Tag Archives: SDAŠ

Language/Writing Tip 24

Two quick tips: 1) In written English, don’t bother with “it seems TO ME.” “It seems” always shows your personal attitude. 2) The sentence lead-in “It can be seen that….” very soon clogs up the sentence. To save a few … Continue reading

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ESSE Conference in Košice – Deadline Extension

The deadline for submitting abstracts of individual papers at seminar sessions and PhD students’ sessions and posters has been extended to 31 March 2014. Other extended deadlines: Confirmation of acceptance of abstracts by seminar convenors and PhD session convenors: 15 … Continue reading

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Language/Writing Tip 22

Here are a three off-the-cuff tips for adding life to your writing: 1) Use adverbs when relating neutral information or citing other sources: Compare: “As Jones states, ‘Hamlet is a famous play.’” vs. “As Jones CORRECTLY states, ‘Hamlet is a … Continue reading

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Reminder: Doctoral Sessions at the ESSE Conference

Applications to take part in the Doctoral Sessions at the ESSE Conference must be sent no later than 28 February 2014. Young scholars who are writing their PhD theses in English Studies and are at least in the second year … Continue reading

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Language/Writing Tip 16

Don’t start two sentences in a row with the same word. An example: “Yet despite his frustrations, he never established his own institution, even though his reputation would have allowed him to do so. Yet since the 1990s, American education … Continue reading

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Language/Writing Tip 15

Want to make your writing splendidly dull? No problem. Just repeat words, preferably vague ones: “The good thing about the novel is that it’s a good read.” Less obviously: “Something that we might consider is that some things are not … Continue reading

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Language/Writing Tip 11

1) Here’s a nifty construction that, for whatever reason, is underused: “She was among the first to research…” Students almost always opt for: “She was among the first WHO RESEARCHED…” 2) Watch out for this type of methodological circularity: “By … Continue reading

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Language/Writing Tip 10

When mentioning time, note the difference between “only at” and “not until”: “I can meet you only at four” does not mean “I can’t meet you until four.” If you want to emphasize tardiness, use “not until”: 1) “He only … Continue reading

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Language/Writing Tip 9

A few things to avoid in academic writing: 1) Do not italicize the comma after a list of titles – that is, italicize only the novel title, not the comma that follows. This is a minor point, but it takes … Continue reading

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Language/Writing Tip 8

This is less of a tip than food for thought. Read this sentence aloud (slightly changed from a real, published example): “And universities have similarly raised intellectual property concerns over ownership of the online courses their professors are now asked … Continue reading

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