Skip to main content

Hot Off The Press

ECPE Writing - Sample Article (Banning Cars from the City)

This is the fourth sample article that conforms to the writing section requirements of the ECPE (Examination for the Certificate of Proficiency in English) of the University of Michigan.  My first post to deal with articles , explains what needs to be present in the piece of writing candidates compose. Examiners are looking for articles that elaborate on ideas and have solid arguments; are well organized; make use of a wide lexical and grammatical range; have an original ring to them (in other words,

Writing Formally - Quick Checklist of Do's and Don'ts



The following are key points to remember about a formal, academic piece of writing, whether it is for an exam or an assignment, an essay or a letter. 

There are conventions that need to be followed so here is a short list of things to keep in mind when writing to someone who is not an acquaintance or the finished work counts towards a grade.


Be aware that these points are not absolute, and many would argue that some of them, depending on the situation, are acceptable.





Writing – Basic Things to Remember



The Traits of a Proper Formal Essay





  • Never use contractions (don’t, won’t, can’t should be written out as do not, will not) ["can’t" is written in one word = cannot].

  • Avoid using I, you, we. Keep yourself as much out of your writing as possible and don’t talk to the reader directly (this is appropriate in letters or articles, but not as much in formal essays).

  • Don’t use etc. / and so on. It shows laziness (it means you have more to say but don't feel like adding it).

  • Never write “. . . ” at the end of a sentence. Finish each sentence definitively with one full stop.

  • Write out numbers under 100 (twenty-five instead of 25).

  • Separate words at the end of a line:
          • between syllables
          • between double consonants
    • for example: be-cause, bal-loon

  • Use connectors / linking devices to make your writing logical and clear.


  • Don’t make your writing wordy: avoid beginning sentences with there is / there are too often

  • Use active verbs instead of nouns to express ideas (this will make your writing sound more English = more empirical rather than theoretical)

  • Avoid rhetorical questions: it's okay to have one rhetorical question in an essay for example, but for emphasis, not to restate the question.

  • Discuss both sides of a topic, even if you are writing an opinion essay (which means you are putting your view forward).

  • Question the strength of your arguments and, if necessary, alter them to make them plausible. This is possible only if you plan properly ahead of time by brainstorming.

  • Don't use exclamation marks or parentheses:  a) academic or formal pieces of writing are not meant to be sentimental
     b) parentheses can be avoided with proper organization of ideas

  • Never start a sentence with and, but, or (use In addition, However …)

  • Learn to write longer sentences, not choppy ones, linking similar ideas together with proper linking devices.

  • Avoid clichés (eg: “till the day I die”, “as strong as an ox”, “as pretty as a picture”).

  • Don’t use absolute terms (never, always, everyone, nobody).

  • Avoid ‘baby English’ words: big – little, good – bad
 
  • Don’t use colloquial (everyday) words:
          • a lot of / lots of
          • kid
          • things / stuff
          • well (to start a sentence)
          • big / great
          • ok / okay / alright / all right
          • –body (nobody, somebody, anybody): use someone / anyone
          • could of / would of / should of = use 'have' instead of 'of'
          • get = obtain, acquire, procure / understand , comprehend
          • let = allow, permit
          • like = as if, as though
          • real = really (sometimes not necessary at all)
          • so = very
          • till = until
          • use = utilize, employ, adopt, apply, operate, accept (according to context)


For formal sample essays or letters as well as general information on writing, click here.

Popular posts from this blog

Writing Letters of Complaint - Useful Phrases

Whether it's to complain about something you bought or a service you found was unsatisfactory, as part of your job or because you are preparing to take an exam in English at B2 or C2 level, it is a fact that you should know the basics about writing or even orally expressing your dissatisfaction.  The following post should help you organize your letter or email (even an oral statement, if necessary) as well as give you some useful phrases you can use.

Virginia Woolf - The Legacy (Overview)

When a wife dies and leaves her husband her diary, all is possible. In Gil bert Clandon's case, the legacy his wife leaves him is much more than he could ever have imagined.  Virgi nia Woolf signs an exceptional short story which questions the foundations of marriage, people's need for communication by any means possible a nd their inclusion in a mutually beneficial partnership . When one reneges on that contract, the other will seek new outlets to grow , as p ersonal d evelopment in any marriage is inevitable. If that development is undertaken without any consideration for one's spouse, then problems will unavoidably ensue.

Tobias Wolff - Powder (Overview)

"Powder" is a short story intended to quickly state the obvious - a father's bond to his son is always a difficult thing to forge when parents aren't on good terms with each other. The level of difficulty in achieving this increases as fathers aren't used to explicitly explaining to their sons that they are trying to forge a stronger bond at a particular moment in time to begin with. Accordingly, the complications the father in this particular story is required to overcome are not only the time constraints the mother has placed on the trip as a whole or the mistrust towards her husband she has allowed her son to bear witness to which the father feels he must compensate for, but also the disparity in character traits that father and son exhibit. Having read the story for the first time, students predominantly respond to the query "What was the story about?" either with "I didn't get it. Some father and son skiing" or "S

Nadine Gordimer - An Intruder (Overview)

The short story An Intruder was incorporated in Nadine Gordimer's short story collection Livingston's Companions, published in 1970. As such, it must be read and viewed through the prism of her somewhat earlier works which dealt with South African society's inequality and the problems arising from the diseased status quo of the times. An Intruder focuses on relationships between characters and how perceptions of a situation differ in the eyes of each individual based on a combination of nature and nurture, or at the very least that is what Gordimer would have the reader gauge. What made James Seago what he is? Why is Mrs Clegg, Marie's mother, such a typical depthless wishful socialite with an exaggerated respect for higher social status? Couldn't Marie judge the merit of the man who treats her like a child or is she turning a blind eye to his behavior because it suits her? Whatever the answers to these questions, the one certainty we have is that the noti

C2 Sample Essay 8 (Parenting)

Writing at C2 level (Proficient User) on English language examinations is the same no matter the awarding body when it comes to writing essays. If you are a candidate giving an exam in English (IELTS, CPE, ECPE, CELP, LRN, ESB, TOEFL), make sure you read my earlier post What do I do with the sample writing found on this blog? to get the most out of the sample essays provided on Argute Legacy .     The topic of this essay is to discuss what the responsibilities of parenting are. If you are not taking an exam but need to discuss this topic, then read on and note down what you deem useful. If you intend to use this essay as part of an assignment, remember to paraphrase so as not to plagiarize. The topic is similar to what candidates expect in any other C2-level examination in that examiners want to see a well-organized, coherent and cohesive discussion of the issue with arguments and examples written in approximately half an hour. Whether or not you agree with the