Whenever you write an article for class, for entering your dream school, or for other reasons, you usually need to write at least the number of words or pages except "just for it". Although there may be some topics that you can write forever-such as Ode to a Pillow, or your deep and undisguised love for 1990s sitcoms-sometimes you will finish your sentence before reaching the target number of words. So, what do you do when you feel as if you have squeezed out the last sentence about the topic, but the paper has not achieved its goal? This article will help you learn how to make an article longer without resorting to useless fluff, purple prose or six stupid things that readers will fully notice (so don't bother).

1, how to make your paper more words before you start writing?

Don't underestimate the value of planning ahead. When you stare at a huge page request, before you start writing, you can do something to prepare for your success.

1) do a lot of research. From the beginning, the more you know about the subject, the easier it will be to write (write, write, write and write again).

2) Create a complete outline. Planning what you want to write in advance will help you organize your thoughts and find out the weaknesses that can be expounded in your arguments and ideas. Besides, it can help you write faster.

? 3) Expand your topic (if necessary). Sometimes, after studying or thinking about your topic and creating an outline, you realize that your knowledge of the topic is not enough to draft a complete article. This does not mean that your method is wrong; Sometimes information doesn't exist at all.

This is a good time to consider expanding the scope of this article in the following ways. ...

? ... to discuss a broader point of view,

? ... check more people,

? ..... looking at a larger geographical area,

? ... considering the wider time span,

? ... and so on

Of course, all these plans are the most effective when you start writing your thesis before the deadline, so don't delay.

What happens if you use these strategies and remain short?

2. the annoying lazy way is that the paper is longer.

Let me admit that you, dear reader, are a smart cookie. This is the preface of this section. So I know you will never resort to the cheap filling strategy, right?

But just in case you want to quote or adjust the format crazily to make the article look longer and need to remind why this is a bad idea, please remember that if you ......

? ..... increase profits.

? ... increase the font size (even if it's just a period-no! )。

? ... choose a font that looks strange, because it is bigger than the ordinary font.

? ... add extra spaces after the period.

? ... add extra spaces between paragraphs.

? ... add lengthy but misplaced or irrelevant quotations to your article.

People who read papers most of the time (ahem, your tutor) are using these skills. In a pile of more than 20 articles, articles with slightly larger fonts and wider margins will stand out!

Adding a quarter inch to the margin and using a larger font will really make the article longer. But it makes a very obvious difference!

Besides, if you submit your paper electronically, your teacher may adjust the font/margins by default ... then you are a complete failure and your efforts are completely in vain.

One more thing: don't think that homework that specifies the number of pages instead of the number of words is a green light for format fanatics.

It just means that your teacher thinks you are mature enough to submit papers with reasonable margins and normal size fonts.

Don't abuse this trust!

Finally, your efforts in formatting or finding quotation marks can be better used to write more content.

But as you will see in the next section, the type of content you write is very important.

3. Destroy useless sentences in the process of writing papers.

Before you honestly increase the length of the article-by adding more practical words-you need to know the difference between the content and other things.

Take fluff as an example.

Wool is great for chickens and rabbits, but not so great for writing. So what is fluff?

The fluff is messy and simple. Its writing needs too many words to grasp the main points. Although this is an attractive way to extend the article, it will annoy readers … and it is easy to be found.

The fluff includes:

? 1) obviously

? 2) Say rather than show.

? 3) Redundancy/duplication of itself

? 4) Use too complicated word/sentence structure

? 5) Excessive use of words such as "very", "true" and "quite".

Purple prose is another kind of fluff. This refers to flowery and exaggerated writing, and adverbs and adjectives are too heavy.

Let's look at a fluffy purple example from a narrative or personal statement:

"It was in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a splendid city, that I instinctively took a deep breath."

This is a very dramatic and lengthy statement, "I was born in Philadelphia."

This is another example of overemphasis on literary works. I'll thicken the fluff so that you can follow suit:

"The Great Gatsby is a very interesting novel written by F Scott Fitzgerald. The author of this book uses many symbols to symbolize something. The mysterious green light on Daisy's pier is a symbol used by the author to show readers something. This very important symbol represents Gates' hopes and dreams for the future. Scholar T. Smith also pointed out that this symbol is very important in the book because it "reflects Gatsby's future ambition".

Well, there's nothing to say. This is repetitive and lengthy, and it contains an unnecessary quotation. Reading it is like trudging through the mud. See how condensed this idea can be when I take out the fluff:

"In The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald contains many symbols, including the green light on Daisy's pier, which represents Gatsby's hopes and dreams for the future."

? Much better.

? Now that you know how to keep your article from getting longer, let's look at some legal strategies to increase your writing, so that you will eventually get a completely killer article without filling.

The paper is full, which is better than before.

There are many ways to make an article longer without sacrificing its readability or readers' rationality. Assuming that you have drafted your article, you can use one or more of the following strategies to generate real substantive content.

? 1) Let others read your article. Of course, you think your article is clear, convincing, interesting and thorough, but sometimes we make a stupid leap in logic, which doesn't apply to our audience.

? 2) Look at your topic from a new angle. If you write a persuasive or argumentative article, please consider refuting or replacing the point of view. Solving these arguments (and deleting them point by point) not only increases the length of your article, but also strengthens your own arguments.

? 3) Think outside the box. When you learn to write an article, a five-paragraph article has a place. Unless otherwise specified in the assignment, an article can have 4, 7 or 20 paragraphs! If you have a solid structure (a good outline will help), then don't use arbitrary concepts to limit the composition of an article.

4) Add more support. Depending on the type of article you write, "support" may include quotations and explanatory information from research or anecdotes, as well as your own experience. Make sure that any support you add actually reinforces your point.

? 5) Leave for a while. Sometimes, all you need to update your inspiration is to stop writing for a while. This is a tried-and-tested method to solve the writing obstacle, and it is also an important reason to start drafting the paper as soon as possible-not, for example, the night before the paper is due.

? If you have time, put your article on hold for a few days. If you keep an eye on the deadline, even if there is an hour or two before you write, it will help you to re-examine from a new angle and hope to get some new ideas.