Be stylish!

When you write a text, you must start by drawing up a plan (ideas, examples, arguments, etc.). To hold your reader's interest and facilitate his or her understanding of your text, you have to work on your writing style.

Here are a few tips to help you polish it.

• Aim for brevity
  
  Strive to use just the right word. Refer to dictionaries and specialized glossaries on the subject of your text.
  
  
• Use short sentences
  
  By using brief sentences that express a single idea you'll avoid confusing your reader. Your sentences should be about twenty words long. Pay attention to spelling, syntax and punctuation errors: they'll sabotage your text and undermine the credibility of your argument. Make sure you have the appropriate tools (grammar books and dictionaries) and use them whenever you have the slightest doubt. Take a break before you correct your spelling and punctuation; you'll be more alert to the task.
  
  
• Avoid repeating your ideas
  
  It's useless to explain the same concept more than once. Doing so not only makes your text awkward, it weakens your argument. Your texts will also be much clearer if you keep to the following principle: one idea per paragraph.
  
  
• Use relative pronouns sparingly (who, that, which...)
  
  You can often replace relative pronouns with a name, an adjective, a participle or a possessive adjective. This is often shorter and clearer.
  
  Example:
  The time of day that he liked best was nightfall.
  Nightfall was his favourite time of day.
  
  
• Be active and affirmative!
  
  Choose the active voice over the passive voice and the affirmative over the negative. Your text will be less cumbersome and more dynamic.
  
  Example:
  The size of the apple being eaten by the child was not usual.
  The child was eating an unusually large apple.

Don't hesitate to make your style more colourful and attractive! A touch of humour can sometimes make complicated ideas clearer!