The writing process

a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)

Even if youre working against the clock, steps to a good essay should include:
Brainstorm for ideas
Organize ideas
Focus on language
Write a first draft
Check your work (revise organization, content and language)
Write the final draft
Writing skills
There are some common linguistic mistakes that could be avoided by bearing in mind some
basic rules concerning...
a)

Word order
The usual order of sentence elements in English is this:

Subject + verb + object + additions

If the sentence includes both direct object and indirect object there are often two
possibilities:
-

S+V+Oi+Od > Paul gave her the report

S+V+Od+to+Oi > Paul gave the report to her

Many time expressions (today, last month, next week) may come either at the beginning or the
end of the sentence.
Do not separate the verb from its object:
We dont have any homework today
We dont have today any homework
b

b)

Subject-verb agreement

Singular nouns that refer to groups can have either singular or plural verbs
The band play/plays beautifully
Some/any pronouns take singular verbs
Someone is getting out of the building now
Most uncountable nouns are singular
Olive oil is rare in this area
Clothes and people are plural
c

c) Adjectives

They come before nouns and after certain verbs

Weve got very good marks

The kids look tired

Adjectives are invariable words in English (they dont take plural morphemes)
If several adjectives are preceding a noun, this is their usual order:
Opinion + size or age + color + origin + material
d

d)

Connectors

Heres a chart with connectors/phrases and the meaning they convey:

Meaning
Adding points on the
topic
Showing contrast
Expressing cause or
reason
Expressing result
Expressing purpose
Describing similarity
Expressing personal
opinions
Introducing facts
Making general
statements
Listing points
Giving examples
Introducing opposite
points
Showing sequence

Showing time
Concluding

Connectors and phrases

And; in addition; furthermore; moreover; whats more;
besides; also; too; as well
But; however; nevertheless; although; even if; even though;
In spite of; despite
Because; since; as
Because of; due to;
So; therefore; consequently; thats why
So that;
In order to; so as to; to
Similarly; likewise; in the same way
In my opinion; I (strongly) believe that; in my view; it seems to
me that; as I see it; personally
In fact; as a matter of fact; actually
Generally; in general; on the whole; as a rule
To begin/star with; in the first place; first of all; firstly,
secondly, thirdly; finally
For example; for instance; such as; in particular; especially;
(more) specifically
On the one hand on the other hand; in contrast; it can also
be argued that
First; in the beginning; at first; before; next; then; later; soon;
meanwhile; after that; afterwards; at last; eventually; finally;
in the end
When; while; before; after; by the time; as soon as; still
In conclusion; to sum up; in short