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Tag Archives: notes
Language/Writing Tip 34
This week a few presentation tips. Adapt them according to the class and subject matter: – Your first sentence does not have to be “This presentation is about…” Think of movies that start with action scenes before the opening credits … Continue reading
Language/Writing Tip 33
A few notes on abstracts. – avoid footnotes (they get very ugly very fast, especially if the abstract appears in two or more language – three harmless-looking footnotes become six) – try to pack everything init to a single paragraph; … Continue reading
Language/Writing Tip 32
Here’s a structure to ponder: ‘Ludwig Wittgenstein is one of the most influential philosophers of language who explained the essential role of “family relationships” in his influential works.’ The phrasing is complicated and and, in fact, wrong (since there are … Continue reading
Language/Writing Tip 31
Try to avoid “in… in…” patterns. Use adjectives or adverbs to soothe the reader’s eye and ear. 1) “In an interview in 2001, Obama states…” vs. “In a 2001 interview, Obama states…” 2) “In general in Atwood’s work…” vs. “Atwood’s … Continue reading
Language/Writing Tip 30
Lists. Always a thrilling topic. Make sure to order your lists clearly. If you mention “The works of Tolstoy, Chekhov, Dostoevsky, Hemingway, Faulkner and Woolf…,” you can arrange them: 1) alphabetically: “The works of Chekhov, Dickens, Dostoevsky, Faulkner, Hemingway, Tolstoy … Continue reading
Language/Writing Tip 29
The author and punctuation. 1) Instead of “the author,” just write the author’s name. E.g. NOT “The author’s novel…” but “Hemingway’s novel…” Two more details: i) remember, in literature papers, to avoid Slovenian-style initials – NOT “C. Dickens” but “Charles … Continue reading
Language/Writing Tip 28
A short one on colours: “Red colour is important to my life.” That’s redundant. “Red is important to my life.” (since “red” is obviously a “colour”). If you want to emphasize the colourness of the colour red, write: “The colour … Continue reading
Language/Writing Tip 27
Here are two quick ones: 1) “too long” can neatly be replaced by “overly long” when used before a noun. “This too long novel is dull.” “This overly long novel is dull.” (Hyphenated “too-long” has a smidgen of humour. E.g. … Continue reading
Language / Writing Tip 26
Here’s a quick rule that you’ll be tempted to break often: don’t have two massive sentences in a row. A fiction editor once told me that 20 words is already a long sentence. Two qualifications: “long” is not pythonesque; fiction … Continue reading
Language/Writing Tip 25
Instead of a proper tip,a list of comma splices: 1) “The ending is also the climax, the whole story almost unveils in front of us, but when the friend tells him what the flower means, we are surprised and understand … Continue reading