Thursday, July 11, 2013

Writing a formal resignation letter

When you are fed with a job it helps quitting and doing so in style. A formalized exit plan is most essential because you never know you might need the same supervisor or the bossy employer as you climb up the corporate ladder. Writing a formal resignation letter is the best way to make you exodus. It has a universal format. You start off with the date of when you are writing your letter. Then proceed to write the formal addresses of your recipient. You make sure that their position in the companies stands out. You could start with Mr. or Mrs. (name) because you already know them in person then write their position. For instance, Managing Director or Assistant Housekeeper.


Address your recipient as dear (sir or madam) well below their address. The main body of your resignation letter should tell the recipient the intention to resign from your position. Remember to mention the date they should expect you out but guided by the responsibilities you hold and the terms of contract you signed. Thank the recipient in the closing remarks for giving you an opportunity to work and train with them. Finish with yours sincerely with your signature and your valid names. 

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Become Successful with these tips



             Success is often a psychological thing that is first formed from the mind and then advancements are made into practice. That is, living it.In the course of one’s life, he or she comes across all the different myths and advises of different kinds on how to be successful. This cuts across from small minor things happening in the home setting and stretches all the way to the corporate world. The education system needs to be properly developed in order to cater for the success needs of young growing individuals and to give the young people opportunities to discover themselves and consequently enable them build their desired careers. Giving such people the right tools and appropriate knowledge will realistically help them plan their future for the better culminating into their success.
            Lack of direction and mentors by the large number of growing youth may result in ruining their dreams after rendering their efforts to discover themselves pointless. Young people are full of ambitions and if misguided or not properly directed may result into loss of such great talents. This means that fostering success in the young generation should be provided with high quality education to boost their esteem and knowledge. Career guidance and academic counseling can provide students with the necessary tools to set career goals, and give them an understanding of the education and skills they need to meet their goals.
            Also, it is important to consider the most effective ways of teaching such individuals the best success tips. For example, the study that employs comparison of group activities and effectively contains external influences has been rated effective. The counselors need to spend quality time with the young developing minds in order to realize the interest and talents in order to nurture them in the most appropriate ways. It is also important that parents and other parties involved for example staff members and other stakeholders to work handy with the counselors in directing their career paths.
            

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Keep an Academic Portfolio



Students have big college dreams, which they begin to prepare for earlier on in their academic life while they are still in grade school or high school. Their parents also come into play to ensure that their children’s academic future is on track when they enroll them for extracurricular activities such as ballet classes and sports. They want their children to apply and get accepted to various Ivy League universities. The parents and students also understand that Rome wasn't built in a day.  They need to put in a lot of effort to ensure that they successfully apply, and get accepted to the college they desire. This leads them to develop a portfolio of most of their achievements, which they have earned over the years both academically and socially. The portfolio is a collection of relevant documents that act as a record to portray their achievements.
Most schools prefer to have their potential students provide them with a portfolio. This is because it helps them to determine if the students’ academic needs can be met by the school’s academic and social programs. The academic advisers can offer the students the best course options they can undertake based on their portfolios. It also helps the colleges to determine if the students’ can be a valuable addition to their school through the various sports and extracurricular activities that they have talents in. This is why some colleges send out coaches to scout for unique students who can join their sporting teams. The portfolio also helps the colleges to determine the eligibility of students in getting scholarships. One must admit that getting scholarships is beneficial to both the parents and students. This is because it will lighten the financial burden that parents carry in order to see their children receive the best education college has to offer. 
The portfolios also help universities and special schools arrange and prepare adequately for students with disabilities. They are able to implement plans such as construction of ramps, and other forms of transport access to simplify the movement of students with disabilities. This also makes the students feel comfortable because they feel that their needs are being taken care of by the universities. This eventually helps them to get acquainted to their surroundings faster. They are able to concentrate on their academics effectively with minimal fear of stigmatization from their fellow peers. Students should ensure that they have a portfolio that brings out their best qualities, in order to be accorded the best opportunities academically, and socially that life has to offer.

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

How to Study for an Essay Test



Studying for academic examinations and tests can be quite frustrating for students. This is especially the case when they are having difficulty in understanding the unit they are studying properly. The students may spend hours trying to grasp what they are reading in fear that they may fail in their final grade. They even develop poor eating and sleeping habits as they try to absorb the academic information they need for their essay tests. They know that if they don’t make the grade cut, they will have to repeat the same unit again in the coming semester. This might work out well for some of the students, but for others it can be detrimental to their academic pursuance. It might lead them to develop panic attacks which can affect their health and their concentration on other important units.
 The students should ensure that they take measures to have control over their academics. When their lecturers tell them that they have a test to undertake, they should inquire from them the duration of the test. They should also ask them about the length of the questions, and the number of words which each question will require as an answer. This helps the students to organize themselves adequately. This is because they can carry out a mock exam by themselves in preparation for the main exam. This helps them to become comfortable with their study skills, and more confident about their academic abilities. The students can also lighten the burden of hurriedly studying for an academic essay through early preparation. Instead of procrastinating until the last minute to begin studying for the paper, they can study portions of the unit as they progress in the semester. They can re-read the topics which they have studied in class within the same week that the topic has been taught in class by the lecturer. This helps the students recognize the topics which they can easily understand and the ones which they can’t.
The students are able to plan their time accordingly when they are studying, by allocating more time to the topics that they don’t understand. Students can also use flash cards and mnemonic devices such as songs, poems, and others to grasp the information they require for their essays. Students should also remember that no man is an island, and they should ensure that they form study groups with other students. This is in order to share knowledge and having different aspects of the topic brought to light.

Monday, January 14, 2013

Tips for successful student


              
             There are so many things that a person that considers himself successful in any field of life has had to do before getting to that level of life. There is really so much that has been done-as it is said there is always so much water that has gone under the bridge-but the underlying fact is that the person in question has always had his eyes on the goal or target that he always looked to achieve in life.
            It is the same thing for a student that desires to make it in life. There is really no issue of rocket science for a person who wants to succeed because of the reason that everything that comes does so because of hard-work and a desire to want to succeed. For a student to be successful, he or she must first and foremost have a positive attitude in what he is studying in campus. It really doesn’t add up if a person doesn’t like what he studies in campus and yet he wants to be successful in life. Things just don't pan out that way.
            If a student desires to be successful he will also do well to think of doing things like balancing his study habits by looking at all the subjects, attending all classes, attempting all assignments as well as finding time for the social side of life too. It will not be an easy thing per se, but I believe somehow that there is much that can be done on that front if a person desires to be successful in campus as a student. 

Monday, December 24, 2012

End of the World survival guide


         
          I am not a prophet or a prophet’s son or anybody close to that, but I have been keen to notice that there is a theory that the world is going to end by the close of 2012. I don't know how factual that is, but as a person that has been involved in the media for quite a while I knew somehow that it could be nothing more than hearsay and innuendo.
 As a person that has known how to maneuver his way around issues I know that there are people who have believed that and they are doing all they can to prepare for the same. If I was to assume that they were right there are so many things that I could have probably done to prepare for the same, like I am sure some people are preparing for that day. They are most probably making peace with their neighbors and clearing debts among other things that they can do to prepare for that day. The mischievous ones are doing random things like having fun for the last periods.
Of course the definition of fun differs from person to person, but I hope you get the point that I am attempting to drive across. If I was to be among those who believe that the world is going to end soon I could have done weirder things, much more than you can ever imagine, just in a bid to survive and such like things. Nonetheless I am happy as things stand.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Ways to Track your Money in College


         
        One of the biggest snags that always face students when they get to campus is the issue of drawing budgets and following the same thereof to the latter. This is more so for the case of students who have grown up in well-to-do families and they have never known poverty. When such students get to college and they have to do things on their own there is always bound to be a problem of sorts, if we are reading from the same script.
            It is thus imperative that all students learn of skills that they can employ in order to track their money in college so that they are not caught off-guard in any way. As already mentioned the best way that can be employed by a student and indeed anybody in general to monitor his or her money is to make a budget. It is something that is always taken for granted and many students always love to think that it is trivial but I would like to suggest that it is not.
            Another thing that students can use to track their money in college is by investing the money into meaningful ventures that can help in re-availing the money and indeed keeping the same for a sunny day. The moral of the story is that everyone needs to be focused and purposeful in heart when it comes to his or her money. Discipline is thus very crucial because it ensures that a person can actually track his money without any external pressure to do so. 

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

College Parties



            I graduated from campus just two months ago but I must admit that I am missing it so badly already. I miss college so much so that sometimes I always find myself heading back to college over the weekends to hang out with a few of my friends who are still in campus. I know many chaps may find that strange but I would like to think that it is not strange at all, if you consider where I am coming from.
            I am the type of girl who likes partying like you cannot imagine and nothing else but that. When I was in college I can’t remember any Friday evening where I stayed around in the college premises. I was always out clubbing the whole night long and to me that was the best lifestyle I could identify with. If you haven’t noted that already, the main reason that makes me miss campus is the issue of the parties. The parties were just too good and too nice to be left aside for any other thing.
            The most interesting thing about college parties is that anybody could choose a theme for a party and it could turn out to be a grand party, the anonymity of the party’s theme notwithstanding. Apart from the normal themes like birthday parties, end-of-year parties, engagement parties and so on, there were always other themes that bore no names like ‘lack-of-name’ parties, laughter parties and such like things. The themes were just very interesting, and I must admit that that is something I will always miss from my college life. 

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

To vote or not to vote...


        
         There are many things that make college life worthwhile, but none more so than the issue of voting. Somebody once said that everybody’s mind is a political mind; the only difference is the extent of the political nature in the person’s mind, if you know what I mean. In realistic terms the point I am trying to put across is that politics, voting and all that kind of malarkey is something that really evokes a lot of interest in the lives of students in campus.

From my experience in campus I know somehow that sometimes life is often so difficult in the classroom sector that students always welcome any form of distraction in their academic lives, even if that means focusing on the students politics that is always quite as vibrant as the mainstream state politics. The political period is always charged, so much so that it becomes very difficult for the process to go on without a proper set of rules or guidelines.

Needless to say it is important that the rules set are obeyed because in real sense what is the point in having the voting guide if it will not be followed by the people meant to follow it. Many times discipline issues arise when it comes to the political period but I would love to think that that should never be the case, if we are reading from the same page. The rules are to be followed and students should help to foster peace with their wisdom or lack of it thereof. 

Monday, October 29, 2012

Creative writing tips



For a writer to remarkably present their unique point of view to the audience – through their essay – they must be very creative. Creative writing of essays is all about presenting uniqueness, in essay paragraphs, with a story or something that will expand the writer’s creativity. Here are important tips on creative writing of essays.

Firstly, decide what you want your essay to be about. In other words, choose a point of view that seem interesting to you. It could be anything. Like say how you like coffee to the First World War. Ensure however to have a purpose for your writing. Make points all through your paper.

Present your point in a thought-provoking way. Intriguing the readers mind should be your ultimate goal. And nothing is more intriguing than writing using a literary element. For instance, you could write a story using a metaphor. By doing so, you will intrigue the reader. If not demonstrate your creativity.

Let your essay have an outline. If an essay, irrespective of its nature, lacks a formidable structure; it practically lacks a proper plan as well. For you to suitably unravel a story within an essay you must plan what information will go where and at what point you will present it.

Write with your audience in mind. Creative essays are all about showing – the reader – your point of view through less obvious means. To effectively court the reader’s attention, create a thought-provoking opening sentence in your essay. Let your introduction be more intriguing.

Make certain to summarize your essay. You could either come up with a paragraph or a few pages to achieve this end. After showing the reader the creative reasoning behind your point of view, formulating a catchy conclusion is necessary for an outstanding finality. Suffice to say, creatively sum up your perspectives.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Discover the Secrets of your College Admission Essay!



For a busy admissions officer to accept you, your college admission essay must be of the highest quality. It must stand out like a sore thumb. But that is not all. It must also demonstrate your grasp of excellent grammar and ability to write lucid and structured prose. In other words, paint a vivid picture of your character and personality in your admission essay.

So what exactly are the secrets to writing an outstanding admission essay? Firstly, write using your own voice. And avoid using big and unnecessary words while at it. For your essay to compel an admissions officer to accept you, avoid distracting words. Just be natural.

Be interesting.  Otherwise you stand no chance to impress the admissions officer, who – in most cases – has thousands of essays to skim through. Start your essay with a thought-provoking sentence. Grip the reader’s mind. Court their attention. And ensure to sound intriguing.

Use personal details. Remarkable admission essays should be grounded in personal detail since they are supposed to sound concrete. Your essay should not emphasize much on what you want to say. But rather, relate to a personal quality. Use your experiences to make this possible.

In other words, let your words create a vivid image of something that actually happened. Place the reader in your experiences to easily convince them of what you really want them to see. While at it, desist from being vague with your sentences lest you compromise your essay.

Avoid wordiness. To save on valuable space, shun from using unnecessary words when writing. Wordiness confuses not only the reader, but also dilutes all the important points that you might have aptly conveyed within the paper. Keep your words pithy and straight to the point. Brief words are more forceful in nature, if not direct. 

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Women education is important! Why, you ask?



Education is described as the process of gaining knowledge in a consistent and gradual manner in order to be informed on various ways of communicating, reasoning and making decisions in different aspects of life. It leads to intellectual growth and maturity. Since the beginning of time, women have always been considered the weaker of the two sexes. Women were discouraged from pursuing higher education because it was considered to be un-wise culturally. Their roles were defined and confined to being in the kitchen, taking care of their families and other traditional domestic skills such as sewing. They were also involved in various farming activities in their ranches like gathering fruits. It’s estimated that about two-thirds of the world’s illiterate population are women.
Over the years since the beginning of the 19th century, various international agreements have been passed in order for women to gain equal rights to men especially in education. Women also develop personal ambitions in various aspects of their lives such as having their own businesses. The revenues and profits made from the businesses also leads to the contribution of national development, growth of the economy and eradication of poverty through taxation. Money collected by the government is used to improve the country’s infrastructure and provide restoration to areas affected by natural disasters for example during the devastating tornado called “Hurricane Katrina” that destroyed properties in Atlanta.
Women have, for a long time, been perceived as being leaders in their own homes, since they ensure that their families receive basic necessities such as food and clothing. They also ensure that there is peace and they resolve conflicts between family members such as sibling rivalry, therefore promoting cohesiveness and positive communication between them. Education therefore can propel women to be leaders in political institutions, where they make decisions and policies thus making the institutions represent both genders and performance improves significantly. For example Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton has been involved in the political limelight for over eighteen years.           
Education has also instilled in women the need to take care of their health and that of their families especially the children. They tend to gain knowledge on family planning and therefore reduce the rate of unwanted pregnancies.
Gender issues have been receiving more attention. International organizations such as the United Nations and other non-governmental organizations are addressing policy and law changes that bias one gender over another. They provide support for capacity building among women, which leads to achievement of shared goals and objectives that foster national unity.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

How to Create Your Electronic Portfolio



               Electronic portfolios create avenues for teachers, students and institutions to interact without having to use newspapers, letters and announcements. They afford students the opportunity to showcase their talents, knowledge and abilities using the latest technology. This is because electronic portfolios are able to support multimedia. Students can put their information in the form of videos, images, sounds and other recordings. These portfolios are able to attract potential employers, schools and sponsors. The portfolios are also edited with ease providing an opportunity for the user to update information regarding their portfolio anytime and anywhere.

            The creation of an electronic portfolio first requires a computer that is able to handle multimedia work. Accessing your universities portfolio should be the next step since most provide a space or framework for students to create a personal portfolio. An option to the university portfolio, one can also use a recommendable job search service since they also offer electronic portfolio services. In most cases the page has an insert here instruction field. Ensure that you fill in the information in the correct places as directed. The creation of a template is usually the first step followed by inserting your graphics and videos in the correct sections.
            Text boxes should be created and attached to the next card in the portfolio. All the necessary and important details should be entered, followed by a thorough revision of the portfolio. Ensure you go through the portfolio for any mistakes made in spelling or inserting information in the wrong slot. The texts should use appropriate size and font while the images need to be of the best quality. This is because some employers gauge your ability of using technology and computers by the presentation of your electronic portfolio. Therefore it is best if you not only create a portfolio, but a prefect portfolio. 

Monday, July 23, 2012

Writing Application College Essay


Applying to college is always every young man’s dream - ceteris paribus the young man has the ability to think straight and set goals in life. To get to college, especially the college of choice requires a special input from the student-to-be. There are number of ways in which the youth can interact with the college before he is formally accepted as a student in the institution, and as a matter of fact he needs to give his all in all those encounters. He could interact with the college administrators through an interview, curriculum vitae or an application essay among other avenues. As much as the CV and interview are equally important, the place of insistence should actually be the application essay.
            This is because this is the place where the student can really say who he is and show the college administrators why he needs to be in the institution and why it will be the biggest error in history if he is not admitted there because of what the college would miss. Of course the words used should be different, but the fact remains that the student needs to make his presence felt in the 700 or so words he will be given to write in. While writing the essay, care should be taken that the essay isn’t converted into a list of achievements. As much as naming a few doesn’t break a bone, it is wrong to list all of them. It makes the student appear creepy and proud in a way.
            The essay should also reveal your personality and how sensitive you are to your community. College administrators love this because it shows that you are an all rounded individual. A touch of humor amidst all the seriousness employed in your essay is also not a bad idea as it casts you as a likeable person. Finally, your essay needs to be free from the common and indeed basic errors of punctuation and spelling. This is also paramount as it reveals that you really mean what you say and that you took your time to write the essay-which should be the case anyway.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Structure of an essay


          An essay has a simple structure that can be followed easily. Any essay consists of an introduction, body and conclusion. Each of these contents of the structure carries their own function.
  •             Introduction
            This is a very important part of the essay. It lures the reader into reading on to the rest of the content. This part therefore requires being interesting and witty. Here one should explain the topic of discussion. Complex vocabularies in the topic should also be explained. It is in this part that the reader is directed on what you will be writing about. This is by pointing out the topic or area that the essay will be addressing. A thesis statement can also feature in the introduction.
  •             Body
            The body is made of paragraphs. The number of paragraphs is determined by the length of the essay. Each paragraph should start with a topic sentence. The rest of the paragraph is meant to support the topic sentence. This is by explaining the evidence from research done on the topic sentence. The sentences however require to be connected. This is done by linking words such as: in light of this, hence, therefore.
  •              Conclusion
            The conclusion is the parting shot of the essay. The conclusion should not be very long. However, it requires having a summary of the issues. If there was a question that required an answer in the topic, it should be answered at this point. A general conclusion of your argument can also appear in the conclusion.

Friday, June 15, 2012

The art of argumentative essays


          These are essay types that give information about a certain subject or areas of study. Their main purpose is to present information that is both sided, that is, to provide the pros and cons of a particular subject. It makes the reader to side with the favored side of the writer.  Argumentative essay concentrates on winning the reader to their side of story. It lets a person write about something with primary objective of making the reader change his or her mind about something when it comes to choosing the topics of argumentative essay, it’s not easy since the topic should always be narrowed down.
            They should not be long and they should point straight to the point. The topic itself should contain some element of arguments in it, to make it easy for the person going to write it down. On the other case, the topic chosen should provide a chance such that it can be well supported, following a specific or outlined organization style. Argumentative essay usually call for extensive and wide research which must be followed according to the set rules and regulations. When writing these essays, each paragraph must be limited to one idea and it should be discussed in lengthy.
            The writer must provide information which is well structured and most of all accurate.  Argumentative essay cannot be applied to any topic since as discussed earlier the topics need to be very specific and have some elements of argument. The art of argumentative essay must clearly show the defined structures of an argumentative essay.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Writing a scholarship essay

For any student seeking to write a scholarship easy, the task could never be exhausting. Many people dread writing these kinds f essays due to the fact that they are tough especially when compared with the one written for college admission. It is common for a college student to be required to write at least one essay for scholarship application. It is however important to know that despite the fact that it may be a difficult task, giving up just yet is not the most ideal thing to do. You must have been involved in other essay writing contests and if you have delivered in the past, be sure that you will be able to do it in this as well. You must have written a college application essay and if you were able to succeed in that, you will also do it here.


One of the things that should motivate you when faced with the scholarship essay is the fact that you will be paid for it. This is contrary to what happened when you were writing a college application essay and therefore you should go for it. The scholarship committees look at the essays as a way of understanding the minds of the applicants and if you want their approval, then you must be able to express yourself well. The scholarship essays should take the pattern of the college essays but be original, honest, well written and be used to describe something important about you.


The essays should also be charming to the readers and arouse some care in them for the writer. You should utilize all the strategies that you have learnt over the years when writing other essays. Scholarship essays are good in that they afford you the option of writing on your favorite topic although some of them might require that you write on particular topics. Some of the organizations you are applying for the scholarship from could ask you to write an essay on a topic that is related with their work. You should therefore be prepared with enough information that demonstrates you knowledge in that very field.


The fact that the essays are shorter than the college essays should be of comfort to you. it is also good to know that they do not require a number of weeks for you to write and this could make them easy to write. It is good to make sure that you are focused when writing a scholarship essay. Remember it must be a winning essay.


Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Art of Evaluating an Art: Writing Literary Essay


Literature is tagged as creative writing of well recognized artistic value. The art of crafting literary pieces is quite complex and doing a critique on such well-esteemed academic discipline is equally intricate as well - as creating literary essay.


Discussing a work of art like literary works entail giving due credit. Assessment of artworks in creative writing only calls for an equivalent hard-earned status. Therefore, here are the vital elements on accomplishing a quality literary essay – the art of evaluating a work of art.


· The meaning and construction of a piece of literature is explored in a literary essay. This task is quite more complicated than mere reviewing, though the two are similarly evaluative. In a review the overall effect and the validity of a written work is discussed, while a literary essay pays more attention to specifics. It focuses on elements such as structure, character, theme, style, tone, and subtext.


· A literary essay is a personal interpretation, based only on reading the piece. It can also be a mixture of your opinions and references of other criticisms.

· The essay must have an interesting title that has something to do with the writer’s position.


· The language in writing literary essays must be rich. There must be no slang and contractions. Show vocabulary variety and make the literary essay interesting to read.


· Keep the tone straightforward and the explanations concise. Write directly and clearly, but "simple" does not mean "simplistic."


· Use academic formal language. Slang is unacceptable: 'kind of', 'gonna', 'cool', and the likes. Do not use contractions: I'd, I'll, etc. They are acceptable in an oral presentation, but not in formal writings.


· Don't retell the story. Plot is of limited value in crafting a literary essay. Instead, express an opinion. Don't be afraid to take the risk of having a personal interpretation. There's never one correct view - in literary study there is certainly none.


· Do not quote too much. Quote appropriately. The idea is to demonstrate that the argument has substance to quote used.


· In presenting personal views, always try to anticipate objections. One of the best ways to argue a position is to present the opposing argument’s weak logic.


· Organize paragraphs according to the development of the argument, not according to the chronological order of the literary piece. Use transitions to show how logically connected each argument is to one another.


· Use present tense. It shows that the literary work and the issues it raises are still alive. The passive voice is used in essays dealing with scientific discipline such as history, sociology, and political science, but not in a literary essay.

  • Literary essay is not meant as a venue for preaching your personal views. Do not ever try to convert the readers. Avoid clichés and sentimentality.

· Avoid empty statements that really explain nothing. Do not begin the essay with lines like, "William Shakespeare was born in the 16th century". This is common knowledge and is not worth saying.


· Avoid phony statements like, "I absolutely adore Shakespeare". It serves the essay with nothing.


  • Be wary of plagiarism. Any artwork is considered as a unique intellectual property of its creator, therefore, the art of evaluating an art also calls for uniqueness and originality.

Creating a work of art like a literary piece certainly requires sophisticated skills, passion and tons of hard work. Thus, by principle, it is just proper for its critique like literary essay, to undergo the same process, investing equal amount of skills and effort - an art for an art.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Structuring Compare and Contrast Essay

Compare and contrast essay is quite intricate to write unlike other types of essays. Why? The writer has to efficiently present the details in a way that readers can clearly determine the similarities and differences of the two subjects. In this regard, there are several ways to write this compare and contrast essay.

Apparently, the most important thing to consider in this type of essay is structure. There are many wonderful compare and contrast essays that fall victim to the woes of bad structure - making ingenuity futile.

The rules on how to write a general essay is almost the same with the structure of a compare/contrast essay. To date, the following two formats are most likely the more applicable structures for such complex essay type:

  • Introduction. Generally it is a lead into the thesis statement.
  • Subject 1 discussion. Covers only the first subject of the comparison and contrast. Does not mention subject 2 in this first portion.
  • Subject 2 discussion. Does not discuss Subject 1 in this section. This portion of the paper is dedicated to presenting Subject 2 in great detail.
  • Subjects 1 and 2 discussion. This is the comprehensive analysis of both subjects in several paragraphs.
  • Conclusion. The conclusion is the generalization of the thesis.
And…
  • Introduction. Most likely a leading statement.
  • Comparisons of Subjects 1 and 2. This section tackles only all the similarities of the two topics. There must be at least three comparisons in which example from both topics of comparisons is given.
  • Contrasts of Subjects 1 and 2. This section function like the preceding part only that it does only contrasting points of the two topics.

  • Conclusion. Evidently this part does the wrapping up everything in the paper.

To efficiently write a compare and contrast essay its structure is crucial – it is because any confusion of the points of similarities or differences of the subjects will make the entire piece illogical.

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Definition Essay: How to Define Effectively

Definition essay is a logical attempt of defining or explaining what a term means. While some words have definite, concrete meanings, others have abstract and subjective connotation. But what definition really works?


Choosing a definition is the key step in writing a good definition essay. It is an imperative that you fully understand the term to be defined. Whether t is something concrete or abstract, you need not to use mere dictionary meaning – personal and unique definition.


It is also important to limit your term before starting to define it. For example, the term love is too broad to discuss. You must trim it down to specific like "platonic love" or "first love."


Here are some ways to effectively define a term:


  • Define by what the word does not mean. Ironically, stating the opposite qualities of the term is a good way to build its true meaning. The “what it is not” distinction works because it clarifies the definition and helps readers to understand it better.
  • Define by the term’s function. Explaining what the term does or how something works is a good take off for a definition essay.
  • Define by analysis. Comparing and contrasting the term to other terms of its kind is another technique in defining. Sorting what different special characteristics that make the term stand out is a good definition method.

Having a cohesive and clear-cut definition can only be achieved if you know what writing technique is best suitable. As it requires a personal perspective of the writer, definition essay is a great piece to panel out creativity.