Advanced ESL Guide: Beating AI Detection Bias

If you learned English as a second language, you were likely taught the "Burger Method" for essays and standard transition words like "Moreover" and "Consequently." Unfortunately, these formal structures are red flags for AI detectors.

The "Textbook" Trap

AI models are trained on massive amounts of formal text. When you write "perfect" textbook English, you look like a machine.

Flagged: "It is crucial to understand the importance of this factor."

Safe: "You have to get why this matters."

Strategy 1: Break the Grammar Rules

Native speakers break rules for effect.

Start sentences with conjunctions: "And that’s why it works." "But we didn't know."

Use fragments: "Absolute silence. That's what we needed."

Use contractions: "Do not" -> "Don't". "It is" -> "It's." (AI often over-uses the full forms).

Strategy 2: Idioms and Phrasal Verbs

AI struggles to use idioms naturally in the right context.

Instead of: "He was dismissed from his job."

Use: "He got let go."

Instead of: "The project was cancelled."

Use: "They pulled the plug on the project."

Strategy 3: Personal Pronouns

Don't hide behind the passive voice ("Mistakes were made"). Own it ("I messed up"). High usage of "I," "We," and "You" creates a conversational bridge that algorithms rarely build convincingly.

Conclusion

You don't need to "dumb down" your English. You need to "loosen" it. The goal is to sound like you are speaking in a room, not writing for a manual.