Register essay

Another problem we often encounter when grading (and writing!) essays involves writing with an academic register. Many encounter problems when they have to write academically for papers, partially because they aren’t entirely certain what writing with an academic register really involves. Here are a few guidelines: 1. Don’t use slang.

Good formal writing is not unnecessarily convoluted, and while it may use long, Latinate words, it doesn’t use them unnecessarily. It might, for instance, use a more technical or precise word where appropriate. When you’re writing in a formal register, stick fairly rigidly to grammatical rules.

There’s no “right” or “wrong” register — only the right (or wrong!) one for whatever you’re writing. By being aware of register, and noticing how your choices of words, phrases and sentence structures tie in with register, you can adjust your writing as needed. When you get it right, it feels good.

Why register matters. There’s no “right” or “wrong” register — just the right (or wrong!) one for whatever you’re currently writing. By being aware of register, and of how your choices of words, phrases and sentence structures tie in with register, you can adjust your writing as needed.