High school students often have a lot of confusion as to what exactly “intellectual vitality” means when they are preparing to write their all-important college application essay. What on earth are they looking for, and how can you show you’ve got it? Relax! Intellectual vitality is your curiosity about the world and your approach to …
There is no firm rule that says an essay needs to have a set number of paragraphs, but an essay must be a minimum of three paragraphs. There are a lot of people who say an essay should be five paragraphs, but it’s an extremely limiting rule, and unless you’ve been instructed to write a …
A lot of famous writers have published their work using pseudonyms or pen names, and the reasons they give for doing so are many. Back in the days when women weren’t considered bright enough to be serious thinkers and writers, many female authors wrote under male pseudonyms so their work would be taken more seriously. …
Before we start talking about how to write an anecdote, you may be wondering, “What is an anecdote?” Basically, it’s a short story about something that happened to you, someone you know, or know of. If you and your friends are chatting about a person, and you remember something they did, then tell the story …
Say what? Isn’t this the computer age? Can’t I just send an email? Well, you can if you want to, but there’s something special about handwritten letters. Let’s try and pin down the reasons why a stamped, addressed, handwritten letter means so much to a recipient. It Shows You Care Which would you rather receive, …
Isn’t spell check convenient? If it doesn’t like the word you used, it points it out to you, and in a couple of clicks, it’s all fixed up. But just how much can we trust spell checkers? Speaking from experience, not very much! Sure, it’s handy when you’ve just made a little typo, but it …
Language is dynamic, and today’s slang becomes tomorrow’s accepted dictionary word. To answer the question, “Is ‘couth’ is a word?” we’ll have to go on a journey through time and the English language. Buckle your safety belt; it’s going to be an interesting ride. For those looking for a general answer, “couth” is becoming recognized …
What do you have to do if you want to be a writer? Stephen King answers with a simple formula: read and write a lot. He has no patience for those people who say they want to be writers but also complain they don’t have enough time to read. Voracious reading is a must if …
Vague numbers like tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands and tens of millions are not scientific. They can be used as a sheer exaggeration, or they could reflect a vague number that’s based on fact. Of course, you could always ask people to clarify what they really mean, or look up the real facts for …
Proverbs are commonly used expressions that illustrate a specific point. They differ from idioms because idioms don’t always make literal sense, but if you have a context, you can usually work out what a proverb means. Here are a few examples of idioms: I passed the exam by the skin of my teeth. I’m fed …
