1. Writing Guide Ms. Willis Salinas High School
Integrating academic language into your writing is what really sets you apart as a writer. On this sheet, you will find some tips, tools and examples as to how to add some pizzazz to your writing and to how to improve your craft as a whole.
Transitions
Transition tool Transition words
also, again, as well as, besides, coupled with, furthermore, in addition, likewise, moreover, similarly
accordingly, as a result, consequently, for this reason, for this purpose, hence, otherwise, so then, subsequently, therefore, thus, thereupon, wherefore
chiefly, especially, for instance, in particular, markedly, namely, particularly,  including, specifically, such as
for example, for instance, for one thing, as an illustration, illustrated with, as an example, in this case
above all, chiefly, with attention to, especially, particularly, singularly
comparatively, coupled with, correspondingly, identically, likewise, similar, moreover, together with
Aside from, barring, besides, except, excluding, exclusive of, other than, save, outside of
in essence, in other words, namely, that is, that is to say, in short, in brief, to put it differently
at first, first of all, to begin with, in the first place, at the same time, for now, for the time being, the next step, in time, in turn, later on, meanwhile, next, then, soon, the meantime, later, while, earlier,
simultaneously, afterward, in conclusion, with this in mind
after all, all in all, all things considered, briefly, by and large, in any case, in any event,
in brief, in conclusion, on the whole, in short, in summary, in the final analysis, in the long run, on balance, to sum up, to summarize, finally after all, all in all, all things considered, briefly, by and large, in any case, in any event, in brief, in conclusion, on the whole, in short, in summary, in the final analysis, in the long run, on balance, to sum up, to summarize, finally
1. Addition
2. Consequence
3. Exemplifying
4. Illustration
5. Emphasis
6. Similarity
7. Exception
8. Restatement
9. Sequence
10. Summarizing

2. Some tips to follow when writing your stellar essays
Academic Language
Instead of using every day, mundane words, try using more academic synonyms. Here are a few examples:
Says (v): exclaims, cries, asserts, avows, mentions, asseverates, maintains, alleges, expresses, pronounces, verbalizes, announces, articulates, utters, speculates, imply, infer.
EX: Hamlet expresses his sorrow when he passionately cries out, “To be, or not to be.”
Shows (v): portrays, gives an example of, exemplifies, presents, demonstrates, confirms, substantiates, pictures, depicts, renders
EX: In this eloquently-written masterpiece, Shakespeare presents the theme of suffering.
A lot (adj): a good deal of, a great deal of, a plethora of, many, much, numerous, galore
EX: There were a plethora of people at last night’s basketball game.
Thing (n): item, object, idea, material, substance, piece, device, instrument, concept, source, ideal, element, evidence.
EX: One piece of evidence he used to present his claim was the timeline of events that took place.
Book (n) :masterpiece, novel, work of art, piece of writing, work of fiction, record of events
EX: His highly-esteemed record of events earned him a Nobel Piece Prize for his masterpiece “Night”.
Good (adj): honorable, respectable, highly-esteemed, estimable, valuable, angelic, beatific, favorable
EX: It is through her angelic story and creative imagery that the reader is able to delve into each page of this respectable novel.
Write (v): pen, create, compose, indite, publish
EX: The way he penned his beatific piece of fiction earned him esteemed honors at last night’s ceremonies.
Powerful (adj): eloquent, influential, potent, mighty, compelling, coercive, efficacious,
EX: Elie Wesel’s compelling story has inspired countless people across the globe.
Some tips to follow when writing your stellar essays
Avoid clichés-be original
Show, don’t tell-use imagery
Avoid slang
When introducing a quote, use words such as “asserts”, “insists”, “avows”, “believes”, “argues”, “screams”, “declares”, “exclaims”, “replies”.
Ex. Penelope cries, “Where is Odysseus?” (140).
Avoid contractions (don’t, can’t, won’t, didn’t)
Use commas only when needed. Always check punctuation
Use your writing tools-parallelism, similes, and metaphors
Avoid beginning your sentences with the same words.
Change up your vocabulary. Do not overuse the same words
Keep tenses consistent. If you decide to use the present tense (he says), then do not shift to the past (he believed).