Your clarity checklist
How do you make sure your reader understands your essay?
- Write the first draft of your essay to generate and record your ideas.
- Write subsequent drafts of your essay to clarify your ideas for your reader.
- Write so your reader can follow your argument.
- Write as if your reader is unfamiliar with the subject matter of your essay.
- Write so that your reader understands the connections between your ideas.
- You may know what you mean, but does your reader know what you mean?
Have you presented your ideas in an effective order? Ease your reader into your argument by ordering your ideas from
- simple to complex
- undisputed to controversial
- strong to strongest
Do you have a clear introductory paragraph with a strong thesis? Your reader needs to know
- what your topic is
- the context for your topic
- your position on your topic
- the purpose of writing on this topic
- what you have to add that is relevant and responds to the existing discussion on this topic
Do you have clear introductory sentences at the beginning of each paragraph? Your reader needs to know
- what to expect
- how your ideas support your thesis
Do you have appropriate and effective transitions?
- Create transitions between sentences by using words or phrases such as first of all, second, before, but, however, on the other hand, for example, consequently, in summary and finally.
- For MLA essays, show how the idea in one paragraph is connected to the idea in the next paragraph.
- For, example, "In addition to the 'Arms that are braceleted and white and bare,' (64) Eliot also uses synecdoche to highlight Prufrock's feelings of isolation when he says, 'I should have been a pair of ragged claws, scuttling across the floors of silent seas' (73-74).
Have you removed unnecessary and vague words?
- Avoid words such as totally, very, really, just, or things
- If you can remove words and retain your meaning, do so. Shorter is better.
- For example, do not write, "An explosion involving more than four thousand pounds of dynamite has occurred.”
- Instead write, “Four thousand pounds of dynamite exploded.”
Do your pronouns (he, she, they, it, this, these) clearly designate the noun they refer to? Compare the following sentences:
- Just as Joe DiMaggio reached for the ball, his head struck the wall. He picked it up and threw it to third base. (Did Joe throw his head to third base?)
- Just as Joe DiMaggio reached for the ball, his head struck the wall. He picked up the ball and threw it to third base. (No, Joe threw the ball to third base.)
Are your modifiers positioned next to the words that they are modifying? Compare the following sentences:
- The supervisor told me she needed someone who could type badly. (Does the supervisor need a bad typist?)
- The supervisor told me she badly needed a typist. (No, the supervisor needs a typist immediately).
Have you used the same parallel structure or pattern when joining words or phrases? Compare the following sentences:
- I like to read, playing the piano and I enjoy building models. (The phrases have different structures)
- I like to read books, play piano and build models. (The phrases have the same structure.)
Do your word choices reflect the meaning you want to convey?
- Words are both denotative (the meaning of a word) and connotative (the meaning associated with a word)
- For example, thrifty and cheap have similar denotative meaning (saving money), but different connotative meaning (not being wasteful versus not being generous)
- When using a thesaurus (a dictionary) that lists synonyms (other words with nearly the same meaning), make sure you understand both the denotative and connotative meanings of the synonyms you chose.
Adapted from the Research Essays LibGuide.
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Style: Toward Clarity and Grace by 
