If I asked you to tie an overhand knot, you might stumble a bit. Actually, if you’ve never been a scout, you might think it’s impossible for you to know how to tie such an obscure knot. But what if I showed you an example? It would certainly help, right? Check out the video below …
To some people, writing a formal outline for a speech is about as much fun as getting a flu shot. I get it. If you’re not a fan of outlines, it can be pretty tedious to sort out where to put an “A,” a “1,” or a “b.” The mere thought of it is enough …
Have you spent the afternoon surfing the ‘net and checking every social media app in existence just to avoid working on your expository essay? Are you spending more time procrastinating than you are writing? That’s okay. I can’t blame you—writing an expository essay can be frustrating. It doesn’t have to be that difficult, though. All …
Let’s say you and your pals are in the middle of an all-night cram session for a big exam when you realize you’re out of food. You volunteer to make a snack run to the convenience store, and on your way out the door, someone yells, “Grab me a bag of chips!” It’s not until …
What if I told you to build a garage but offered you no tools to work with, or told you to paint a portrait but you had no brushes, paints, or canvas? You can’t complete either of these tasks without tools. So what if I handed you a hammer, a saw, and a handful of …
Most of us have heard about melting glaciers, rising sea levels, and increasing temperatures across the planet. (Did you realize July 2019 was the hottest month on record?) Because global climate change is frequently in the news, we also have a pretty good working knowledge of the topic. We can probably hold our own in …
We’ve all read something that makes us pause and reread the sentence or paragraph over again. Found in everything from books to blogs, and even in our own writing, confusing and unclear sentences can take their toll on readers. But I’m here to help you improve the clarity of your writing, so your readers know …
Tell me if this sounds familiar: You’re searching online for sources for your research paper, and halfway through reading, you ask yourself, “Who writes this crap?” Good question. You, your neighbor, or just about anyone can publish online. In the world of the internet, you could become Allie S. Everson, PhD and write an article …
It’s a bright, sunny summer day, and you and your friend decide to walk to the beach. You cut through a park and encounter a woman walking a German Shepherd dog. When you meet up with your group at the beach, your friend tells a story of how you were almost attacked by a vicious …
You may have written a few synthesis essays in your English classes, but knowing how to synthesize information has value far beyond your Dracula essay. This skill is used in countless areas—from history to science—and can come in handy in both professional and personal settings. While we may still talk about essays a little bit …
Think about your favorite TV series. Whether you’re old school and wait for a new episode each week or you prefer to binge-watch all seven seasons in one weekend, the harsh truth is that eventually your beloved series must come to an end. At the end of that final episode, you want everything to come …
How does a day rushing down water slides or floating peacefully down a lazy river sound? What if I told you that you absolutely need to go to a new local waterpark because it really is just that awesome? Would free passes seal the deal? If you’re a big fan of waterparks, you’d probably jump …
Would you write an email to your boss using the same word choices and style that you’d use to send an email or text to your friend? Would you start your email to your boss with “Hey dude, wassup?” Probably not. Why? Because writing to your boss demands a higher level of professionalism and formality …
You can have the most action-packed novel out there, but if the characters aren’t great, the story probably won’t feel complete. When it comes to The Hunger Games, the characters feel in-depth and relatable—even in a place and time readers can’t necessarily relate to. But because the characters in The Hunger Games do have depth, your …
Every once in a while, for better or worse, there’s a series of books that catches like wildfire. Think the Harry Potter series, the Twilight books, or—the subject of this post—The Hunger Games trilogy. Books like these not only gain massive popularity with readers but also make other writers pick up the genre and put out …
Teachers often assign essays that have to meet a minimum word, paragraph, or page count. Unfortunately, this often leads to a paper littered with wordy sentences. Instead of adding more context or evidence to your thesis, you end up with a lot of fluff. While the most important thing in your mind is meeting that …
Since you have to write an argumentative essay, you might as well learn how to write it well, right? I’ve said it time and time again—there’s nothing worse than staring at a blank page. Putting together an argumentative essay outline is the perfect way to turn your blank document into a ready-to-use template. All you …
Think essay titles don’t really matter? Think your profs don’t care whether you have an interesting and original title? Think again. Here’s a quick math equation to help explain why titles do matter. English profs often teach 4 classes each semester, with 25 students in each class. (4 classes x 25 students = 100 students …
When you were a child, how many times did your parents say “absolutely not” when you asked for something? How many of those times did you persuade your parents to finally say yes? Sometimes it’s a given that you’ll never be able to convince your parents. It’s almost impossible to convince them of any rather …
Let’s say you’re sitting in class, and you make any random claim like “Professor Smith never eats fast food” or “the neighbor’s dog is stealing my dog’s toys.” Your friend might tell you to “prove it” or might ask, “How do you know?” What your friend is actually wondering is what type of reasoning you used …
“Don’t judge a book by its cover” is an old saying that means you shouldn’t judge something (or someone) by appearances only. If you literally shouldn’t judge a book’s merits by cover art alone, then what should you do to learn more about a book (aside from reading it, of course)? One option is to …