Writing is more than just grammatical accuracy. There are plenty of nuances in any language that, if not followed properly, could be the difference between producing a professional piece of work and producing one that looks like it was written by a young child.

This is the second part of the article. If you have not yet read the first, please click here for the link to Part One.

5) Substitute out “thing” and other lazy words that are unclear and/or sound too informal

There are certain words in any language that should be avoided whenever possible, because they sound awful when read and/or contribute nothing significant to what we are writing. English is definitely no exception. Unfortunately, these words cannot be grouped into any clear-cut categories, so a colleague of mine who teaches high school English simply refers to them as “lazy” words.

One of the most overused “lazy” words is “thing,” which is so generic and vague that, in professional writing, its mere appearance can look and sound terrible. Take the following sentences as examples:

This thing makes you look fat.
I like to do many things.

In both of these sentences, “thing” does not provide any clarity. In the first sentence, we have no idea what the object is, so we are not acquiring any helpful information. As for the second, the entire sentence reads as though the author is simply filling up space, because it adds absolutely nothing; after all, is there even a need to mention that someone likes “to do many things” when such a statement can apply to anyone?

The solution to this problem is often simple: remove “thing” and substitute it with a more specific word:

This dress makes you look fat.
I like to do many recreational activities.

Now we have some clarity. In the first sentence, we know the culprit that “makes you look fat” is the dress and not just a “thing”. While the second sentence could still be reworded to sound even better (“do” is another word that can be considered “lazy”), at least we now know that the writer is referring to recreational activities and not just “things”.

When writing professionally, it is always important to keep in mind that any information written down must be as clear and specific as possible. If a word or phrase is vague, the best solution is to either make it clearer or avoid using it altogether. For some more tips about writing with clarity, read more here.

It is also important to remember that formal writing requires formal language, and certain informal/colloquial words can be considered just as “lazy” as vague words. Such words should be replaced by their formal counterparts. The table below provides a few commonly used examples:

INFORMAL/COLLOQUIAL	FORMAL
yeah	yes
big	large
kid(s)	child(ren)
a lot (of)	many, much
pretty (when used as an adverb)	rather
so (when used to start a sentence)	thus, therefore

Here is how to rewrite two sentences in a more formally structured manner:

Informal: Yeah, a lot of kids think it’s pretty big. So we’re going to take them to see it.
Formal: Yes, many children think it is rather large. Thus, we are going to take them to see it.

Understanding which words are informal/colloquial and which words are formal will take time, but with more practice, they will gradually become more obvious. Do not worry too much if you find yourself using too many informal words, since this is a struggle that even native speakers face routinely.

6) Separate two similar and / or related sentences with a semicolon

The semicolon is arguably the most flexible punctuation mark in English, since its usage is almost always optional. English grammar dictates that semicolons can be substituted for periods, but in actual writing, its usage is relatively limited. That said, knowing how to use semicolons to separate two closely related independent clauses that can stand as their own sentences (and thus combining them into one) can make any written piece flow better. Take the following examples:

Our boss was in an incredibly positive mood today. As a result, when we approached him to ask for a raise, he instantly agreed.
Swimming is such a rigorous sport. Most professional swimmers spend hours in the pool training daily.
It is normal to see bees pollinating flowers. Such actions are simply part of their nature.

In each of these examples, the second sentence is closely tied to the first. While there is nothing wrong with keeping them as separate sentences, joining them into one sentence with a semicolon dividing them can greatly enhance the overall writing style:

Our boss was in an incredibly positive mood today; as a result, when we approached him to ask for a raise, he instantly agreed.
Swimming is such a rigorous sport; most professional swimmers spend hours in the pool training daily.
It is normal to see bees pollinating flowers; such actions are simply part of their nature.

Now recall these sentences from the third guideline above:

It was a dark and stormy night. And as if that was not enough, the young boy was all alone.
We could have reached the city by now. But when we took that shortcut, we became lost.

These sentences are closely related as well, so we can also use semicolons to separate them (while removing the conjunctions) if we choose:

It was a dark and stormy night; as if that was not enough, the young boy was all alone.
We could have reached the city by now; when we took that shortcut, we became lost.

This section only covers one method of using the semicolon. For a full understanding of all semicolon methods, read more here.

7) Always include the Oxford comma

The Oxford comma is the optional comma that precedes the word “and” before the final item on a list. It looks like this:

Coffee, juice, (ß Oxford comma) and tea are the most common beverages here.
Maria’s childhood friends were Kate, Shannon, (ß Oxford comma) and Wendy.

Similar to the debate about how to write numbers, there is a disagreement over whether this comma should be included. The Associated Press Stylebook does not require its usage, but the Chicago Manual of Style does. Once again, I am siding with the Chicago Manual of Style in this debate, and there is a simple reason for it: adding the Oxford comma is an easy way to eliminate any possible confusion. Take the following sentence as an example:

The comedians, Russell Peters and Margaret Cho, had all attended the party.

There are two ways to interpret this sentence. The first way is that in attendance at the party were (a) the comedians, (b) Russell Peters, and (c) Margaret Cho. The second way is that Russell and Margaret were the names of the comedians who attended the party. Which one is accurate? Logic may indicate that it is obviously the first, but the sentence itself does not tell us this. However, with the inclusion of the Oxford comma, there is no longer any confusion:

The comedians, Russell Peters, and Margaret Cho, had all attended the party.

Opponents of the Oxford comma argue that reordering the items on a list can clear up any confusion; therefore, the comma is not necessary:

Russell Peters, Margaret Cho and the comedians, had all attended the party.

While this argument is true and completely fair, it is probably much easier to simply include the comma. After all, not every confusing line can be caught when we proofread our work.

There are many more ways to improve your English writing, and I definitely welcome everyone (native speaker or not, English teacher/tutor or not) to share theirs. If you are serious about making every written piece look and sound professional, then I strongly recommend becoming familiar with the two style guides (the Associated Press Stylebook and the Chicago Manual of Style) mentioned in this article. For now, I hope that these tips have been helpful for you (and yes, by “you”, I mean you directly and not the generic/impersonal “you”).

Hero image by Christin Hume on Unsplash