Posts by Susan M. Inez:
If you need to write an opinion paper about affirmative action and all you know about the topic is that it has something to do with discrimination and education, or discrimination and the workplace, you’re going to need to do a little research before you can...
2017.5.31 / by Susan M. Inez
“Short” is a relative term. Your English prof might assign a “short essay” that’s 3,500 words, while your history instructor might assign a “short essay” that’s only 500 words. Big difference. A longer paper has its advantages. Sure, you’ll have...
2017.5.29 / by Susan M. Inez
If you’re assigned to write a movie review, you need to watch a movie and then critically evaluate it. Logic dictates that, if you’re assigned to write a literature review, you’d read some type of literature and then critically evaluate it. But that’s not...
2017.5.22 / by Susan M. Inez
You’re sitting in the back of a sociology class, trying to focus on the lecture, when the prof brings up a controversial topic, such as abortion, gun control, capital punishment, or marijuana legalization. I’m almost positive that you have a position on every...
2017.5.17 / by Susan M. Inez
Given the choice between going to the dentist for a root canal and writing an outline for a position paper, I’d guess there are at least of few of you who would choose the root canal—simply because you hate outlining that much. Okay, that’s probably an exaggeration....
2017.5.10 / by Susan M. Inez
I’m proud of you! You’ve done your homework. You’ve read up on how to write a position paper. You’ve thought about how you’ll write the outline. You’ve even brushed up on proper essay format. The next major hurdle: what to write about? Finding an original...
2017.5.8 / by Susan M. Inez
People always wish they could be better at something. Maybe you wish you could be a better gamer. Maybe you wish you could be a better snowboarder. Did you ever wish you could write a better lab report? Probably not—at least not until you had to actually write...
2017.5.3 / by Susan M. Inez
Whether you’re conducting experiments in a lab because it’s a required course for your degree or because you hope to become the next Marie Curie, one fact remains the same: you need to write a lab report after conducting your ground-breaking experiment. The...
2017.5.1 / by Susan M. Inez
Face it. Every time we watch a movie, we turn into movie critics. Lots of times, though, our critiques aren’t that involved. They’re limited to things like “That sucked!” or “That movie was awesome!” or “I love him. He’s hot!” This not-so-detailed...
2017.4.26 / by Susan M. Inez
You think you’ve lucked out because you’ve just been assigned to write a paper about a movie. Finally, a topic you can get into. Besides, how hard can it be to write about a movie, right? You’ve been watching movies forever, and you can certainly tell whether...
2017.4.24 / by Susan M. Inez
Have you ever read one of those DIY websites and tried to make the perfect flower arrangement or wooden tool box by reading only the directions? It seems almost impossible, doesn’t it? Why? Because you need a visual to guide you. You need to see each step and...
2017.4.12 / by Susan M. Inez
Let’s face it, most of us are used to writing essays and research papers. We’ve written them throughout our entire academic careers. The abstract, on the other hand, is likely a relatively new endeavor. Without a lot of practice and experience writing abstracts,...
2017.4.5 / by Susan M. Inez
If you’re a math person, the word abstract likely conjures up numbers like three or seven (numbers that don’t really refer to a certain thing). If you’re more of an artist, you might envision Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night. And for those of you...
2017.4.3 / by Susan M. Inez
When you were kid, I bet you were asked (and more than once), “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I’ll also bet that, by the time you were a junior or senior in high school, you were asked (and again, more than once), “What do you want to do when...
2017.3.29 / by Susan M. Inez
Here’s a list of concrete words: Bull float Expansion joint Forms Screed Trowel Rebar Yes, these are literally words related to concrete, but that’s most likely not what your prof means when he tells you to focus on concrete language. Keep in mind, though,...
2017.3.27 / by Susan M. Inez
The personal essay, it’s an easy enough essay to write… right? We all have stories to tell and opinions on just about everything. The million dollar question is, how do you take your thoughts, ideas, and opinions and put them on paper? How do you let your personality...
2017.3.22 / by Susan M. Inez
T-21 hours, 33 minutes, 4 seconds, and counting. You’ve officially shifted into panic mode because your paper is due tomorrow, and so far all you’ve written is your name. We’ve all been there, crippled by writer’s block and unable to compose a single...
2017.3.13 / by Susan M. Inez
“Wow! That stinks!” If you’re walking by a smelly factory, this might be an appropriate response. If you’re walking by a farm on a sweltering summer afternoon, this might be exactly what you’d expect to hear. This is not, however, what you want to hear...
2017.3.8 / by Susan M. Inez
While you may not have written many summaries, I bet you’ve actually composed a lot of summaries in your day. Think about it: every time you tell a friend what happened in a movie or what you did on vacation, you’re summarizing. You’re even summarizing when...
2017.3.6 / by Susan M. Inez
Let’s say you and your pals have just watched the latest superhero movie, and one of your friends asks, “So what did ya think?” Your response might be something like, “It was awesome! I loved the fight scenes and the CGI!” Or you might respond, “Man,...
2017.2.27 / by Susan M. Inez
The explanatory essay (sometimes called an expository essay) is one of those standard essays that you’ve probably written at least a few times in your academic career. The explanatory essay often takes the form of a cause and effect essay, a definition...
2017.2.22 / by Susan M. Inez