Guan-Bok Kwok
English 101H MW 9:30-10:55 am
Professor McKeever
4 October 2013
Word Count: 556
How to Say Something in Five Hundred Words
Professor Paul Roberts (1917-1967) argues that “the writer’s job is to find the argument, the approach, the angle, the wondering to take the reader with him” in his 1956 essay, “How to Say Nothing in 500 Words.” This article shows how to write an essay without sugarcoating the fact, using empty or colorless words, and how to improve your work by adding colorful details and how to “avoid the obvious content.”
Even though Roberts suggests using colorful words, he advises against excessive use. Colorful words bring life and excitement to a writing. Instead of saying, “It’s nice out today,” one might say, “It’s a bright and glorious day.” However, if a whole thought is written out in colorful words, the reader may find himself annoyed. For example, “The bright and glistening sun glimmered off the shiny and lustrous flowing river,” is so redundant that the reader becomes uninterested.
Colorless and empty words also make reading an essay a monotonous and gruesome task. Boring words will quickly lose a reader’s attention. In the example above, “nice” is a colorless word which could be replaced with more descriptive words. Empty words just increase the length of the sentence without adding any meaning. College students are normally required to reach a certain word count, so they include empty words. Roberts advises students that, “Instead of stuffing your sentences with straw, you must try steadily to get rid of the padding, to make your sentences lean and tough.”
If the topic of an essay has very common points of view, find a unique approach. According to the article, “Sometimes it is a good idea to sum up and dispose of the trite and conventional points before going on to your own. This has the advantage of indicating to the reader that you are going to be neither trite nor conventional.” Even if it’s not the most intelligent angle, the writer has an advantage because it’s different. Writing a paper on college football can be dull if you reiterate what the whole class is saying. You can still incorporate the common points of view to make a convincing argument, but the focus should remain on something unique.
Another point that Roberts makes is to “call a fool a fool.” By this he means it’s better to be direct and not sugarcoat what you’re implying. If a dishwasher cleans dishes one by one during the dinner rush, instead of going around the fact, just call him a fool. “Psychology no doubt makes us better men and women, more sympathetic and tolerant, but it doesn’t make writing any easier.”
Roberts’ article informs college students how to form an original, direct, concise, and interesting paper. Unique viewpoints are automatically more enjoyable for the reader because other ideas are over-used. Readers can also appreciate directness in a writer because it shows he is not afraid to say exactly what he means. A concise work does not waste time with meaningless filler words, which makes the ideas clearer. It’s also important to incorporate colorful words to replace dull ones in order to capture and keep the audience’s attention. All these things will help transform a “D-grade” paper into one that deserves an “A.”
English 101H MW 9:30-10:55 am
Professor McKeever
4 October 2013
Word Count: 556
How to Say Something in Five Hundred Words
Professor Paul Roberts (1917-1967) argues that “the writer’s job is to find the argument, the approach, the angle, the wondering to take the reader with him” in his 1956 essay, “How to Say Nothing in 500 Words.” This article shows how to write an essay without sugarcoating the fact, using empty or colorless words, and how to improve your work by adding colorful details and how to “avoid the obvious content.”
Even though Roberts suggests using colorful words, he advises against excessive use. Colorful words bring life and excitement to a writing. Instead of saying, “It’s nice out today,” one might say, “It’s a bright and glorious day.” However, if a whole thought is written out in colorful words, the reader may find himself annoyed. For example, “The bright and glistening sun glimmered off the shiny and lustrous flowing river,” is so redundant that the reader becomes uninterested.
Colorless and empty words also make reading an essay a monotonous and gruesome task. Boring words will quickly lose a reader’s attention. In the example above, “nice” is a colorless word which could be replaced with more descriptive words. Empty words just increase the length of the sentence without adding any meaning. College students are normally required to reach a certain word count, so they include empty words. Roberts advises students that, “Instead of stuffing your sentences with straw, you must try steadily to get rid of the padding, to make your sentences lean and tough.”
If the topic of an essay has very common points of view, find a unique approach. According to the article, “Sometimes it is a good idea to sum up and dispose of the trite and conventional points before going on to your own. This has the advantage of indicating to the reader that you are going to be neither trite nor conventional.” Even if it’s not the most intelligent angle, the writer has an advantage because it’s different. Writing a paper on college football can be dull if you reiterate what the whole class is saying. You can still incorporate the common points of view to make a convincing argument, but the focus should remain on something unique.
Another point that Roberts makes is to “call a fool a fool.” By this he means it’s better to be direct and not sugarcoat what you’re implying. If a dishwasher cleans dishes one by one during the dinner rush, instead of going around the fact, just call him a fool. “Psychology no doubt makes us better men and women, more sympathetic and tolerant, but it doesn’t make writing any easier.”
Roberts’ article informs college students how to form an original, direct, concise, and interesting paper. Unique viewpoints are automatically more enjoyable for the reader because other ideas are over-used. Readers can also appreciate directness in a writer because it shows he is not afraid to say exactly what he means. A concise work does not waste time with meaningless filler words, which makes the ideas clearer. It’s also important to incorporate colorful words to replace dull ones in order to capture and keep the audience’s attention. All these things will help transform a “D-grade” paper into one that deserves an “A.”