..."fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement. How to Say Nothing in 500 Words Paul Roberts Paul Roberts (1917-1967) was a linguist, a teacher, and a writer at San Jose State College from 1946 to 1960 and at Cornell University from 1962 to 1964. His books on writing, including English Syntax (1954) and Patterns of English (1956), have helped generations of high school and college students become better writers. "How to Say Nothing in 500 Words" is taken from his best-known book, Understanding English (1958). Although written almost fifty years ago, the essay is still relevant for student writers today. Good writing, Roberts tells us, is not simply a matter of filling up a page; rather, the words have to hold the reader's interest, and they must say something. In this essay, Roberts uses lively prose and a step-by-step process to guide the student from the blank page to the finished essay. His bag of writing su;ptegies holds good advice for anyone who wants to write well. PREPARING TO READ How do you feel about writing? Do you find writing difficult? What are some of your most memorable experiences with writing in school or during your free tLne? How have these experiences affected your current attitude toward writing? Explain. Nothing About Something I t's Friday...
Words: 6637 - Pages: 27
...Head injuries are quite common and occur regularly in all contact sports. Concussions, from brain injuries can cause long term effects and can lead to dementia. Too many concussions occur in high school athletes that participate in contact sports. One may suggest that contact sports should be banned from all high schools. Non contact sports should become a part of the physical education curriculum so that young adults should not have to suffer the consequences from head injuries in contact sports. There are a large number of dangerous contact sports that athletes participate in today. Examples of the most common contact sports include: football, basketball, soccer, wrestling, field hockey, and lacrosse. Research suggests that these sports have the most severe injuries. High school students that participate in contact sports are endangering their health, lives, and future. Contact sports have been a part of school age children’s life for a long time in America. Whether it be football, soccer, lacrosse, wrestling, or the recent addition to American sports, rugby. Millions of children in middle school or high school have worked hard and enjoyed playing. In recent news articles contact sports have been deemed bad for children. Doctors have been studying the statistics and have come to the conclusion that children have been developing physical injuries resulting from certain types of contact sports. One of the new findings from these studies is that once a person especially a child...
Words: 690 - Pages: 3
...Janet Salguero Aaron Hillyard Writing 121 Video Essay 13, March, 2014 Essay # 2– “Any Given Sunday” Football has always been one of America’s favorite past time sport, a sport that has been around for 145 years and a game that is a religion to some individuals. “No guts, No Glory!” I remember my high school couch always scream out into the stands and the team cheering that same chant into the battle field. Football is a very intense and dangerous sport that young men play to hold the glorious title of “Winner,” seizing the opportunity to show off all their incredible football skills. In the movie, “Any Given Sunday” there is a famous scene were Al Pacino the head couch, gives a common but important inspirational speech to get his team all riled up and ready for battle. Giving the opposing team a run for their money and fight for every last inch they need to get to be victorious in the game. In every great sports movie there is always that locker room scene that gets the team pumped up for the win or lose game, with inspirational heart pumping background music. Making you feel like you are right there in the locker room, living in the moment and thinking it’s all or nothing at that very instance. The head coach reaching into each individual player’s soul and heart giving them that push to leave everything on that field to give everything they have, like it was a life or death situation. How many times have you seen that famous locker room scene and how does it make...
Words: 629 - Pages: 3
...Topic: Money can bring happiness, do you agree or disagree? (Within 300 words, at least 250 words; IELTS for GENERAL TRAINING) As the most significant symptom of wealth, possessing a large sum of money has become a unique pursuit of many people, especially young generation, around the world. They are convinced of that happiness can bought by sufficient money. However, they could neglect the fact that happiness is not just determined by one factor but many others such as your friends, relatives, and pleasant experience. In my perspective, happiness does not always increase in direct ratio to the rise of money. Focusing on the illusion that money brings happiness may have an unexpected adverse effect that may lead to a misallocation of time. For instance, when some one reflects on how money would change their sense of well-being, they would probably tempt to think about spending more time in leisurely pursuits such as seeing a three-dimensional movie or traveling abroad. But in reality, they would have to spend a large amount of time working and commuting and less time engaged in experienced happiness. On the other hand, it is undeniable that money has a brief effect on life satisfaction, particularly after we have got enough money to satisfy our fundamental need. For example, people who get richer would feel they are better than their peers. Nevertheless, they will soon make richer friends. Therefore, their relative wealth will not be greater than it was before; people quickly...
Words: 2368 - Pages: 10
...Analysis of “Children Need to Play, Not Compete” Sports for children in the United States have increased dramatically over the past three decades. Many believe that parents and coaches are becoming too involved in youth sports practices. In the essay “Children Need to Play, Not Compete” by Jessica Statsky, Statsky states her opinion that children should be focused on playing the game and having fun, instead of focused on winning the game. She also states and supports how parents and coaches are becoming too involved and not letting the children play. This is resulting in physical and mental harm to the child. Statsky’s essay is convincing and very well structured. She does an excellent job supporting her opinion throughout her essay. Statsky believes that children should be focused on having fun, instead of winning the game. In her essay, she states that “winning and losing may be an inevitable part of adult life, but should not be a part of childhood.” Instead of making the children focus on having fun and playing the game, adults tend to pay too much attention on the result of the game. She claims that too many adults are beginning to lose sight of what really matters and making winning the most important goal. Parents and coaches play a major role in contributing to this because they often apply adult standards to a children’s sport. This harms children physically and mentally. The adult standards applied force children to do physical actions that are bad for their growing...
Words: 924 - Pages: 4
...Article 1 Divorce rates in Dubai plummet to 24pc in the space of just two years The divorce rate in Dubai has become the lowest not only in the UAE but the whole of the Arab world, thanks to a new counselling service offered by the emirate's court service. Divorce rates have plummeted from 35 per cent to 24 per cent in the space of just two years. It has been attributed to the success of the Reformation and Family Direction Section created by Dubai Courts in 2000 to tackle marital problems. Wodad Lootah, a social worker at the section said Dubai Courts had set up the section following an increase in divorce rates during the 1990s. She said the main aim was to allow couples to settle disputes amicably without resorting to court action at an early stage. Since the Reformation and Family Direction Section was established, it has received 1,496 couples who claimed they wanted to divorce. Of these, 471 couples changed their minds and did not divorce - nearly one third. "The main causes of divorce are lack of understanding between the husband and wife because neither know how to communicate effectively with each other, as well as how to solve their problems in the right way," she said. Wodad added that the section has taken many steps to reduce divorce. It has distributed about 1,200 social packages to newly married couples at the court which has helped in dropping divorce rates by six per cent in the year 2002 alone. However, it's not all...
Words: 3732 - Pages: 15
...In a growing habit becoming more dangerous than drinking and driving for the simple fact of the range of people that can incurred in this habit. Who is your primary audience or reader? Why? Be detailed in your answer about your audience. My primary audience will be the youth because statistically are the more prone to text while driving. Young people have grown up in the technology revolution in which for the mentality is that nothing in the social media world can wait or will be absolute within days. In a sentence or short paragraph, what is your thesis statement, including your angle? Write what will appear in your essay. My point is that texting and driving is a problem that concern all ages and different back grounds for the fact that many lives are in jeopardy in the street because of this bad habit. What topic sentences will you use as the foundation of your communication? (If necessary, add more points.) * Is that text worth your life? * Be smart if it is that important pull over. * Don’t let technology decide for you. * Don’t turn your head, be the difference. What method of organization and development will you use to develop your paragraphs? * Introduction: * The main reason could be that 82% of young adults own cellphones and keep going up. I am going to be honest I have done it before but it wasn’t until I almost got involved in a car accident because of a text that I realize how dangerous this habit is. * Body: ...
Words: 1990 - Pages: 8
...Hayden Raulerson Dr. Marshall ENC 1102 21 September 2014 Hero of the Underground Essay Jason Peter is a player that the University of Nebraska should be proud of. Jason Peter was a great athlete for them and, he showed his perseverance to break his drug addiction. For these things why would Nebraska not be proud of Jason? Jason Peter deserves the respect and acknowledgement from Nebraska. A main reason they should be proud of Jason is, because he is an outstanding athlete and contributed too many wins at Nebraska .Any person that helps win football games has to be respected. According the Kirk Herbstreit, “the Huskers are aiming for their third national title in four years, thanks to--as usual--a high-level option offense (keyed by Scott Frost) and a stout defensive front four (led by end Grant Wistrom and tackle Jason Peter)” (Herbstreit 21). This shows that Jason was a large part of the Nebraska defense; even rough Jason’s rough times they should still be proud of him. Also in the book it shows that he was respected “with us as captains we can’t lose” (Peter 55). This show that coach Osborne felt like he trusted and respected Jason in that he let him be a captain. Usually the school is proud of the captain of the team, because he is the leader and shows good examples. In this case Jason shows good behavior at Nebraska, which keeps a good word with the university. Jason should not be judged by what happened to him, because it can happen to anyone. Also they should be...
Words: 1040 - Pages: 5
...Fiction Essay ENGL 102 Composition and Literature APA Abstract Richard Connell’s “The Most Dangerous Game” and Thomas Wolfe’s “The Child by Tiger” have many similarities in the stories. Two men face conflict of good and evil, but in different perspectives because the two types of literature are wrote differently. “The Most Dangerous Game” is escape literature; it’s adventurous and unrealistic, written for pleasure, while “The Child by Tiger” is interpretive literature it teaches about the world around us and helps one understand deeper issues. In both stories, the characters show different sides to themselves they show their good side and fool people thinking they are someone they are not and eventually show their evil side. Fiction Essay In both “The Most Dangerous Game” and “The Child by Tiger” both men are portrayed very civilized and kind, but both authors show how people can change in an instance and become murderers. In “The Most Dangerous Game” Sanger Rainsford is the story protagonist he is an intelligent renowned hunter who believes the world consist of only predators and pray. As he is traveling on a yacht for Rio de Janeiro with a friend named Whitney she points out a mysterious island that people named Ship-Trap Island. Whitney becomes tired and wants to go bed, but Rainsford stays ups to have another smoke. While he is up, he hears gunshots in the direction of the island. Rainsford leans to far over and falls overboard, he calls for help no one hears...
Words: 1609 - Pages: 7
...Compare and Contrast Essay 5/12/2014 Ashford University English 121-AXC1415E Instructor: Jamie Cooper Student: Katherin Wheat When it comes to writing the compare and contrast essay style, it is one of the more difficult ones to achieve. The differences between these two essays “How to say nothing in 500 words” by: Paul McHenry Roberts and “caged bird” by: Maya Angelou is easy to pick out. As far as the similarities goes that proved to a little harder to give a lot of examples. In the following paragraphs there will be plenty of examples of compare and contrast, give summaries, a couple of quotes and a paraphrase will be included in this essay. While how to say nothing in 500 words and Caged Bird are both well-written essays, caged Bird was more visual than How to say nothing in 500 words because the author painted a more detailed picture which kept the reader’s attention, the attended audience was more overly open to more people than that of how to say nothing in 500 words essay, and the author of caged bird had a bigger and deeper impact on the readers then the author of how to say nothing in 500 words did. Caged Bird was more visual than How to say nothing in 500 words because the author painted a more detailed picture which kept the reader’s attention. Maya Angelou’s descriptive essay “Caged bird” tells a story of a caged bird and a free bird. The caged bird signifies a person with the skin color darker than that of a peach colored crayon, held down by the paralyzing...
Words: 1613 - Pages: 7
...raise awareness of a topic and to change public attitudes (rather than sell a product), often advocating better health practices or safety (Jess Dudley, 2013). The purpose of this study is to introduce two advertisements, one is smoking and another one is dunk drive. The paper is structured as follows: the first section will present the background which shows the perniciousness of smoking and dunk drive. The second part will show the content of the smoking advertisement, and the third part will introduce the target audiences and influence to people by AIDA. After that, the dunk drive advertisement will be presented. The first part of this advertisement will present the content. And then, this essay will introduce the adverting media of this advertisement and advantages. Finally, this essay will introduce the marketing ethics and segmentation. There are many reasons cause health hazards in recent years, such as smoking and drunk driving. Smoking is the main element of preventable deaths. Accounting to the research shows that about 80,000 people death in England in 2011 and nearly 9,500 children illness because of secondhand smoke (Jane Ellison, 2013). Additionally, excessive drinking is another threat, especially dunk driving. In 2012, there are 290 people dead cause by drinking, which occupied with 17 percent in all the road traffic accidents (Ray Massey, 2013). Thus, those two social advertisements were made. The first advertisement is about smoking. The advertisement use...
Words: 1293 - Pages: 6
...the Concussion Battle? Can We Tackle the Concussion Battle Within Football? Introduction The National Football League (NFL) or as some people may say, “Not for long” is responsible for some of the greatest athletes. Excellence appears to be their one goal, which is to win Super Bowl championships. Some players perform at a high level for a while, whereas others don’t have a chance at experiencing actual playing time on the field at all. NFL players are less and less likely to have a definitive long-term career in the NFL. On average their career may span for about 3 ½ years (Stradley, 2011). (Workman Pub Co, 2002) The NFL has added several new teams, provided innovative equipment, additional rules, distinctive playing styles, but most importantly there has been a revolutionary change of the NFL culture. The game of football is being played at a faster pace and players are becoming larger, and intelligent (Wharton, 2011). While the sport of football can be stressful, competitive, entertaining and enjoyable, it also poses a dangerous threat of injury. One of the more common injuries within playing or watching football are concussions. Over the past few years concussions have become a more serious endangerment to those who play, from new evidence we have seen on the effects on the brain and how it can affect a player’s future. The purpose of this project is to investigate the current status of football and concussions in finding a solution to reducing head trauma in players...
Words: 3204 - Pages: 13
...Feature Hendrix Prof. Ziegler English 1121-01 Argumentative Research Essay Sixty-six percent of people on (Debate.org) said that reality television should be ban. It brings out the bad stereotypes in people (Kenya). People’s personal life are being taped on a daily basis. It can ruin culture image or a person’s life. Young teens are out of control, and are portrayed as loudmouth who only care about themselves. different stereotypes are shown about gender. There are many stereotypes in reality television. Reality television is promoting dangerous stereotypes in our society, culture, teens, race, and male and female. Reality television have damaged my home and even my sisters are falling into the messages they are sending. Should reality television be ban like some television shows? Government officials have banned some of South Park and family Guy episodes. So why can’t they ban reality television shows or ban some of them to aired? It does not teach anything useful. People become addicted to it very often. Anything excessive is not reality. In reality, people do not slum around the pool all day getting wasted. Reality does not consist of girls having make up on every hour of the day. In reality, people go to work, and spouses don’t sit around the house all day gossiping about their friend’s life or what is happening in another city. People on reality shows need to grow up and get a job. They need to stop relying on others to support them because that is all reality producer...
Words: 2241 - Pages: 9
...Speaking Assignment 06_06 02-07-2014 I Believe and Persuaded the Use of Cell Phones Should Be Mandatorily Banned Nationwide To Prevent Unnecessary Distractive Driving Banning the use of cell phones should be made mandatory nationwide while driving because it is a one of the nations’ top killers in America. Driving while being distracted kills thousands of people every year. Yet many drivers think they are good at managing both tasks so they continue to text behind the wheel. A car travels approximately 100 yards in less than the 5 seconds it takes to read a text. Texting distracts people from driving properly by diverting their attention to their cell phone, instead of focusing on the road. Furthermore, studies show that texting is as dangerous as driving while intoxicated. Subjects are found to be mentally impaired while driving and chatting on a mobile device as when they are under the influence. These are the top reasons why I believe and am convinced that driving while on a cell phone should be banned in America. Cell Phone Usage as Top Killer in America National statistics show that cell phone usage while driving has become one of the nation’s top killers on our roadways today. According to the Texting and Driving Safety Statistics an average of 1,600,000 accidents are reported each year due to texting while driving. Nearly 25 percent of all accidents nationwide, 11 percent of which are teenagers ages 15-19, occur on a daily basis. (Texting and Driving Safety, 2010)...
Words: 1305 - Pages: 6
...internet is dangerous and provides little security for the people who go on it. There are so many ways that someone could be harmed from using the internet. Some of these dangers can be prevented while others are unstoppable. There are pedophiles, as well as hackers that use the World Wide Web to get what they want, since there is little security to stop them. Novice level hackers can be stopped by spyware installed on a computer to prevent low level viruses. However, someone faking their identity on the internet is unstoppable because there is no way of seeing if they are telling the truth. Social media is one dangerous component of the internet that has little security. Sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are all public. This means that all the information that is posted on this website can be seen by anyone who is able to go online. Once a profile is created on one these websites, they are automatically created as public accounts. The person creating these websites would need to manually make their accounts private. Most users would not know to do this and anything they put on their accounts can be viewed by anyone. Additionally, anything that is put on the internet is permanently up there. There is no way to take something off the internet once it is uploaded to the World Wide Web. Even when a person deactivates their social network, it is not really deleted. You could very easily just log back on and all the same information will be there. This can be dangerous for...
Words: 1537 - Pages: 7
