Meeting the mandatory word count for an essay can be a tricky challenge, especially if you deal with more papers simultaneously. Some students use larger fonts, while others increase the margin size. However, there are more efficient ways to reach the word count and make a difference without cheating – something that most professors are aware of. All in all, here are a few tips on how to make your essay longer.
Go through the prompt
If you have a rubric or a prompt for your essay, go through it one more time. Have all the questions been answered in detail? Sometimes, you might miss something, only to rush the writing process. Do you have enough evidence for the claims you have made? All your claims need some good evidence, so add some. How about specific info that can help the reader understand your argument? If you left something out, this might be the right time to get back to it.
Get your essay proofread
You can proofread your essay yourself, but it will not have the exact same effect. A different pair of eyes will read it in a different way, so it pays off getting some extra help. Ask a friend or a sibling to proofread your work, then ask about the parts that seemed unclear. You can add more information there and focus on these areas, rather than guessing what could use more work.
Go through your outline
An outline is essential when about to write an essay. It is a plan that will keep you focused. You are less likely to miss anything if you follow it in small details. However, the outline can be modified and updated as you write your essay, so lots of people tend to remove things that they no longer find relevant.
Go through your outline again and make sure none of your intended points has been missed. At the same time, you can also add points that you have removed before. As you write the essay, you might imagine that some aspects can be removed because you have already made a point. Well, bring them back and strengthen your essay – it will also help with your word count.
Read your paper loud
It may sound stupid, but reading things out loud will feel different. You will notice potential errors and issues much easier, whether it comes to syntactical or grammatical mistakes. At this point, you will obviously have to rephrase some things. Apart from minor mistakes, you will realize that some paragraphs simply lack depth. You have missed some details and your points are not perfectly clear, so add some more info.
Check the intro and conclusion
You start with the introduction, but as you write your essay, you will notice that some aspects tend to change and evolve. You go in slightly different directions and your evolution may go the other way. Go back to your first paragraph and make sure it is still relevant to your work. You might need to add some more details to help readers understand your work.
The same rule applies to the conclusion. Make sure the main points are fully covered. Give your reader an interesting solution to take into consideration.
Get some quotes
Of course, it depends on the topic you cover. But when not sure how to make your essay longer, quotations could make the difference. Chances are you have already used some, but there is always room for more. Do not do it for the sake of it though. Quotations must be relevant to the points you target. Also, long quotations spreading over a paragraph could make it obvious, so stick to the short ones.
Use transitional phrases
Transitional phrases give an essay a bit of flow. Your readers will find the essay easier to read. There are more options out there, such as:
- Even though
- Therefore
- Furthermore
- On the other hand
The bottom line, you do not have to be an expert to learn how to make your essay longer and you do not have to rely on cheap techniques. Instead, a little attention to these small details can help you provide your essay with more depth while hitting the word count requirements.