Writing 7

When possible, say who did what—Do not use a passive voice

Passive: “$2 billion worth of goods were produced in Kaesong last year.”

Active: “Factories in Kaesong produced $2 billion worth of goods last year.”

How could you re-write this sentence:

““Lee Myung Bak was elected in 2007.”Lee Myung Bak was elected in 2007.”

Do not use the same word or expression multiple times in the same paragraph

Use a thesaurus to find an alternative Example: “Workers at Kaesong are poor by

South Korean standards, but may not be poor in North Korea. In fact, South Korean companies may wish to have factories in poor countries like North Korea because they can pay poor workers less.”

Do not say “I think…” or “I believe…” The reader already knows it’s your opinion Incorrect: “Actually, I think the only reason

South Korean companies opened factories in Kaesong was to save labor costs.”

Correct: “South Korean companies opened factories in Kaesong to save labor costs, not help North Korean workers.”

Each sentence should have only one point, long sentences may be useful and necessary but usually it’s best to make each sentence short and to the point so that your ideas are more clear to the readers, who otherwise might be confused.

Each sentence should have only one point. Long sentences may be useful and necessary but usually it’s best to make each sentence short and to the point. Writing brief sentences will make your ideas more clear to the readers and eliminate confusion.

In general, don’t use contractions for academic writing

In normal speech I’d say contractions are very normal but you’d look unprofessional if you used them in an academic paper