Your class has been writing a few argumentative essays here and there, and you have to admit … you’re getting pretty good at it. But now your instructor says that you need to take it a step further and write a synthesis essay. The name might be a little intimidating, but don’t worry—I’ll be here …
You’ve probably argued with people before, maybe with your parents, siblings, or friends. Heck, you may have even been in a fight or two, but get ready to put away the harsh words and heavy gloves because writing an argument essay is a totally different beast. Writing a winning argument essay may seem tough, but …
Can you imagine a world where everything was named as blandly as possible? “Come here, Pet.” “Hey, Maternal Grandmother, could I get your recipe for Casserole?” “Book about a Long Journey is pretty much the best thing I’ve ever read.” “I love shopping at Clothing Store at Mall—its Regular Jeans are to die for.” Meh. …
Woot! You’re finally free to choose your own research topic. This calls for celebration! “Why celebrate?” you ask? Because you’re no longer under your teacher’s thumb, that’s why. You can pick whatever topic you like, something you actually care about. How cool is that? So take a few minutes (or longer) to think about issues …
Our world is shrinking every day – how do you like it? From the telegraph to the internet, from rails to jumbo jets, advances in communication and travel technology have connected people across the globe. Some of these connections have promoted prosperity while others have been problematic. For better or worse, globalization is a complex …
Love video games? Hate them? Either way, if you want to write an essay about the effects of video games on players and support your ideas with strong evidence, then let’s get started! In this blog post, I’ll give you a head start on your research by providing links to and descriptions of useful articles …
I’m a traveler. During my journeys, I have met myriad travelers, each with different ways of traveling. One of the most interesting differences I’ve noticed has been the various ways in which travelers prepare for a trip. Interestingly, it mirrors the different prewriting strategies writers use to prepare for an essay. On one end of the …
There are a few age-old debates in this world, and you have just been assigned one for your next persuasive essay—nature vs. nurture. Biologists, psychologists, sociologists and others have been arguing for decades about whether nature (a person’s biology or genetic makeup) or nurture (a person’s environment) has more of an impact in the person’s …
“Man, this essay is going to be impossible.” We’ve all been in this boat before, confronted with an essay assignment that is beyond difficult. What if I told you that I can teach you how to write an essay about pretty much anything under the sun? Even … hmm …wombats. “What? Why wombats?” you wonder. …
Are you feeling frustrated by another 5-paragraph essay assignment? Do you feel as though your creative freedom has been stymied once again by the powers that be? Do you want to be free to explore essay organization like the effervescent honey blossom butterfly that you are? Well, you must break free from the 5-paragraph essay …
Why does that word – analysis – strike fear into the hearts of so many college students, and just what the heck is a literary analysis, anyway? Analysis is typically the last skill your brain learns, and most students don’t encounter this term until college. But never fear – I’m here to help you conquer …
If I asked why you love the pizza place across town but hate the pizzeria two blocks away, you’d be able to give me a list of reasons, right? If you can answer this question, then you can write an evaluation essay. Okay, it’s a little bit harder than telling someone why you love a …
Your instructor just told you that your next writing assignment will be a reflective essay. Reflective essays are about you, so you go home and take a good long look in the mirror. Before you start writing about what you see on the surface, keep in mind that a reflective essay involves more than just …
Do you remember the Mirror of Erised? You know… the one from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone–the one that shows you your deepest desire. Now imagine standing in front of that mirror. What would you see? If you wrote an essay in response to that question, it would be considered–much like a mirror–to be …
Whenever you’re writing an essay for a class, to get into your dream school, or for some other reason besides “just for the heck of it,” you usually need to write a minimum number of words or pages. And while there are probably topics you could write about forever — an ode to your pillow …
By now, the rules of using quotation marks have probably been pounded into your head–use them when quoting a source or using dialogue, and know where to put your punctuation. But don’t worry if they haven’t been pounded into your head. I’ll cover it later. You may understand when to use quotation marks and even …
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 …
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 …
You’ve really hit the big leagues now. Gone are the days of teachers telling you exactly what to write and giving you research paper topics that drive you out of your mind with boredom. You have freedom to choose your own topic now! (No need to write one more boring, assigned paper about gun control …
When writing a speech, it’s second nature to think about the audience. The presenter keeps the audience foremost in mind when deciding how to formulate the speech from the subject to the structure to the tone. Some people get so wrapped up in thinking about the people listening to their speech that they break out …
Think back to the last time you tried to persuade someone to do something or to see an issue from your point of view. Did you succeed in convincing your teacher to give up grading or your parents to continue paying your cell phone bill for another year? No? Probably because you were using the …