How to Write Great Essays

MODIFIERS 
QUALIFY
AND 
QUANTIFY
Qualify 
means to modify or restrict. In this sentence, words that qualify are in 
italics
:
I am applying for a 
civil engineering
internship with the 
New York State
Department
of Transportation.
Quantify 
means to express in numbers or measurement elements such as when, how
much, how many, how often, and what scope. In this sentence, words that quantify
are in 
italics
:
For over 
three years, 
I have been a volunteer, delivering meals 
four times 
a week to
over 
twenty 
people.
P
O W E R F U L
, P
R E C I S E
A
D J E C T I V E S A N D
A
D V E R B S
■
unconditionally accepted
■
forbidding alley
■
unflagging dedication
■
aimlessly walking

---

HOW TO WRITE GREAT ESSAYS
CHAPTER 2
Clarity
14
■
grueling game
■
mournful cry
■
threadbare clothing
■
invaluable lesson
Another technique for precise writing is pinpointing. Why leave your reader guessing, when
you can tell him or her exactly what you mean? When you pinpoint, you replace vague words
and phrases with specific ones. Consider the following sentence:
The character of Scrooge in Dicken’s 
A Christmas Carol 
is miserable.
What does the writer mean by “miserable”? This is a vague word that conveys little mean-
ing. A better sentence would use precise examples from the story to show what the writer
means. For instance:
The character of Scrooge in Dicken’s 
A Christmas Carol 
is so miserly that he not
only refuses comfortable surroundings for himself, but he also forces his employees
to work long hours in a poorly heated room all winter.