Schoolwork Help Thread

[BlackDragonSlayer]

Tweak the margins. Teachers *never* notice 

What if the assignment is based on number of words, though?

[blueflower999]

Then duplicate a few words randomly in the middle of paragraphs and hope that the teacher doesn't read it

[braix]

Take away contractions.

[BlackDragonSlayer]

Take away contractions.

That is part of being verbose, I would say, but I think that that is still quite good advice.

Did you, good sir, see what I accomplished in the above sentence, and, by extension, this sentence itself?

[mikey]

I was thinking of more "legitimate" stuff, but...
Yeah legitimate stuff.

[SlowPokemon]

Yeah BDS he needs to write an actual legitimately well thought out paper, not one of your arguments

[BlackDragonSlayer]

Yeah BDS he needs to write an actual legitimately well thought out paper, not one of your arguments

What a juicy contradiction!

[mikey]

Yeah BDS he needs to write an actual legitimately well thought out paper, not one of your arguments

I saw that slow had posted and I thought I was gonna get great feedback!
...Just a kind of good joke...

[MaestroUGC]

If you need more words then try having a better command of the English language.

Or not being terrible at school work.

[Mashi]

I respectfully disagree, BlackDragonSlayer; verbosity is a trait common to many 19th and 20th century works and is seen as both gratuitous and archaic in today's society as far as advanced literature goes.  If it's possible to write a sentence using 5 simple words instead of 15 grandiloquent words while expressing the same idea, it's generally better to use the simpler, colloquial prose instead.  Not that all verbosity is bad, but it takes a lot of skill to use the device effectively.  It's a good idea sometimes, but I don't think it would be in NocturneOfShadow's case.


As for your essay, NocturneOfShadow, it makes many great points about the difficulty of music courses and how fruitful they can be in a similar manner to language classes, but I feel it's lacking in how music is a beneficial class by itself.  What you've written so far isn't bad at all, but like most things, it could be improved in some areas.

A few arguments you might want to make are how you'll find support for a music class in the curriculum.  People already tend to dislike classes like language classes, so would it be wise to add another class they may be distasteful of?  If music and language classes are so similar in how they teach a person, then why bother teaching both?  Why not keep the status quo (which is what occurs most often)?  Also, what do you plan to teach in these music classes?  You've noted the benefits of playing an instrument, but not everyone will be playing reasonably well after a year's worth of classes; I played the clarinet for 7 years and practised quite often and I'm not so good at it, frankly!  And if I'm the average, how many others would be like me?

Again, what you've written so far isn't bad at all, but there are definitely a lot of things you can address to lengthen it a bit and also make the discussion more cogent.  What you need to do is anticipate an opponent's argument and tear them down in your essay.  Be realistic in what you want to implement, but be resolute in doing so.



Ninja'd: I forgot to post this waaay before, whoops!!!

[BlackDragonSlayer]

I respectfully disagree, BlackDragonSlayer; verbosity is a trait common to many 19th and 20th century works and is seen as both gratuitous and archaic in today's society as far as advanced literature goes.  If it's possible to write a sentence using 5 simple words instead of 15 grandiloquent words while expressing the same idea, it's generally better to use the simpler, colloquial prose instead.  Not that all verbosity is bad, but it takes a lot of skill to use the device effectively.  It's a good idea sometimes, but I don't think it would be in NocturneOfShadow's case.

I was speaking of how verbosity can help one to enhance the length of an essay, all while maintaining the same meaning as the original essay (and in turn demonstrating not only your vocabulary, but also your ability to articulate your thoughts in detail- something most teachers enjoy); since Nocturne was wondering how to increase the size of his essay, I merely suggested that he do so in order to get the same meaning from his essay as he intended, especially if he could not find any more information to add.
Of course, I don't mean that he should make it sound archaic (e.g. not verbose like this)- there is a way you can lengthen your sentences without sounding too archaic (which I've used in order to make essays about rather limited subjects meet required page lengths: a simple example of what I mean can be found right in this sentence- using "in order to" rather than just "to"). It also has the benefit of making your essay sound less "casual," if you put enough effort into using the correct words. Sometimes, just putting an extra word or two in has a drastic effect (in the long run) on not only the length of writing, but (usually) also the impact is has on the audience (in this case, I assume, the teacher).


...in fact, I can think of a direct example right now:

Quick edit of first paragraph

Many people know that colleges strongly recommend taking foreign language classes in high school. A slightly smaller number of people are aware of the many reasons why- and it's a safe bet that only a small fraction of people can actually remember how to speak a second language! Learning another language requires a certain type of abstract thinking not often found in common curriculum. By now you may be thinking, "But what does this have to do with music?" The simple answer is that music lessons and classes should carry the same weight as language classes. Not only do music lessons require the same type of abstract thinking as language classes, they can also be just as challenging, and in fact, music could even be considered a language of its own. As a side benefit, it can, in addition to other benefits, help you learn patience; for example, it can take time to learn a new and unfamiliar piece of music.

[close]

[FireArrow]

Then duplicate a few words randomly in the middle of paragraphs and hope that the teacher doesn't read it

Haha, put a bunch of words in white around the title. :3

[Mashi]

BlackDragonSlayer, that's exactly what I meant though!  He should be doing the opposite of what you're saying.  In general, teachers and professors tend to grade papers using excessive length or vocabulary lower than those that don't (there have even been studies on this!).  It's foolish to express the same idea with more words than fewer.  Language was built to express oneself succinctly and conspicuously without going at length, so it defeats the purpose of communication to express the same idea with more words; it's inefficient.  Even doing something as simple as replacing "to" with "in order to" wastes space and time.

There are times when verbosity is okay, but it takes a skilled writer to do so, and it's seldom wise to bloviate on a topic without a reason for doing so.

That is to say, there is a myriad of 'epochs' within a time range in which grandiloquence and verbosity are to be exhibited within a realm of decency, however, it is absolutely pivotal that a proficient wordsmith perform such a task, and it is well advised to rarely ever resolve to speak of trifles without a proper rationale for integrating such things into such discourse.

I exaggerate, but are you beginning to understand what I mean?  A skilled writer compacts as much information as possible into as few words as possible.  It'll be an important quality to have when you're applying to colleges, for example, and are limited to so and so word limit.

[BlackDragonSlayer]

BlackDragonSlayer, that's exactly what I meant though!  He should be doing the opposite of what you're saying.  In general, teachers and professors tend to grade papers using excessive length or vocabulary lower than those that don't (there have even been studies on this!).  It's foolish to express the same idea with more words than fewer.  Language was built to express oneself succinctly and conspicuously without going at length, so it defeats the purpose of communication to express the same idea with more words; it's inefficient.  Even doing something as simple as replacing "to" with "in order to" wastes space and time.

There are times when verbosity is okay, but it takes a skilled writer to do so, and it's seldom wise to bloviate on a topic without a reason for doing so.

That is to say, there is a myriad of 'epochs' within a time range in which grandiloquence and verbosity are to be exhibited within a realm of decency, however, it is absolutely pivotal that a proficient wordsmith perform such a task, and it is well advised to rarely ever resolve to speak of trifles without a proper rationale for integrating such things into such discourse.

Oddly enough, I've been taught (and have found the effects of) the opposite: use as many words as possible without dragging on for too long. Not only does it help to reach requirements for essays, but as I said, it can also give your audience a different impression of the way you articulate your ideas (in short, making you seem more intellectual ). Of course, dragging on for to long will likely bore your audience, but as both of us have said to certain degrees, you need to "know your limits," so-to-say.

I exaggerate, but are you beginning to understand what I mean?  A skilled writer compacts as much information as possible into as few words as possible.  It'll be an important quality to have when you're applying to colleges, for example, and are limited to so and so word limit.

I think it certainly depends on what medium you're writing in. I didn't say that you always need to write as much as is unnecessarily possible (if that makes sense), but as you said, you do need to know to be able to write in a multitude of ways (ranging from short summaries to lengthy pages). I've known (not necessarily personally) a number of people who have trouble writing in length, and in my opinion, I'm glad to have the knowledge/ability to do so.

[mikey]

Thanks Mashi!  I'll keep those points in mind.  That's really helpful!