How to write a body paragraph in an essay...

Follow this easy-to-remember formula when writing a body paragraph for your essay - TEEC. Each of the letters is code for the type of sentence to be written.

T - topic sentence - this is the key point you wish to make in the paragraph. It should be in support of your hypothesis and ideally it should have been previewed in your introduction.

E - explanation - this sentence elaborates on your topic sentence, providing your reader with further understanding of the key point.

E - evidence - this sentence provides your reader with material which supports your explanation. It may be in the form of facts, statistics, an example or a quotation from your source or research (of course, referencing is required for this).

C - concluding sentence - finalise your paragraph with a rounding statement, linking back to your hypothesis and, wherever possible, including a link point to following paragraph.

Need an example? Okay, here we go:

Hypothesis (statement made in introductory paragraph) -

Australian poet, Kenneth Slessor, has explored a range of rural and urban settings in his work.

Body Paragraph 1 -

(T - topic sentence)As a younger man, Slessor explored a rural setting in his poem, 'Country Towns', which was written in 1920. (E - explanation)Within the poem, he successfully manipulates a range of images to describe a non-specific, yet easily visualised, outback Australian town. (E - evidence/examples)The approach used by Slessor to address the town directly, 'Country towns, with your willows and squares', is unconventional, direct and intimate. (C - concluding sentence)As he draws upon these common elements of such towns, he demonstrates a gentle humour and a great affection, an appreciation of place which can also be seen in his later works. (link to next body paragraph which would focus upon 'William Street' and an urban setting)

Remember, TEEC - it's all you need to write the perfect body paragraph!

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Writing (as opposed to word processing)

If 'writing' is literally interpreted as 'handwriting', when it comes to document writing these days, the word,'writing', is a bit of a misnomer, really, isn't it? Today, when a student has an assignment to write or when a business person has a document to prepare, is it literally handwritten with a pen or pencil onto paper? My observations would lead me to believe that it is more likely that the student or the business person 'logs on' to their computer of choice and word-processes the document, from ideas stage through to final copy.

Twenty years ago, writing the same document was a much more time-consuming process. Drafting and redrafting, prior to a finished copy being prepared, all took place by hand. Possibly, the finished copy was typed, but all steps leading to this point were by hand. When I think back on this, I can remember many instances of asking my mother to proofread what I hoped would be the final copy of a school assignment for me with trepidation, knowing that if she found even one or two errors, I would have to start afresh so as to submit a perfect copy. On more than one occasion, this was exactly what happened and I would have to go 'back to the drawing board' and rewrite the entire assignment.

We writers of today are so much more fortunate - all we have to do is hover our cursor at a particular point on the screen, click on the backspace key, and type a correction. The efficiency allowed by the tools we have at our fingertips makes such a difference to our ability to produce writing at the pace and volume at which we do.

Having said all this, I don't think it matters so much whether the document is entirely handwritten, entirely wordprocessed or some combination of the two. As long as the world keeps writing, that's all that matters to me.

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Word of the Week - MAGNATE

Today's word – MAGNATE

Pronunciation – mag-nate

Word type - noun

Definition – a person of influence or importance in any field of activity, especially in business or industry.

Word origin-

The word 'magnate' is derived from the Late Latin 'magnas', meaning a great man, which comes from Latin 'magnus' meaning 'great', and identifies a noble or other man in a high social position, by birth or wealth.

Quirky facts -

* Beer magnate, Peter Coors, of the Coors Brewing Company was arrested for drink driving on May 28 2006.

* Also in 2006, Las Vegas casino magnate, Steve Wynn, poked a hole the size of a silver dollar in Picasso's famous "Dream" painting, when he accidentally elbowed the $139 million dollar canvas. He had just sold the painting to another collector!

Sample sentence -

The media magnate made a takeover bid to achieve one hundred percent nationwide ownership.

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Solution to Proofreading Challenge

Here is the proofread copy -

He was known by many as one of the greatest businessmen of Australian history, thanks to a cunning and decisive ability to predict successful investments and interests of the business. He suffered an amazing total of eight heart attacks, and was once declared clinically dead.

How did you do?

Of course, if this was the first sentence of an essay or article, it would be more appropriate to begin the sentence with the name of the subject rather than 'He'. Incidentally, the subject of this proofreading exercise is Kerry Packer.

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Proofreading Challenge

Here's another proofreading challenge for you -

He was known by many as won of the greatest businesmen of australian history, thanks to cunning and desisive ability to predict succesfull investments and intrests of the buisiness, he suffered an amazing total of eihgt heart attaks, and was once declared clinicly dead.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's blog for the correct version to see what a good 'spotter' you are!

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How to incorporate quotations in an essay...

First things first - the body of your essay is the place for a quotation, whereas you should not quote in the introduction or the conclusion.

A quotation can be incorporated in the following ways:

* Within a sentence -

eg. Dawe represents the plight of the wife in the line, 'One day soon he'll tell her it's time to start packing', reinforcing the power the husband wields over his family. Note - quote appears in quotation marks, preceded by a comma and followed by a comma.

* As the conclusion to the sentence -

eg. Dawe represents the plight of the wife and the power wielded by the husband in the line, 'One day soon he'll tell her it's time to start packing'. Note - quote appears in quotation marks, preceded by a comma and followed by a full stop.

* For a quotation of longer than two lines, the quotation must begin on a new line and should appear as the poem itself represents the lines -

eg. Dawe introduces the circumstances of the family in the first lines of the poem.

One day soon he'll tell her it's time to start packing
and the kids will yell 'Truly?' and get wildly excited for no reason
and the brown kelpie pup will start dashing about, tripping everyone up...

These lines convey the reactions of the family to the news of another impending move, from the excitement of the children to the craziness of the pet dog.
Note - quote does not require quotation marks as it is already clearly defined by one line space before and after.

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Forget About Twitter - How About "Mutter"?

I've just had an idea! Now that Monday is almost over and my brain is warming up to the demands of the week, take a moment to consider this. For all those out there in cyberworld addicted to Twitter, how about a version especially for Mondays - 'Mutter'? I think this could be the perfect reflection for how many of us operate on a Monday. We're not exactly chirping about the place like happy little birds on the first day back of the traditional working week...or...is that just me? 'Mutter' could be a more introspective process - perhaps in response to the question - 'what are you thinking?', rather than the Twitter question, 'what are you doing?'. In this way, 'Mutter' would encompass much more fittingly the types of utterances with which workers greet the first day of the week.

While this writer is far too delicate to repeat many of the 'mutters' I have heard over the years from colleagues and friends as symptomatic of their Mondayitis, here are a few more sanitised mutters:

* Must remember to put Lotto in this week...
* If I can just get some coffee on the way to work...
* Why does it have to be sunny today?
* Is that a tickly throat I can feel?
* Why is that person looking so happy?
* Where did I save that file I was working on last Friday?
* I'm sure the bus was running ahead of schedule this morning...
* I bet there are no parking spaces left.
* I knew I should have caught up over the weekend.

You get the idea. Nothing too doom and gloom. More than anything, just the low level negativity of grizzling and whining, the kind of comments you really don't need to hear as you try to begin your own week. Actually, 'Mutter' could have a further benefit too. Instead of people moping around making comments like the above and dragging everyone else around them down into misery, they could 'Mutter' online and get it off their chest virtually!

Okay, I better go and make contact with the big guys of the cyberworld before I go to bed. If I leave it for tomorrow, it'll be Tuesday and the opportunity to 'Mutter' will be lost - that is, until next Monday rolls around!

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The Craft of Writing

Today, my daughter competed in a musical composition competition and, for the first time, I was able to appreciate the great similarities between writing a piece of music and writing any other text.

Entrants were required to compose an original musical score for an instrument or instruments of their choice. Younger entrants, like my daughter, wrote a piece for the piano, while older and more experienced entrants wrote much more complicated scores which included various combinations of flute, violin, trumpet, guitar, piano, and vocals.

At one point, the adjudicator spoke to us about the composing process, using the examples of Mozart and Beethoven to explain the very different approaches writers use to compose their music. While Mozart was able to visualise the music score in his mind and transcribe it precisely onto paper, Beethoven's method was very different. His process was much more organic, as he wrote and discarded, wrote and discarded, until he had written something with which he was finally happy. Patently, though, each of these approaches to writing worked! Imagine a world without the opportunity to have enjoyed their music.

The adjudicator's point was that each person writes a piece of music differently, which is exactly the same for writers of other texts. I know people who are able to write an essay from start to finish in a single sitting (often under a tight timeline!), others who brainstorm, plan meticulously, draft, edit, redraft and refine before completing a final polished copy, and then there are those who write the conclusion first, the body next and the introduction last! If the finished product is of great quality, who am I to judge which process is best? Some are able to envisage their finished piece of writing before a word has been committed to paper or computer, just like Mozart. Others prefer to cull and refine as part of the writing process, with a scrapheap of ideas and writing to show for their trouble, similar to Beethoven.

I don't know why I've never made the connection between writing music and writing words before today, but now that it's happened, it's added another dimension to my ideas about writing. Writers of prose and poetry draw inspiration from nature, life, society and beauty, as do composers of music. Today's composers of the future used names for their pieces including 'Fusion', 'Multiculturalism', 'Velvet Rose', 'The Circus' and 'Cleopatra's Gig', testament to our world and its many facets.

Writing is a craft, it is a creative process, it is a journey and it is a gift. Treasuring the ability to write and the opportunity to appreciate the writing of others is a privilege, one for which I am very grateful. To all of the composers whose musical writing I enjoyed today, your efforts have caused me to stop and appreciate the craft of writing on a wider scale, and for that, I say thank you.

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Word of the Week - ELEGANT

Today's word – ELEGANT

Pronunciation – e-li-gent

Word type - adjective

Definition – of a high grade or quality; refined and dignified in tastes, habits, or style

Word origin-
The word 'elegant' come from the 15th century. It is from Middle English, from Old French, from Latin ēlegāns, which is a variant of ēligere, to select. 'Elegans' was originally used in a more disdainful manner, as a term of reproach, to mean 'fastidious' or 'fussy'. Modern English use of the word 'elegant' has far more favourable connotations.

Quirky facts -

* There is an insect known as the Elegant Mantis, part of the Praying Mantis family of insects. If you want to combine a love of elegant insects with elegant jewellery, go to the online store, 'Elegant Insects' http://www.elegantinsects.com/

* Take a moment to view this vintage 1940s film, 'The Elegant Male', which takes an amusing look at men who take real care and pride in their personal appearance. It would appear the metrosexual has been in existence for far longer than we may have previously thought! http://www.diagonal-view.com/v/93/the-elegant-male.html/

Sample sentence -

An elegant sentence which states your hypothesis is critical to the success of your introductory paragraph.

I chose an elegant skarf to add to my fashion ensemble.

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Cowardly Racially-based Attacks

Today, I heard a really concerning report on the ABC news about a number of attacks upon international students which have occurred recently at the University of New South Wales. It's unclear whether the attackers are motivated by intent to commit robbery or to commit assault, but the fact is that the victims are being chosen solely based on their race. Only international students have been attacked. Most of the attacks have happened at night, while the international student has been leaving the university and on his or her own. Imagine - these students have come to Australia, a supposedly safe and welcoming country, to further their education through tertiary study and instead they have to fear for their personal safety and their possessions. How appalling and terrifying!

At first, I was puzzled by the police officer's description of the victims as 'soft' targets, but he went on to explain his meaning - that the attack victims are selected specifically based on the unlikelihood of them retaliating. The attacker's job is therefore much easier and the assault or robbery (or both) proceeds quite predictably, from the attacker's point of view, at least.

After thinking this through, I have to say that the only 'soft' individuals in these situations are the attackers themselves. They are soft, in that they are weak, amoral and, quite clearly, racist. Further to this, since most of the attacks have been carried out by a group of perpetrators rather than an individual acting alone, they are completely cowardly.

It makes me very sad to think that such a mentality still exists in our country. Who are these perpetrators and how dare they position themselves as more powerful than other human beings, based on race alone? How awful that these students have had to experience such an ordeal. While so many individuals have dedicated their life's work to promoting principles of inclusivity, valuing diversity and multiculturalism, there is clearly a long way to go when such terrible racially-based incidents continue to occur in our country.

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Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging

Today, I've watched the film 'Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging', chosen as a possible companion film to the novel my classes have recently studied, 'Looking for Alibrandi'. The film is a lot of fun and definitely has many similarities to the novel.

The opening scene, where the main character, Georgia, is dressed as a massive stuffed olive for a fancy dress party, sets the scene for the key themes of the film - the search for self-identity, parent/teen tension and the importance of loyal friends. The film moves onto a fascination with snogging (ie. kissing) and the 10 stage list devised by Georgia and her friend. Question - can anyone help? Did they ever actually say what the 8th, 9th and 10th stages were? Of course, the plot moves onto real life opportunities to practise the art of 'snogging', but I won't spoil it for you.

The 'Angus' in the film title refers to the family cat and that cat is something else! It is the most long-suffering animal I have ever seen and it plays a pivotal, although not hugely willing, role in the development of the plot.

Which brings me to the 'thongs' - without going into any further detail, suffice to say that they are not the kind worn on one's feet!

This is a terrific film and with a PG rating, a rare beast. While there are many teen films around today, most cross into the territory which attracts an M or even MA rating, whereas 'Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging' deals with serious teen issues in a less 'in your face' manner, making me perfectly comfortable for my 12-year-old daughter to view it.

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What is a paragraph?

A paragraph is defined as a collection of sentences which focus on one key idea. That key idea is introduced and expanded upon in the series of sentences. One of these sentences is known as the topic sentence. In most cases, the topic sentence is easy to identify as it appears as the first sentence of the paragraph, however, it is possible for a topic sentence to appear midway through or even as the final sentence of a paragraph.

A good guide to optimal length of a paragraph is four sentences, but there is no definitive length. The four sentence paragraph allows for - topic sentence, expanding sentence, evidence sentence and concluding sentence. One sentence is certainly not sufficient to fulfil the purpose of the paragraph. Conversely, a ten sentence paragraph may cause the the reader to become confused as to the key point the writer intended to convey.

To check whether you have written an effective paragraph, ask five people to read it and have each of them tell you in five words the paragraph's key idea. If their responses are similar (and close to what you hoped to convey), you'll know your paragraph works. If their answers are all quite different, vague or much longer than a five word summary, that's a sign the paragraph needs revision.

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How to use brackets in writing

Additional information not critical to the sense or basic point of the sentence may be included by placing in brackets ( ), although, in formal writing, brackets are rarely employed, except for the purposes of in-text referencing.

Instances where brackets may be used include a comment, an example or further explanation:

* Comment - Raspberry was a very excitable dog (sometimes a little too excitable!), especially when visitors arrived at the front door.

* Explanation - On the night we arrived in Greece (back at the beginning of our trip), the sky was laden with stars.

* Examples - Our new neighbour's fear of all small insects (spiders, beetles, mosquitoes and cockroaches) became loudly obvious to us within just a few days.

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Ten Top Tips for Resume Writing

1. Use a template - Microsoft Office has very user-friendly templates.

2. Ask around for samples - don't be afraid to ask family and friends for copies of their most recent resumes. Just make sure you're not all applying for the same job!

3. Don't experiment - now is NOT the time to try out that fun font you discovered recently. Stick with standard fonts such as Times New Roman or Arial. My personal favourites are Goudy Old Style and Bookman Old Style, which are classic and simple. Go for nothing smaller than size 10 font, ideally 12. The same goes for font colour - nothing too 'out there' is my strong advice.

4. Stick to the facts - there is nothing to be gained (at least, in the long term) by dishonesty. Ask yourself why you are applying for the job in the first place if you find yourself tempted to embellish the information on your resume.

5. Use the header function - state your name clearly and in a larger font as a header for the document, in addition to listing it in a 'Personal Particulars' section. Consider including the title of the job for which you are applying in your header also. It causes the employer to make an immediate subconscious link of your name to the job itself.

6. Consider the addition of a passport-sized photograph and locate it to the right of the 'Personal Particulars' section. Be sure to use a photograph which presents you looking professional, rather than in your beachwear.

7. Use bullet points under each of your headings to list the key information. This will assist you to stay focused and succinct. Headings may include, Work History, Industry Achievements, Academic History, Skills and Referees, but be sure to list from most current to least. eg. Under 'Academic History', your first bullet point would be the most recent study you have completed, followed by next recent, and the last point would be your oldest academic achievement. A tip - certificates gained in primary school are generally not valued by a potential employer in the same way you (and your mother and father) may have valued them, so best not to mention them. Similarly, under your 'Skills' heading, it is probably best not to include the rare, but quirky types, such as nostril-flaring and yodelling (unless of course the job advertisement specifically states these skills are sought!).

8. If you are not already familiar with the 'Tab' key on your keyboard, acquaint yourself with this crucial key. Use it, rather than the space bar, to tab across the page after each heading, so that your resume looks streamlined and your presentation of information doesn't distract from the information itself.

9. Don't try to fit all of your information onto one A4 page. Ideally, your resume will fit nicely into 2 x A4 pages. Remember, though, that your resume should not replace any requirement of an employment advertisement to write to selection criteria. This is an entirely separate part of your job application.

10. You know I can't resist this one - have a professional proofread your resume. An error in spelling or even a typographical error could be all it takes for a potential employer to push your resume aside. May I suggest - 'Word Write for Success'.

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A Moot, Not Mute, Point

Yesterday, I was at a conference and was puzzled when one of the presenters referred not once, but twice, to a 'mute point'. At the time, he was referring to an aspect of our new syllabus which required no further discussion as a resolution to concerns around this area had already been achieved. His use of the term 'mute' rather than 'moot' did have me squirming in my seat although I was keen to check my facts before I became too confident that I was correct in my feeling that the term should have been 'moot point' instead.

My suspicions that the term was misused yesterday have been confirmed, after a little research, although it appears that it is a common error. In the process I learnt a little more too, for which I'm always grateful.

An explanation from Washington State University's website was simple and clear:

“Moot” is a very old word related to “meeting,” specifically a meeting where serious matters are discussed. Oddly enough, a moot point can be a point worth discussing at a meeting (or in court)—an unresolved question—or it can be the opposite: a point already settled and not worth discussing further. At any rate, “mute point” is simply wrong, as is the less common “mood point.” (accessed at 9:15pm 16/05/09, http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/mute.html)

The misuse of a very similar word in place of the correct word is known as a malaproprism, but more on that some other time...

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Word of the Week - HALBERD

Today's word – HALBERD

Pronunciation – HAL-bird

Word type - noun

Definition – a medieval spear with an axe-like blade

Word origin-
The word 'halberd' is derived from the German words, halm (staff) and barte (axe). From the word family, halberdier (noun), which is a soldier armed with a halberd. This was a lethal weapon used during the Middle Ages. It had a hook or thorn on the back side of the axe blade for grappling enemy knights on horseback.

Quirky facts -

* The halberd is still the ceremonial weapon of the Swiss Guard in the Vatican.

Sample sentence - The knight used his halberd to unseat the enemy soldier from his horse.

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Proofreading Perfection

To proofread or not to proofread, that is the question.

Consider this scenario:

You have been working hard on the set assignment topic - listened carefully in class or lectures, identified key words and purpose of the task, conducted research, collected notes and collated these into a useable state. Now is the time to write. The words go slowly onto the page at first, but gradually, you become more and more immersed in what you are writing. Your fingers glide across the keyboard and you discover the words are flowing onto your laptop screen with ease. Without realising, you complete your final statement just within the designated word limit. You collapse in a euphoric state, satisfied that you have done everything humanly possible to address the task requirements and ensure the document you have written is the best possible response anyone could compose. Finally finished, you decide...

And then you wake up!

To enjoy such a dream run on an assignment is every student's wish. Unfortunately, it is usually far from reality. If only the process could run so smoothly!

Then, there is the delicate issue of proofreading your work. It's the last thing you feel like doing, and, it's next to impossible to proofread your own work effectively straight after it's been written. You really need at least overnight, if not two or three days, to regroup and be in a position to properly assess your own writing. That's all very well if you have the time!

Of course, you may be in the very fortunate position of having a dedicated family member or long-suffering friend who is willing to do this proofreading for you. In the dream run, that person is feeling well-rested and fresh as they cast their eye over your work. Of course, in this fantasy world, their expertise in the subject matter of the assignment is second-to-none. Back to reality, though, and you realise that your mother/father/sister/brother/friend just doesn't have the time or the energy to devote to your document.

Here's the question then - after all of the time and effort you have invested in your document, why would you jeopardise your investment by not proofreading it carefully? Word Write for Success is a professional proofreading service, which exists for this specific purpose. By simply emailing the document through to us, you guarantee yourself the very best result possible. We proofread and edit for spelling, punctuation and grammar, structure and sequencing, vocabulary, paragraphing and layout, as well as referencing systems.

Don't risk all the hard work you've done to this point by not completing this crucial final step of the assignment writing process.

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Proofreading Solution

Here is the corrected version of yesterday's blog post proofreading challenge.

After five years’ study, it’s possible to hypothesise that technology has overtaken the human mind. The age group most affected is 17-24 year olds.

How did you go?

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Like a challenge? Then, proofread this...

After 5 year’s study, its possible to hypothesize that technology has overtaken the human mind. The age group most effected in 17-24 year olds.

See how you went - check tomorrow's blog.

PS. There are six errors in total.

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Want to read a REALLY good book?

Yesterday, my husband gave me a book as a gift for Mother's Day, as well as a can opener I had specially requested and a pair of shoes I chose for myself, but it's the book I want to tell you about.

The book's title is The Word Spy and its author is Ursula Dubosarsky. I haven't finished reading it yet, but I know it's not going to take me long. It is fascinating me. The title appears on the front cover in collage fashion, each letter written or represented in an original manner. Tohby Riddle, the illustrator, adds sweet little silhouettes and animals into the mix. The statement below this title, 'Come and discover the secrets of the English language...', is an invitation to embark upon an adventure, and from cover to cover, that is what this book is. The reader is directly addressed and challenged to participate in unravelling a secret message, clues to each part of the message appearing at the end of each chapter.

With chapter titles such as 'Why is English so strange?' and 'Dots and dashes, interrobangs and cat's claws', it would be easy to assume that the book is a light-hearted look at the English language although lacking in substance. You couldn't be more wrong. It is fun and it is nothing like any English textbook I've ever seen, but it's also very clever, informative and extremely well-researched. As I read, I can't help feeling I've joined a special and very exclusive little club.

I've already learnt a lot, such as being glad I work from the 26 letter English alphabet rather than the 70 letter Khmer alphabet of Cambodia, and I am looking forward to discovering much more about the English language, as well as deciphering the book's secret message along the way.

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Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers reading this blog. I know Mother's Day happened in England back in March, but for us in Australia, today is our special day. I hope it has been special for you and that you have been spoilt. My beautiful daughter brought me breakfast in bed, then my family took me to lunch. Tonight, we're having a bbq dinner, so I won't have had to go into the kitchen all day! Lucky me!

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How gr8 is txt'n?

The slow creep of text talk into formal writing is speeding up. Where once a student might accidentally have replaced 'and' with '&' in an essay, today more and more of the sms language teens use to communicate with one another is appearing in formal writing, such as essays, letters or stories, to replace another word. In addition, rather than describing an emotion or effect in any detail by using words, a text code or symbol is used.

Top 10 sms language replacements in writing:

* 'r' for 'are'
* 'gr8' for 'great'
* 'wot' for 'what'
* 'lol' for 'laugh out loud' - meaning amusement or hilarity
* 'rite' for 'write' or 'right'
* 'wtf' for 'what the ****' - meaning amazement or confusion
* 'u' for 'you'
* '2' for 'to', 'two', or 'too' (take your pick!)
* ':)' for 'smiling' or 'happiness'
* :( for 'frowning' or 'sadness'

The article, 'Is txt mightier than the word?', describes instances of txt slang infiltrating student work. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2814235.stm Note that this article was written over six years ago - back then it made the news, whereas today it has become almost acceptable. For me, that's just too scary for words!

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Word of the Week - BRAINWASH

Today's word – BRAINWASH

Pronunciation – brain-wash

Word type - verb

Definition – to systematically indoctrinate to change a person's beliefs or attitudes

Word origin-
The term brainwash first appeared in English language as a military term in the 1950s, during the Korean War, when some captured US soldiers were indoctrinated into espousing Communist policy. Literally, the word is translated from the Chinese phrase HSI NAO, 'to wash the brain'. This use of native word forms combined to provide a borrowed meaning as known as a 'loan translation'.

Quirky facts -

* Films which feature brainwashing include 1962's, "The Manchurian Candidate", in which a soldier was turned into an assassin through brainwashing, as well as the more recent comedy, "Zoolander", in which male model, Eric Zoolander (played by Ben Stiller), is brainwashed into an assassination attempt on the fictional Prime Minister of Malaysia.

* In "The Muppet Movie", Doc Hopper tries a variety of schemes to brainwash Kermit into accepting the spokesman position of his chain of frog legs restaurants, including kidnapping Miss Piggy, teaming up with a mad scientist and even hiring an assassin named Snake.

Sample sentence - The victim was slowly brainwashed into believing that her captor was her friend.

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How to write an essay introduction...

Following on from my post of April 28, where the focus was writing an hypothesis for an essay, this post is about the essay introduction as a whole. Your essay introduction need only be three sentences in length and should do exactly as it says, introduce.

Keep it straightforward and use this simple formula to write the introductory paragraph to the essay -

* Sentence 1 - insightful general statement on essay topic
* Sentence 2 - hypothesis statement - your one sentence response to the essay topic
* Sentence 3 - outline of the essay's key points - subpoints of the hypothesis

For instance, using the essay topic and hypothesis statement from April 28's blog post, here is a sample introduction:

Essay topic - Explore the parallels to The Great Gatsby which exist in today's society.

Sample introduction -

(Sentence 1 - insightful general statement on essay topic) Although F Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby almost 80 years ago, many similarities exist between the 1920s society depicted in the novel and the society in which we live today. (Sentence 2 - hypothesis statement) The Great Gatsby provides a mirror for today's society through its representation of the need for instant gratification, a worship of material possessions and the superficial relationships between people. (Sentence 3 - essay outline - subpoints of hypothesis) Today's society requires immediate action or results, material possessions are accumulated driven by want not need and individuals live in greater isolation than ever before, as they interact 'virtually' rather than in real life.

The essay introduction is NOT the place for supporting evidence, such as quotations or facts. The body of your essay is where your evidence is required. More on the body of your essay another time...

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Improve your writing with adjectives

It is sometimes difficult to find a word different from the same word you have used already, or you may be unable to think of the right adjective for descriptive purposes.

One of the most commonly used (and repeated!)adjectives in the English language is 'good'. It is a particular favourite of school children, in response to the age-old question from parents, "How was school today?" The child's response is, "Good."

Alternatives to 'good' include -

* amazing, excellent, exquisite, fine, fulfilling, incomparable, invaluable, lovely, fine, valuable, superior, unforgettable, classic.

'GOOD' OVERKILL:
When I looked through the window, it was a good day. That was good because we had planned to go to Currumbin Beach, where the waves were really good. It was good to be up early and making a good start. We made good time reaching our destination. When we got in the water, it was a good temperature and we spent almost an hour enjoying the waves. After a good relax on the beach, we packed up and headed home. I had a good shower and thought to myself about what a good day it had been.

BETTER:
When I looked through the window, it was a glorious day. That was perfect because we had planned to go to Currumbin Beach, where the waves were really pumping. It was exciting to be up early and making an energetic start. We made excellent time reaching our destination. When we got in the water, it was a bearable temperature and we spent almost an hour enjoying the waves. After a blissful relax on the beach, we packed up and headed home. I had a refreshing shower and thought to myself about what a wonderful day it had been.

NOTE: School-aged readers of this blog are advised to 'wow' your parents with a really interesting response when next you are asked about your day. You could start with something like, "My day was mind-blowingly awesome", which will certainly gain your parents' attention, but may also require further elaboration to support (which may be why you used 'good' in the first place!).

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Harvard-style referencing - Part 1 - Answer

THE CORRECT ANSWER TO YESTERDAY'S BLOG QUIZ -

Which of the following uses Harvard-style in-text referencing correctly for the book, Twilight, by Stefanie Meyer?

(b) Vampires are representated most sympathetically, for example, as Carlisle only turns those into vampires who are otherwise destined to die. (Meyer: 2005, p298)

The in-text reference has the author's surname first, followed by year of publication, followed by page number of reference.

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Harvard-style referencing - Part 1 - Quiz

Which of the following uses Harvard-style in-text referencing correctly for the book, Twilight, by Stefanie Meyer?

(a) Vampires are representated most sympathetically, for example, as Carlisle only turns those into vampires who are otherwise destined to die. (Atom, p298: 2005)

(b) Vampires are representated most sympathetically, for example, as Carlisle only turns those into vampires who are otherwise destined to die. (Meyer: 2005, p298)

(c) Vampires are representated most sympathetically, for example, as Carlisle only turns those into vampires who are otherwise destined to die. (2005, Atom: p298)

(d) Vampires are representated most sympathetically, for example, as Carlisle only turns those into vampires who are otherwise destined to die. (Meyer, p298, Atom)

For the correct response, check tomorrow's blog...

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Commonly misspelled words - "B"

* bail, bale

- bail (noun) - the sum of money given to a court as a guarantee that the accused will return to court for trial
- bail (noun) - the small cylindrical piece of wood which sits across the stumps in cricket
- bale (verb) - to remove water from the bottom of a boat
- bale (noun)- a large, compact package or bundle held together by wire or cord

* bait, bate

- bait (noun) - a form of lure to attract prey
- bait (verb) - to anger or torment deliberately
- bate (verb) - to lessen

* ballet, ballot

- ballet (noun) - an artistic dance form
- ballot (noun) - a method of voting in secret
- ballot (verb) - to vote using ballot

*bare, bear

- bare (adjective) - plain, empty
- bear (verb) - to support, to suffer
- bear (noun) - a kind of animal
- bear (noun) - a person who expects share prices to fall and acts on that belief

* baron, barren

- baron (noun)- a nobleman or a powerful person in business or industry
- barren (adjective) - unfruitful, sterile

* beech, beach

- beech (noun) - a type of deciduous tree
- beach (noun) - the seashore formed by waves

* breath, breathe

- breath (noun) - the air that is inhaled and exhaled during respiration
- breathe (verb) - to inhale and exhale

* bought, brought

- bought (verb) - the past tense of the verb, to buy
- brought (verb) - the past tense of the verb, to bring

* berry, bury

- berry (noun) - a form of small stoneless fruit
- bury (verb) - to cover or put underground

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The Gift of Sight

Today, I had a moment which made me stop and really appreciate the gift of sight.

As I was racing through the supermarket to grab a couple of quick items from the dairy aisle, I passed an elderly man, hunched in concentration. I realised he was holding a six pack of small yoghurts in one hand and a magnification device in the other, examining the yoghurt label very closely. After I had the items I needed, I came back past him and saw he was still in the same place intently concentrating. I paused and asked him if he needed some help to see something, and he asked me to tell him what amount was in each of the yoghurts in the pack. I was easily able to see the labelling as 200ml, and advised him of the size. He thanked me and we each moved on.

As I walked away, however, I paused, not only the wonder at the challenge that man must face every time he goes to the supermarket and to be glad of my tiny part in helping him, but also to appreciate the precious gift of sight. To me, the text on the label was distinct and sufficiently large, and as I try to imagine how differently the man and others like him must see the world, I am so grateful for this valuable sense.

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Word of the Week - AESTHETIC

Today's word – AESTHETIC

Pronunciation – es-thet-ik

Word type - adjective

Definition – pertaining to a sense of beauty; concerned with emotion rather than intellect

Word type - noun

Definition - the philosophical idea or theory of what is beautiful at a specific time and place, especially in art

Alternative spelling - esthetic

Word origin-
The word is derived from the Greek, aisthetikos, the adjective derived from the noun, aisthanesthai, meaning perception. It came to Europe as modern Latin and was first used by German philosopher, Immanuel Kant (1724-1804), in a discussion of the perceptual. In 1750, Baumgarten used the term in a discussion of beauty.

Quirky facts -

"Anaesthetic" is derived by a combination of "an" - without + "aisthesis" - perception/sensation

"Synesthesia" is derived by a combination of "syn" - together + "aisthesis" - perception to describe the sensation of one sense organ performing the function of another sense organ. eg. the ability to see sound as a colour or hear sounds in response to smell

Sample sentence - The painting had an aesthetic appeal beyond all other paintings I viewed that evening. (used as an adjective)

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