Essays and Grammar

Question

I am going through first drafts of some of the essays for some schools. I ad a couple of questions about grammar:

1.) Firstly, I hope schools do not expect that we write GMAT-compliant grammar here...I am not talking about basic mistakes of 'that' and 'which'...am talking about subtle stuff...

2.) Secondly, is is ok to write conversational english? Eg, starting a sentence with 'And'

3.) I am a stickler for long sentences. I know long sentences can be a little confusing, but is it like we should stick to short senteces. I am asking coz I read it somewhere

4.) Do schools care about the style of writing too? I mean, I have read loads about content but hardly stuff about style....

zakk · Answer

1. I don't think any AdCom will break out a red pen on the subtleties of the English language. 

2. I'd go a bit more formal. I'm approaching this as a cover letter of sorts. This is probably the only time these folks will review your essays (prior to meeting you) and get a feel for you. Put the best foot forward. 

3. Have some trusted people who write a lot (hopefully for a living) read your essays. See if they pick things out. If they don't, then you are good. If they do, rework it. Writers love to give suggestions. 

4. I'm not sure what you mean by style, but I think essay is the main point here. Its not a news blurb or a feature story, so something again a bit more formal with examples supporting the main points and something that flows well. I think there is an element of creativity and writing style, but still all the essays I've ready have firmly fallen into the essay genre.

pelihu · Answer

If you're a good writer, you can make your sentences as long as you'd like. It takes additional skill to stay focused if your sentences are very long. Most people do not write well enough to do this, which is why most writing guides recommend short sentences. It's much easier for most people to stay focused and get their point across if they cover just one point per sentence.

There is no flexibility in proper grammar. There is no difference between written and conversational English. Just because people don't generally correct mistakes during a conversation does not mean that the usage is any more correct; it's just that mistakes stick out more when they are written on paper.

For what it's worth, grammar as tested on the GMAT is 100% accurate (obviously). It's also very basic so if you're a good writer you can go beyond and add your own style, however you shouldn't do anything that isn't "GMAT-compliant" because it would be wrong.

ncp · Answer

I concur with Pelihu.

Manhattan SC, evangelized by many as the bible for GMAT SC, starts with an introduction that GMAT SC is a test of  Standard Written English(SWE) 

It makes sense to apply what you learnt for GMAT. Even in the most creative of essays, you really shouldn't make typos or grammatical errors.

mNeo · Answer

I agree with pelihu. One benefit of learning SC rules for GMAT was that I would be able to use that basic learning for my essays (And hopefully, future formal writings). I think there was nothing very unrealistic in those rules .. so I see no reason to not follow them.

I also agree about short sentences. Unless you are very sure that the reader won't get lost reading a long sentence, stay short. One measure that I am planning to use is to read the essay at a fast pace and see if the long sentences still make sense. If I miss the essence of the long sentence or have to read the sentence twice, then that sentence will need some work.

Essays and Grammar

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