Essay Skills

Explain or Illustrate Key Ideas

Your essay will be evaluated, in part, on the degree you offer specific evidence and select words that are not vague or undefined. Avoid words like "thing" that are too vague. Words or terms such as: factors, advantages, today's society, and characteristics need to be defined or described the first time they appear in your essay. Examples of how they are being used are also helpful.

An example of a sentence which is too vague and general is:

A student needs to remember several things regarding study skills.

The sentence could be re-written using concrete, specific word choice as:

A college student preparing for a test needs to have a knowledge of the types of questions on the test, effective study notes, and a classmate who wants to study, too.

Look closely at the thesis statement you prepared for your essay. If there are vague words or terms that need definition, make those corrections before proceeding further.