to talk to your instructor
