Writing anything well means being very aware of language and knowing how to use it to your best advantage. This page provides some simple tips for cleaner, clearer writing and editing. Using them will improve your writing skills considerably.
Know what you want to say before you write
It may seem blindingly obvious that you should know what you want to say before you write a sentence. However, many people start writing a sentence with several thoughts in their mind at the same time. Those thoughts then end up in sentences that are jumbled and their meaning unclear. When you are writing, focus on one point you want to make, get it down, and go on to the next sentence. Your sentences will be far clearer as a result.
Don’t wait for inspiration
When it comes to writing, there is a widely held myth about inspiration. It goes something like this: wait till the mood hits until that mysterious something outside yourself kicks in. The American writer Jack London offered some very good advice about this combination of procrastination and wishful thinking: ‘You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.’
So when you’re writing something, whether it be a thesis or a piece of business writing, a college essay or a press release, don’t ever wait for inspiration; it is out there, waiting for you.
Split up your long sentences
Make sure your sentences are not too long. If a sentence is long, very often it contains too much. It can be a mishmash of several thoughts, with one idea running into the next. And it usually means it can be shortened and the clarity and readability of the paragraph improved as a result. Your sentences will be shorter, clearer and more readable.
Write in the active voice
As reality increasingly resembles his fictional vision, George Orwell is more topical than ever. Orwell’s novel 1984 predicted an all-watching, all-seeing authority that was aware of our every move. But with the advent of surveillance capitalism, it is not so much Big Brother but Big Data that we need to be wary of, given how tech giants have access to our most intimate secrets. From the websites we visit to the apps we use, from what we say in our emails and instant messages to what we buy online, sometimes it seems as if we are uploading our very souls.
Orwell is less famous for Politics and the English Language, his treatise on writing that contains a wealth of writing tips. According to Orwell, “Modern English, especially written English, is full of bad habits which spread by imitation and which can be avoided if one is willing to take the necessary trouble. If one gets rid of these habits, one can think more clearly.” Orwell memorably describes bad writing, poorly constructed sentences, stale imagery and lack of precision as “avoidable ugliness”.
For the sake of better writing and editing, one of the things he advises is, “Never use the passive voice where you can use the active.” Why write, for example, “The writing services were provided by me” when instead you can simply write, “I provided the writing services”? So make sure to opt for cleaner, clearer sentences by being active rather than passive.
Go with the flow – write first, edit later
It is easy to become so fixated on writing your project (and even bogged down by writing tips) that you constantly interrupt the flow to check that everything you have written in the previous few sentences is word-perfect. This can be not only an exhausting endeavour but also one that is self-defeating. There are two impulses when writing: the creative impulse and the critical one. The writing effort is a perpetual tug-of-war between these two voices, and creativity and self-criticism can often clash.
The trick when writing is to let it flow, ignoring the loud background noises of hesitation and self-doubt. It will make your writing far less difficult to do. When you’re on a roll, keep the momentum going. You can always go back at a later date to carry out editing and iron out the creases. In the meantime, just go with the flow!
Be as specific as you can be
Check out this sentence from an academic paper we looked at recently. It read, “Many participants noticed these negative effects. However, only one in five wanted to take action.”
This sentence shows that the writer knew what he meant by “to take action,” but he wrongly assumed that the reader also did.
When you write, don’t assume the reader knows anything about the topic – and avoid ambiguous expressions of this kind.
Be wary of this pitfall when starting your sentence with ‘As’
Last year, an Irish sports journalist wrote the following: “As a Reds supporter, Itoje is a machine.” One would think that he meant that Mario Itoje, a professional rugby player, supports the British and Irish Lions. But this is not what the journalist meant. What he wanted to say was that, as a Reds supporter, he considers Itoje to be a machine.
This confusion between clauses is a common mistake. If you made this mistake in a colloquial/social context, it wouldn’t raise an eyebrow. But doing so in formal writing can be misleading. It also makes the writing look slack and unprofessional.
Know when to use ‘further’ rather than ‘more’
Overuse of the word ‘more’ can make your writing imprecise and, sometimes, even confusing. An example appeared in The Irish Times, in an article about Ukraine. The offending line read: “Russia targeted Ukraine with a record 728 drones overnight, shortly after US President Donald Trump pledged to send more defensive weapons to Kyiv…”
The writer’s use of the word ‘more’ suggests that Trump was going to send weapons that were “more defensive” than before. But that was not the intention; it was to send a new batch of defensive weapons – in short, further defensive weapons.
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Be careful when citing multiple texts in your thesis
Recently, in one of my thesis proofreading projects, the student quoted from several texts. He then added (Bourne et al., 2015; Pakianathan et al., 2016; Maxwell et al., 2019; Vanbaelen et al., 2023; Zawilska et al., 2024; Lagojda et al. 2025).
Don’t promise what you can’t deliver
Don’t say “put simply” if you won’t explain things clearly. And avoid saying things like “A fascinating fact is…” if you follow it with a poorly expressed point, making it seem anything but interesting.
Don’t say “on the contrary” when what you mean to say is “on the other hand”
Why? Because they’re not the same thing. Use “on the contrary” when you want to disagree with something said or suggested. It shows that you believe the opposite is true. Use “on the other hand” to point out a different statement or opinion.
For example, if someone says, “I didn’t realise you liked pizza,” you might reply, “On the contrary, I love it!” But if instead the person asked, “Are you a fan of Portuguese food?” you might say, “Not really. Spanish food, on the other hand, is impressive.”
Don’t “acknowledge” something in a thesis when that’s not what you mean
One of the most common mistakes people make when writing a thesis is to misuse the word “acknowledge”. For example: “Smith (2021) acknowledges that cognitive behavioural therapy is not the only treatment for depression.” The writer wanted to say that Smith pointed out that cognitive behavioural therapy was not the only treatment for depression.
Instead, the writer misused the word “acknowledge”. He made it seem, incorrectly, that Smith was admitting or accepting something. So, don’t write “acknowledge” when what you mean “state”, “note”, “observe”, etc.
“Comprised of” may be commonly used – but it’s always wrong
Almost every thesis proofreading project I have worked on has described a list as being “comprised of…”, going on to say what’s in the list. But the expression “comprised of” is wrong. That’s because “to comprise” means the same thing as “to include”. Therefore, to say something “is comprised of” is like saying “is included of”. So, instead of saying “is comprised of”, say “comprises” or “is composed of”.
Don’t confuse “i.e.” with “e.g.”.
You’d be amazed how many people confuse “i.e.” with “e.g.” Perhaps that’s not surprising since both come from Latin. “E.g.” is short for “exempli gratia” (for example), while “i.e.” is an abbreviation of “id est”, meaning “that is”. One easy way to remember the difference is to remind yourself that ‘e is for example’.
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Use the word “also” sparingly – and with caution
In this example, the word “also” is not only confusing; it’s entirely unnecessary. Delete the word and the sentence becomes far clearer. So, when writing a thesis, use the word “also” sparingly and with care.
Is this what you meant to say?
The Irish have a habit of speaking in the conditional tense. For example, police spokespeople often start a statement like this: “We would be concerned by…” They really mean that they are concerned. Corporate professionals often say, “We would be one of the main players in this area.” They mean, of course, that they are. Unsurprisingly, this conversational habit has crept into business writing, as well as PhD and Master’s dissertations. So, whatever you’re writing, avoid writing conditionally; tell it like it is, not how it would be.
Be careful how you use the word “discuss” in a thesis
A common mistake people make when writing theses is following the word “discusses” with a colon (:). For example, “Calder and Hasler (2022) discuss: ‘Other studies have reported…'” This is an incorrect way to explain what Calder and Hasler said, stated, noted, observed, opined, etc.
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Avoid using the word “literally” to emphasise something
The expression “literally”, which has crept into common parlance, is now generally used to emphasise something. But, technically at least, using it in this way is wrong. In casual conversation, it is now mostly acceptable. However, it’s just another awkward, imprecise Americanism. Using it in formal contexts looks odd and unfocused. Why? Because “literally” means in an exact or actual sense – nothing more.
Why use five words when you can use one?
‘Tautology’ means repeating something that’s already been said – usually by using a word or words surplus to requirements. One example I encountered recently was “other additional needs”. In this phrase, the word “additional” is not necessary, as “other” has already made the point.
As a general rule, remember to avoid using several words when you can use one. For example, a common phrase in academic writing is “to meet the requirements of identifying”. That’s a mouthful that can be rewritten simply as “to identify”. Similarly, the verbose expression “at this moment in time” can be replaced by “now” or “currently”.
“To contribute to a reduction of” can be rewritten as “to reduce” or “to help reduce”, depending on the context. Similarly, the phrase “it has the potential to” can be rewritten as “it can” or “it might” – again, depending on the context.
It’s also a good idea to avoid long, awkward phrases. These are things you would never say in everyday speech. A recent encounter in this regard was “Flynn further goes on to say”, which can be easily replaced by “Flynn adds”.
Don’t confuse the singular with the plural
It’s easy to confuse the singular with the plural, especially where words that originated in Latin are concerned. That’s partly because their singular and plural forms are very different. Their plurals do not use -s or -es. Also, the singular form is used much less often than the plural. For example, most people use the word “data” in the singular. For example, “The data is substantial.”
However, “data” is the plural of “datum”. Nobody uses the word “datum” anymore, which probably adds to the confusion. And, while some people use “criteria” in the singular, it is, in fact, the plural of “criterion”. Similarly, “media” is not singular but the plural of “medium”.
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Don’t let the catachresis out of the bag
Catachresis is the misuse of a word/words by confusing it with another/others that look(s) or sound(s) similar. While writers often use its comedic variation, the malapropism, for comic effect, using a catachresis can make one look comically undereducated and even affected. Commonly confused words include “critiques” instead of “criticises”, “compliment” rather than “complement”, and “reprieve” instead of “reprise”. Other examples include using “precede” instead of “proceed” and “elicit” instead of “illicit”. People also confuse “pinnacle” with “pivotal”. For example, they say “a pinnacle moment” when they should say “a pivotal moment”.
Don’t misuse the word “while” in a new sentence
Never start a sentence with “while” if you are qualifying what you have just said in the previous sentence. For example: “Portuguese food is quite basic. While Spanish food is more evolved.” Instead, replace the full stop before “while” with a comma and make the uppercase (W) lowercase.
Avoid the mysterious “this”
Never start a sentence with the word “this” unless you’re going to say what you are referring to. When you use a pronoun but do not specify what you are talking about, the result is an ‘unclear antecedent’. It will often be unclear what you mean unless you add a word after “this” to show what you are referring to.
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Say bye bye to ‘by”
Be careful using the word “by” at the beginning of a sentence. Not only can it be totally unnecessary, it can also mean that you end up with a very awkward sentence. Here is a recent example from one of our clients: “By conducting the research, it enabled identification of the most important issues.” Remove “by” and “it” (as well as the comma in the middle), and the sentence is shorter, clearer and cleaner.
Is it really interesting?
Many people, especially those who write theses, have a habit of starting a sentence with the word “interestingly”. However, very often they don’t explain what they find “interesting” about the point they are making. This leaves the reader hanging. Therefore, if you use this word at the start of a sentence, explain in the next clause what makes your point “interesting”.
Avoid the misuse of “outline”
Many of my customers, especially those writing university dissertations, use the verb to “outline”. But they use it to mean that they are about to discuss, explore or examine something. You should avoid doing this. As a verb, to “outline” just means to sketch the main features of something.
For example, a professor might outline the course for his/her/their students on the first day of the year. So, to “outline” is not to discuss something elaborately or in any great detail. To go into detail or to discuss the finer points of something, use words such as “examine”, “discuss” or “explore”.
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