Writing correctly and clearly is an important part of learning basic professional skills that you can later use anywhere. If you are not easily understood by your reader, it will be quite hard for you to establish an online presence or build any online relationships. However, in this era where the online environment is taking over, writing effectively is one of the biggest assets you could develop. From writing e-mails to official letters or even essays, you should be preparing yourself for what is to come. Here is a guide on how to write correctly and efficiently and how to improve yourself on this subject.
Step One: Writing Clearly and Correctly
The first and most important skill to develop is writing clearly. If your writing is not eligible, you will be unable to convey your message properly. Therefore, you must:
- Choose the words that best fit in the context. Make sure that the English words that you are using mean the exact thing that you are thinking. Words have both denotative and connotative meanings, so choose definitions that fit your message the best. For example, the words big, huge, and immense imply the same thing, but they are different in connotation. To be able to use the right words, you must be able to understand its definition. So, it is important to also look for definitions of the words you don’t fully understand. You could always check the Merriam-Webster online dictionary.
- Give meaning to the words “this,” “that,” or “those.” Writing something like, “This is the reason why I would like to apply for a position at your company” doesn’t make sense unless it follows the actual reason why you are interested. Make sure that what you are referring to when writing “this” or “that” or “those” is clear in the given context.
- Use multiple short sentences instead of a long one. This makes the message you are trying to deliver more interesting and thus, clearer to the reader. Try to stay away from using too many commas and ideas in one sentence.
Step Two: Writing Concisely
The second thing to consider when learning how to write properly is writing concisely. When you are concise, you’re to the point and objectively explaining what you mean. This is important as it helps the reader understand your perspective better and thus, engage with you more easily. Here are some of the most important points on how to write concisely.
- Eliminate all the unnecessary add-ons. Make sure that your message is easily readable and conveys the information that you want to send; however, don’t let the message get too long by adding too many details. If the reader requires further details, you could add them at a later time. If you’ve included unnecessary phrases in your content and thus, repeat yourself extensively, ensure that you delete those redundancies. Nobody likes to waste their time reading the same thing over and over again.
- Use a clear voice and straightforward language. Ensure that you are saying exactly what you mean. For example, writing something like, “It came to my attention that the people next door are bothering myself and my family by making redundant noise” is not at all concise. You could replace that with, “I noticed that my neighbors are making too much noise and it bothers me.” The second, correct option expresses the same idea but in a more concise, easy-to-read format. To check whether you’re writing correctly or not, you can always contact an essay writing service UK Consulting with someone who’s proficient in this field can be quite efficient, as you could learn even more from them.
- Try to write everything in the active voice rather than the passive. Using the active voice gives your content a more professional look and enhances the underlying meaning behind your message. It adds impact to the reader as you change the subject from passive to active. For example, saying that “the noise situation was changed by the neighbors” is not as impactful as stating that “the neighbors changed their behavior and stopped making noise.”
- Avoid using phrases such as “there is,” “there are.” For example, stating that “there are many kids talking outside my dorm” is not as efficient as saying, “many kids are talking outside my dorm.”
- Eliminate unnecessary words from your text. Efficient writing means compressing your message into a more easily readable format and thus, eliminating any extra nouns or verbs from your message. For example, stating that “Anne was interested in the computer data processing field” could be summarized to, “Anne was interested in data processing.” It’s as easy as that.
Step Three: Applying What You’ve Learned
Learning how to write clearly, correctly, and concisely is not enough – you must apply the knowledge in the real-world. Thus, ensure that you are taking time to practice all the information that you’ve gathered in order to grasp it even better. You could write e-mails to friends or family and ask for their feedback or contact the services that I mentioned before to ask them for an objective opinion. In the end, practice is the key to mastering anything, so here’s a cool piece of advice: practice writing daily!
Author Bio
John Peterson is a journalist with 4 years’ experience working as an assignment writing service coordinator. He is a professional mini-tennis player and he has written a novel “His Heart”. You can find him on Facebook.