“How do I lengthen my essay?” So many times, students ask this question. Writing an essay is indeed a complex process. It is often categorized as the most dreaded assignment of all by students. However, feel free to if you are stuck on your paper’s length. There are plenty of ways to make your essay longer without adding unnecessary details or wordiness.
This article will describe how to lengthen an essay with words without plagiarizing or reducing quality.
How to increase word count
There are various ways to lengthen an essay. Whether you are writing an argumentative, descriptive, expository, or narrative essay, the rules for lengthening an essay are the same.
Below are some ways to learn how to add more words to an essay:
Add examples
Adding examples to your essay can help you make it longer. In addition to expanding the word count, adding examples will give readers a better interpretation of your point or idea.
Examples can be used in two major ways:
- To show how something works
- To compare and contrast different things
Add connecting words and phrases
Connecting words and phrases are used to link ideas, sentences, and paragraphs. They help readers understand the flow of your essay better, allowing them to follow the progression of your thoughts more easily.
They include “therefore,” “in conclusion,” “furthermore,” “however,” and “on the other hand” (these can be replaced with their synonyms as well).
Expand your vocabulary
When expanding your vocabulary, ensure that you use the correct words in the correct sentence structures. You can do this by:
- Using more specific words
- Using more complex words
- Using words that are more interesting, colorful, and creative
- Expressing yourself in a way that makes your reader feel a strong emotion
Replace contractions with their full forms
You may be tempted to use contractions in place of their full forms, but there are better ideas than this one. Since contractions are shorter, they also make your essay shorter. An example of contracted words in their full forms includes:
Contractions vs Full forms
Don’t - Do not
Can’t - Can not
Won’t - Will not
Couldn’t - Could not
I’m - I am
He’s - He is
They’re - They are
Haven’t - Have
It’s - It is
Use transitional expressions:
When writing an essay, it is important to ensure your train of thought is consistent. A good way to do this is by using transitional expressions. These are short phrases that bridge one sentence or paragraph into the next sentence and help keep your reader’s attention focused.
Transitional expressions should be used sparingly—they can easily be overused if not used correctly.
How to lengthen your essay
You can easily learn how to pad an essay using the right words and phrases. Below are some words and phrases to use:
Phrases to lengthen an essay
An appositive phrase is one of the best ways to increase word count. An appositive is a phrase that acts as a modifier. It is placed beside another noun or pronoun to describe it.
Examples of these phrases include: an innovator, my army mate, the president, the senator, the teacher, and so on.
Words to lengthen an essay
Using a transitive word is a good example of how to lengthen your essay. They act to connect your sentences or paragraphs. Here are some examples: in conclusion, finally, first, then, suddenly, however, moreover, in addition, and so on.
Conclusion
Eliminating wordiness by expanding statements is one way to learn how to lengthen an essay. Instead of saying, “I went to school,” try to give more details about your day. You could say, for example, “I left home at 7:30 a.m., and after eating breakfast, I walked to school.” This is more descriptive than saying, “I went to school.” It also makes the timing and order of the events clear.