How to Write Great Essays

C H A P T E R
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CHAPTER 2 
HOW TO WRITE GREAT ESSAYS

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HOW TO WRITE GREAT ESSAYS
CHAPTER 2
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L I M I N AT E
A
M B I G U I T Y
Ambiguous
means having two or more possible meanings. Ambiguous language can either
be words and phrases that have more than one meaning, or word order that conveys a mean-
ing different from the one intended by the writer.
Example:
The quarterback liked to tackle his problems.
This sentence can be read two ways: the quarterback likes to 
deal with
his problems, or
his problems are his opponents on the field whom he 
grabs and knocks down
. This kind of
confusion can happen whenever a word has more than one possible meaning.
The quar-
terback liked to address his problems 
is a better sentence, and is unlikely to be misunderstood
.
Example:
My advisor proofread my essay with the red sports car.
Here, the 
word order
of the sentence, not an individual word, causes the confusion. Did
the advisor proofread the essay with his car? Because the phrase 
with the red sports car
is in
the wrong place, the meaning of the sentence is unclear. Try instead:
My advisor with the
red sports car proofread my essay.
CORRECTING AMBIGUOUS LANGUAGE
Ambiguous:
When doing the laundry, the phone rang.
Clear:
The phone rang when 
I
was doing the laundry.
Ambiguous:
She almost waited an hour for her friend.
Clear:
She waited almost an hour for her friend.