Do's and Don'ts of Essay Writing

DO
Use formal language
Talk about your opinion
Think BEFORE you start writing about 2 or 3 main ideas you want to explain.
Think about your word count - how many words will each section have?
Use paragraphs - an introduction, a conclusion and 1 paragraph for each main idea
Use a capital letter to start a sentence and a full stop to end it
Link each sentence in a paragraph to the one before using connectors like:
    On the other hand
    As a result of this
    Firstly, Secondly, Finally

Conclude with a meaningful statement of your opinion or the solution to a problem.



DON'T
Use contractions (don't write "don't", write "do not")
Use lists with 'etc....' at the end
Copy directly from the internet
Use Google Translator
Write your essay in Italian and translate it into English.
Speak directly to the reader (it's better to avoid saying "you").
Say "boys" when you mean young people who are male and female (it's better to say "teenagers").
Say "sons" when you mean "sons and daughters" - you can say "children" even if they are teenagers.
Get confused between "addition" and "addiction".

Get confused between "exaggerate" and "go too far" or "go to extremes".  "Exaggerate" means to tell
a story where you make aspects bigger than they truly were.  An example:
"I told her a thousand times to stop calling me!"   Because you probably didn't tell her 1,000 times, you are exaggerating.  You probably told her 10 or 20 times ;-).
But if I drink too much, then I am "going too far".
If I go on a diet where I only eat lettuce, then my friends will tell me I am "going to extremes".