{"id":8851,"date":"2019-11-04T17:00:49","date_gmt":"2019-11-05T01:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/?p=8851"},"modified":"2022-12-12T11:20:39","modified_gmt":"2022-12-12T19:20:39","slug":"bad-writing-habits-to-break","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/bad-writing-habits-to-break\/","title":{"rendered":"5 (Bad) Writing Habits You Need to Break"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most of us have bad habits we\u2019d like to break. Maybe you\u2019re guilty of hogging the only TV in the dorm or leaving your Chinese takeout boxes all over the living room (both of which drive your roommates crazy).<\/p>\n

If your bad habits only cause a few disagreements with your roommates, maybe it\u2019s not worth the effort to try to change them (though it probably is\u2014sorry).<\/p>\n

What if your bad habits have greater consequences, though, like bad grades? What if you have a few bad writing habits that you didn\u2019t even know <\/i>you had?<\/p>\n

We often form our habits at a young age, never realizing that we were actually doing them. (You know, like biting your nails when you watch a movie.) You likely formed your writing habits in middle school when you learned the basics of how to write an essay<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Whether you acquired your bad writing habits in middle school or just yesterday, it\u2019s time to break them ASAP. Here are five of the worst offenses.<\/p>\n

5 (Bad) Writing Habits You Need to Break<\/h2>\n

If your writing habits include prewriting<\/a>, researching credible sources<\/a>, and leaving ample time to revise and edit your paper<\/a>, congrats! You\u2019ve established good<\/i> writing habits.<\/p>\n

If, on the other hand, you count yourself among those who have one (or more) of the five bad writing habits below, you need to break them (and replace them with more effective ones\u2014we\u2019ll cover that too).<\/p>\n

1. Over-using the thesaurus<\/h3>\n

There are plenty of times when a thesaurus comes in handy, but over-use of a thesaurus leads to stiff, boring, and unnecessarily complicated word choices<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re writing a scientific report, then dry, complicated language might be appropriate. But if you\u2019re writing something like a history essay<\/a>, a literary analysis<\/a>, or a narrative essay<\/a>, such wording won\u2019t seem natural. Your writing will sound like you tried too hard to find a fancier word to make you sound smart<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a <\/b>good <\/i><\/b>use of a thesaurus: <\/b>Looking up a more appropriately descriptive word for \u201cshiny\u201d when describing<\/a> a diamond ring. (A check of the thesaurus might turn up \u201cbrilliant\u201d or \u201cradiant.\u201d)<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a <\/b>bad <\/i><\/b>use of a thesaurus: <\/b>Trying to sound like an academic by replacing common words like \u201chouse\u201d or \u201chome\u201d with \u201cabode\u201d or \u201cdomicile.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sure, there are times when \u201cabode\u201d might be more appropriate than \u201chouse.” But don\u2019t try to throw in these types of words just to try to impress your prof. (It won\u2019t work.)<\/p>\n

How to break this bad writing habit<\/h4>\n

The easiest way to break this bad habit is simply to resist the temptation to click on any page that gives you a list of synonyms.<\/p>\n

If you feel you absolutely must<\/i> use a thesaurus, do so sparingly. Wait until you edit your draft, then select any words that you think might need to be changed.<\/p>\n

2. Relying on your sources to write your paper<\/h3>\n

No, I don\u2019t mean setting up some shady deal in a back alley like the kind you’d find in a 1940s film noir<\/a>. Relying on sources doesn\u2019t <\/i>mean you discreetly hand a guy in a trench coat (who happens to be one of your most reliable sources) a few folded bills, and in return, he hands you a perfectly written and researched essay<\/a>.<\/p>\n