How To Say Nothing in 500 Words

How to Say Nothing in 500 Words

By: Paul Roberts

In this story “How to Say nothing In 500 Words.” Paul Roberts gives instructions with different examples to help college students learn how to write a good essay. In this story he talks about how an essay by a college student is boring. He gives different examples on how a writer should avoid creating a boring essay. One example Roberts use is don’t just fill the papers with just words, or other rewordings use important information to reach your goal word count. When you do this, it turns a boring topic into an interesting and fun essay for the audience. The author also talks about colorless words that they are words we use in everyday conversations, colorless words use are nothing and how student also use every day slang adjectives. (Roberts 326-327) He also added in their colorful words which means finding the right word in the right place, writers often struggle with this, he gives many examples of colored words. Roberts use this example, “instead of using “Her heart beat.” We may write “Her heart pounded, throbbed, fluttered or danced.”(Roberts Page 325)

I agree with the author on how we write essays, I must say everything he wrote in this story is true for me. I often have a hard time trying to figure out what words fit where to make complete sense of the sentences or paragraphs. I also just fill my paper with words and paraphrasing instead of using the actual important information that will keep my readers attention. I also use colorless words that I use in everyday conversations and I also use every day slang adjectives. I believe if I follow his advice on how to say nothing in 500 words I will be a better writer than I am right now. This story should be read by all Composition 101 students it will help them think about their choice of words when actually writing a 500 word essay.

Citation

Roberts, Paul. "How to Say Nothing in 500 Words." Trans. Array The Longman Reader. Judith Nadell, John Langan and . 9th Edition. New York, NY: Pearson Learning Solutions, 2009 - 2010. 515-517. Print.

How the Schools Shortchange Boys

How the Schools Shortchange Boys

By: Gerry Garibaldi

The story “How the Schools Shortchange Boys” is about how boys are different when it comes to school. Girls are more engaged in school than boys and how girls are more calm and pleasant and they succeed through cooperation. The author compares boys to a moth and how they pin you to a wall to receive a rational explanation to everything, and boys slouch in their chairs and stare out the windows and beat their pencils. Girls will turn their paper in two days before its due and how they hand in the final copy in neat vinyl folders with colorful pages. Boys will say, “Hey you never told us ‘bout a paper! What paper?!” (Garibaldi 537).  The author also noticed that a female teacher who has no male children that they find boys’ to be challenging to classroom assignments.  The author also talks about how some boys are diagnosed with a learning disability and they look at it as an easy way out.  Garibaldi goes on to talk about boys in special-ed and how he notice they sat at their desks with their head downs or just staring off in space. The boys enjoy the special-ed boosters like their grades start to rise, and the phone calls home stop.  The author goes on to say how they feel isolated and outgunned and how boys who get a ride on the special-ed train take the ride to its end without looking out the window.

I agree with the author on how girls are more engaged in school than boys in school, and how we are more pleasant and we succeed through cooperation. Boys are just lazy and how they just ask questions about why we got to do this assignment, and also how they are slouch in their chairs and just day dream. I do believe that boys take the easy road out by using a learning disability to make it through school so they do not have to work as hard. They just feel like they can hop on the special-ed train because they know they are going to pass regardless due to their disability.

Citations

Garibaldi, Gerry . "How the Schools Shortchange Boys." Trans. Array The Longman Reader. Judith Nadell, John Langan and . 9th Edition. New York, NY: Pearson Learning Solutions, 2009 - 2010. 515-517. Print.