How to write an essay: use free examples

The first rule of essay writing is that you never, ever take someone else’s essay and turn it in as your own. However, you can use a free example, modify it, and safely turn it in for a grade. The key is knowing how to rewrite a free example so it is completely unique and completely free of signs of plagiarism. Here is how to do it:

  • First, find a free essay. They are available all over the Internet. You can find them at online writing labs sponsored by colleges and universities. You can also find them on essay writing websites. It does not even matter what the subject of the essay is, because you can change that as you rewrite the essay.
  • Next, pick a topic. You can use the topic of the essay or you can pick your very own. Your topic will be determined by your assignment, so you might not be able to make too many personal adjustments to the topic. If you can find a free essay on your topic, that will make the rewrite that much easier.
  • Finally, begin the rewrite. When you rewrite an essay, you need to start at the very beginning and attack the essay word by word. For example, if you were going to rewrite the previous sentence, you could write: “In order to rewrite a paper, writers should begin at the start and move through the paper one word at a time.” In some cases, you might not be able to find a similar word to use, so you can occasionally use the same word. For example, the word “rewrite” is difficult to replace, to you can see that it was used in the introductory phrase. But, the word was surrounded by different words so a plagiarism checker would not pick it up because the phrasing around the word was completely different.

As you move word-by-word through the paper, notice the meanings of the phrases, clauses, and sentences. You want to be sure to keep the meaning relatively the same. If you are changing subjects, you should be sure to change the verbs and subjects of the sentences. You should be sure to keep the paragraphs similar in length and meaning, in order to preserve the organization of the essay. Keep in mind that you are trying to avoid plagiarizing, so you should not ever keep any phrases similar from one essay to the next.