Great Depression-era novels typically have an element of… well… depression. To Kill a Mockingbird isn’t any different. What is different is the fact that [spoiler alert] it ends on a slightly uplifting note. The story is centered around Scout—the narrator—and her struggle to see the good past the bad. It’s a struggle each of the …
If you’re like most travelers, when you arrive home from a trip, the last thing you want to do is unpack your suitcase. You’re worn out from your travels and can totally relate to the Beatles when they sang, “Leave it till tomorrow to unpack my case.” A lot of times, you can feel that …
There’s a right way and a wrong way to do most anything. Imagine you’re on an African safari dream vacation. Your tour guide stops in the middle of the Serengeti to point out a pride of lions and to allow a photo op. The right way to enjoy this breathtaking moment: Stay inside the vehicle …
You’re sitting in the back of a sociology class, trying to focus on the lecture, when the prof brings up a controversial topic, such as abortion, gun control, capital punishment, or marijuana legalization. I’m almost positive that you have a position on every single one of these topics. Knowing where you stand on a topic …
The year 2016 was pretty crazy, wasn’t it? It was the year of the summer Olympics in Brazil, where Michael Phelps won his 13th individual gold medal, breaking a record that was set by Leonidas of Rhodes in 152 BC. The Chicago Cubs won the World Series that year, which was the first time they …
Given the choice between going to the dentist for a root canal and writing an outline for a position paper, I’d guess there are at least of few of you who would choose the root canal—simply because you hate outlining that much. Okay, that’s probably an exaggeration. Writing an outline can’t be that painful, can …
Great essays can make you feel like you’re on a journey—while others are more like a bad road trip. What makes the difference? Often it’s as simple as the directions you’re given along the way. To steer your readers through the curves and straightaways of your essay, it helps to give them signposts along the …
Imagine that you’re on a road trip on a hot day. You spy an ice cream shop and whip the car into the parking lot for a cold, towering, double-scoop cone. Mmm. The server places the ice cream in your hands … without a flipping cone. You fumble with the cold, sloppy mess as you …
Are you the type of person to passively read your assigned text only because you have to? Or do you dive right into it and react with the same intensity any self-proclaimed Star Wars nerd would react to this climactic scene? No matter which category you fall into, knowing how to write a reaction paper …
You know those classes that seem to drag on forever? The clock on the wall mocks you by moving slower. The breeze sweeps in through an open window and calls to you. These are examples of personification—the clock mocking and the breeze calling. I know you might not be looking forward to your essay on …
As an English teacher, I can tell you that everyone makes mistakes in writing. And in my years as a TOEFL tutor, I’ve seen just about every kind of TOEFL writing mistake you can imagine. Still, certain kinds of writing mistakes are more common than others. The trick to creating a top-scoring TOEFL essay is …
Ah, the infamous James Joyce, bane of millions of high school and college students, and now it’s your turn to face the coming-of-age trial: writing a literary analysis of Araby by James Joyce. You might be thinking “I didn’t sign up for this.” You might not be an English major or really interested in literature …
Have you ever stared at the rack of candy at your local convenience store trying to figure out which candy bar you want? Do you finally just grab one simply because a candy bar is a candy bar, and it’s all chocolate, so one is just as good as the next? This might be a fine …
True or false? Writing a research paper is time-consuming. True: Writing a research paper is very time consuming. You can’t just grab a few random sources and try to make them work. You certainly can’t start writing a research paper a few hours before it’s due and expect to write an “A” paper. True or false? Writing …
It’s the first day of class, and your instructor hands you the syllabus. As you browse through, you get to the list of assignments and your eyes widen–a 15-page research paper is due at the end of the semester. You’ve never written 15 pages of anything in your whole life. Sure, you have all semester …
Research Paper: Two words that strike fear into the hearts of many students. Four syllables that create panic, dread, and anxiety. But they don’t have to. Writing a research paper takes time and requires effort, but if you have a good topic and credible sources, you’re on your way to a great paper. Wait…what? Credible …
Writing a thesis statement can be a bit scary. I’m not sure why, exactly. I mean, it is generally regarded as the most important sentence in your entire paper, true. It is the backbone, they say. I guess you could say it is the make or break, do or die, mess it up and fail …
Think back to the last time you saw a really great stand-up comedy show. The jokes were funny. The comedian was a good story teller, transitioning effortlessly between segments, and everyone seemed to be having a good time. Now think about a time when you saw a really terrible comedian. It may have been the …
If the end of the academic school year finds you up to your neck in assignments and too busy to visit your school’s writing center, there may be a way to avoid it. Many college writing centers are putting their tools online, offering online writing help with assignments, essays, cover letters, and thesis papers. If …