what is the thesis of how to say nothing in 500 words

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How to Say Nothing in 500 Words by Robert Analysis

• Author: arsalan
• Posted on: 9 Jul 2018
• Paper Type: Free Essay
• Subject: English
• Wordcount: 1378 words
• Published: 9th Jul 2018

This paper seeks to describe the use of specific language as a descriptive writing pattern and apply the technique in Robert’s article, “How to Say Nothing in Five Hundred Words”. In his article, Roberts gives tips to students on how to improve their writing and get the attention of their readers. Giving specific details and as well avoiding the use of predictable or rather, obvious content improves writing effectiveness, as it seems more involving. Clarity in writing is crucial to ensure the writer’s communication is effective and projects the intended message to the audience.

One of the most effective writing patterns from Robert’s article is using of explicit language by circumventing the use of ambiguous words, and this makes the essay effective, impressive and enticing. Using informal and “catch-all” words makes you leave the important information which you intend to pass. Readers do not have time for the catchy words you would intend, but they are interested in the message you want to pass. It is, therefore important to ensure that you portray your message in a more presentable manner.

Robert tries to use specific language and avoid vague words in his article. This is clear in the whole article, he brings his message by directly going for the main point he is trying to pass. This is illustrated by his phrase, “Call a fool a fool” he meant that no need to add words to your article to meet the word count as the students always do. I am planning to use Robert’s descriptive pattern of avoiding using useless words in my essay. This is to ensure that may message reaches the intended readers and avoid wasting their time by adding meaningless words to my essay.

In summary, Paul Robert is trying to style up his students on essay writing by making them come up with a well-compromised essay. He tells them that as a writer, it is important that before starting to write, find the angle, approach and argument that will make the reader enthused in the of going through your essay.

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How to say nothing in 500 words process analysis.

1) thesis: There seems to be no thesis

2) This essay says that college students are repetitive, lazy, and boring writers, without writing anything original. Roberts includes advice to students with techniques to make writing more exciting like avoid the obvious content, take a side, slip out of abstraction, get rid of obvious padding, use colorful words, and say what you mean. The issue facing college students is empty original writing with nothing but colorless words with no sense of originality. It is just the same thing over and over again.

3) The Audience: The audience for this essay is really college students because they are the main point of the story plus it is written towards them.

4) Does it fit the Genre? Yes, this essay does fit the genre because it goes step by step on how to write a great essay with helpful hints and directions.

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Paul Robert “How to Say Nothing in 500 Words”

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Essay on Paul Robert’s “How to say nothing in five hundred words”

            In “How to Say Nothing in 500 Words”, Paul Roberts gives instructions to his learners on how to write good essays. According to Roberts, the writer’s main job entails finding an argument, angle, approach and wording that takes the reader with him/her. Thus, Roberts clarifies that this is not easy, especially with subject that have been written on extensively.  He further ascertains that even subjects that writers have restricted understanding about or those that are intrinsically dull might turn out to be increasingly interesting in case the writer adheres to Roberts’ guidelines pertaining to content and wording.

            The initial directive entails a voiding the obvious content.  Following the selection of the argument side to take, a writer must create a list of supporting points and also disregard them. According to Roberts, the initial points are always the palpable ones that make for the uninteresting reading, as well as a bad grade. In this regard, he calls for the thinking of amusing and original points and arguments. Thus, he asserts that summing up the obvious points and arguments and after that disregarding them enables the readers to anticipate an unanticipated and different essay.

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            The second proposal made by Roberts is to assume the less usual side and calls on the readers to not be fully concerned with the points of views of the reader during the writing of the points and arguments. As such, he advises that the reader should assume an angle that enables for increasingly original arguments given that this will make the essay interesting. The assumption of the less normal point of view also allows for originality of arguments.  In his description, Roberts asserts that the side that seems difficult to defend is always the side that is much easier to effectively write about and interesting.  However, one of the subjects that he advises that students against is the subject on personalities, which he maintains that is not humorous. Moreover, Roberts also instruct the learners to find ways of slipping out of abstraction by advising the writers to ascertain that his/her essay does not contain a lot of generalities.  As such, all abstract statements have to be effectively backed up with adequate examples that are not only specific but also factual so as to assist the readers in visualizing the points.

With regards to abstract statements, Roberts maintain that they are not only boring but also unconvincing to read.  Rather, he calls on the readers to ascertain that all their point come alive through ensuring that they are specific and visual.  For that reason, Roberts gives examples of some actual facts that a writer can utilize ion proving his or her arguments through illustrations involving juvenile delinquents as a means of attaining this. The other notable means entails.  An additional way of accomplishing this entails the creation of examples that are either personal or visually descriptive.  The instance of Alfy Simkins, a poor footballer and his challenges assists in convincing the readers with regards to the challenges.  In such instances, Roberts tends to remind his readers that though an essay may have several visuals and anecdotes, it will be better compared to an essay with several abstract statements.

The fourth proposal offered by Roberts regards getting rid of the apparent padding. Thus, Roberts advises the writers to avoid making use of unnecessary words in the course of making attempts at meeting a set word count. Concerned and responsible learners should try and find illustrative examples and increased amount of content. In his example, “call a fool a fool”, Roberts additionally demonstrates the point regarding the need for elimination of additional words. He, nevertheless, clarifies that learners tend to have a myriad of reasons for extra words with one of the key reasons being the dearth of confidence that result in phrases like “in my opinion”. Additionally, the learners are also apprehensive about making negative statements and might opt for euphemism. The author has additionally c clarified the significance of specifics, clarity and elimination of the words that are prone to weaken an individual’s arguments and point of view. He, however, fails to offer caution with regards to the use of bad language all through an individual’s essay, in an attempt to be more direct. Further, in “Beware of pat expressions”, Roberts take in the widely utilized clichés and phrases by writers, and whose use is minimized by the good writers. He also maintains that such clichés and phrases tend to act as hindrances between the writer and his or her thoughts/points.

Roberts makes use of the last three sections to define certain word type; colorless, colored and colorful. According to Roberts, “Colorful Words” refer to words that aid the reader with the visualization, hearing and feeling what the writer needs. As such, Roberts makes an attempt at clarifying the significance of certain words that the writer selects, as well as the incessant effort by the writer to settle on the apt words. On the other hand, regarding the “Colored Words”, Roberts describe them as words with both constructive and unconstructive associations. For instance, while “mother” is offered as a constructive case in point, “mother-in-law” is offered as an unconstructive one. Writers are highly prone to settle on words that tend to echo the varied circumstances under which they have been heard before so as to drive their points home. The decision to make use of the loaded words or not is highly dependent on the function or purpose. The use of colored words as opposed to the expression of thoughts might be degrading and insulting, and, for that reason, the writer is advised to give consideration to such words.

Lastly, the auth or has cautioned the writer with regards to the utilization of “colorless words”. For instance, words like interesting and nice, as well as nouns like circumstances and situations are always devoid of sturdy implications thereby resulting in boredom, as well as a bad grade. Owing to this, Roberts maintains that cautious word choice remains paramount to the significance of good essay writing.

In his article, Paul Roberts has related the job of the writer to finding an argument, an approach and angle and the words that will ensure that he takes the readers with him/her.  He, therefore, strives to assure the writers that regardless of the initial views, all topics have the capability of being made increasingly engaging. He makes efforts and proposals that are geared towards educating the writers (students) on the best way to attain a properly written and increasingly engaging essay in his word, “How to Write Nothing in 500 Words”.

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Tyla's Writing Journal

Monday, april 29, 2013, how to say nothing in 500 words.

Wow, great post.

Paul Robert’s “How to Say Nothing in 500 Words”

Paul Roberts’ essay, How to Say Nothing in 500 Words , analyzes inexperienced writers’ common mistakes in academic writing and offers recommendations. The author initially presents a case example whereby many writers produce low-quality work in the pursuit of merely fulfilling the word count requirements. Specifically, he argues that most essays contain repetitive and poorly explained content and commit stylistic mistakes such as excessive pat expressions, hedgings, and abstractions (Roberts 3, 5, 7-8). Although the work could emphasize the difference between some aspects, Paul Roberts’ essay is an effectively written guide that provides valuable information on improving the stylistic writing and the quality of the content.

One of my reactions to the essay was the author’s ability to accentuate the fallacies and provide valuable insight regarding stylistic writing and the ways to produce quality content. The author does this in the first two sections of the essay, namely, the ‘Avoid the Obvious Content’ and ‘Take the Less Usual Side’ parts. By suggesting writers eliminate the immediate and apparent arguments and argue for the less popular side, Roberts stipulates that writers will intellectually compel themselves and produce nuanced, interesting content (3).

I was particularly impressed by this piece of advice since most academic writing consultants neglect this part of writing and overly emphasize the grammar and stylistic checks. Hence, the author pays attention to the underemphasized area of academic writing and provides valuable recommendations on content generation.

Nevertheless, these two strategies should not be presumed to be the best and only way to develop unique and interesting content. Although the surface idea or argument might be prevalent, new ways of explaining an opinion or new pieces of evidence can capture readers’ attention. Hence, it does not mean that the writer should immediately eliminate apparent arguments and look for others. A writer can emphasize that the same evidence for proving a particular argument has been provided for years and then offer a new one to support the same statement. Thus, although I find the author’s recommendations regarding content generation particularly useful, writers should not be limited to only those suggestions and should pay attention to other effective strategies to generate engaging content.

I have also found Robert’s recommendations on pat expressions, abstraction, and colorless words hard to differentiate. On the one hand, the author argues that pat phrases such as “in the twinkling of an eye” should be avoided since they do not add any value to the writing (Roberts 8). On the other hand, he claims that abstract descriptions and colorless words such as “nice” do not convince the reader and, instead, more specific and detailed characterization should be provided (Roberts 4, 10). Although I can understand the difference between these ideas, it is subtle, and less experienced writers would find it difficult to detect the difference. Thus, the author could have emphasized the line between the proper layers of descriptive words and patting expressions.

Despite some suggestions being potentially confusing, Paul Robert’s How to Say Nothing in 500 Words contains critical information on the basics of successful academic writing, including stylistic writing and quality content generation. The author’s recommendations on producing capturing content can be particularly valuable for writers since many educational writing consultants underemphasize the content generation aspect of writing. Nevertheless, his recommendations on content generation should be carefully considered as they risk eliminating potentially strong arguments without proper analysis. The essay could also benefit from additional clarity on the differences between the pat expressions, abstractions, and colorless words. In conclusion, I strongly recommend Robert’s essay to writers who significantly aspire to improve their writing skills.

Roberts, Paul. Understanding English . Harper, 1958.

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How to Say Nothing In 500 Words | Paul Roberts

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Ten Things The Old Writer in Me Should’ve Known

After years of training as a campus journalist and participating in district-level feature writing competitions, I have finally received my score on the first ever paper that I did as a college student ─ a whopping 23/50 written in bright red ink. My freshman self was devastated, and questioned the worth of all the years she took in writing various features that her publication adviser was proud of. “Was that all a joke?” she asked. She threw the paper in the nearest trash bin that she saw as soon as she went home to her dormitory, just as how she threw all the confidence she had in writing.

...but did this stop me from writing?

Nonetheless, I am grateful that this event happened. What seemed to be my biggest failure at a time as a young aspiring writer is actually my largest eye-opening moment that motivated me more to brush up my writing and research skills.

Having said this, here are some of the things that I keep in mind as I further improve my writing skills and regain the confidence that I once had as an aspiring writer.

1. Avoid the obvious content.

Writers have the talent, or the ability at least, to play with words that can inspire, inform, and persuade their writers, so why waste such time and talent on writing something that almost everyone else knows about?

2. Take the less usual side.

This is what makes a writer’s job more challenging , especially in the information age where information can be easily accessed by anyone with the means in only a click away. It is our responsibility as writers to delve further into thinking of content that may serve as a wake up call for our readers to do action, to be informed by events that are less tackled by the national media, or to simply open their eyes on the other side of a controversial story.

3. Call a fool a fool.

While admitting that I am at fault for using lengthy sentences as a writer, I appreciate it better when the articles I am reading are direct with their ideas and arguments . I can see how this rule should be applied for a more effective writing style, as it guides not only writers but also readers to be on the same page and not to get lost with the thoughts of the author.

4. Use everyday English words as much as possible.

Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.

In verbal conversations such, we can easily ask each other for the definition of the words they use that we do not understand; however, the writer-reader relationship does not have this feature (unless, of course, if you are reading the essay in front of its author). As writers, we have to make sure that our message is sent clearly to our readers, and we can fulfill such a responsibility by using words that they can easily understand.

5. Use active voice over passive voice.

I personally find both reading and writing in an active voice easier than using a passive voice. Writing in an active voice helps readers to focus more on the subject rather on its accompanying details such as its qualities and actions.

6. Omit needless words.

Such as how powerful words can influence and gain an impact on the readers, using too many words can confuse them ─ and also the writer as she slowly lose sight of her thought as she excessively writes down a long list of words that are supposed to support the topic.

Suggested reading: "Clutter" by William Zinssler

7. Do not overstate.

As writers, although we cannot limit the imagination of our readers, we can limit their assumptions and misconceptions by writing the details of our topic as they are , especially when we are dealing with informative essays. Exaggeration of details may lead our readers to misinformation and fake news, which is an issue we are trying to eradicate in the information age.

8. Stick to one tense only, especially in writing summaries.

Ensuring consistency in using one tense throughout the summary avoids confusion to our reader, and also helps them to point out when was the summarized topic relevant in our history (whether if it is in the past or the present).

9. Revise and rewrite.

Our professor in Ethics 1 once told us, “make sure that you allot at least two to three days between your final draft and its revision ─ you’d be surprised by how many errors you’ve actually made throughout writing your paper.”

Revision and rewriting our write-ups are among the important steps in writing as it helps us see what errors must be fixed and what discussions need more improvement.

10. Prefer the standard to offbeat.

Experimenting with different writing styles is okay, but trying to stray away from the usual writing format and technique for the purpose of “standing out” may lead us rather to the worst of our mental health as a writer; thus, letting our thoughts, and our confidence, fall apart.

As a gentle reminder to all who are reading this, including my future self, never punish nor pressure yourself if you think your writing style is too basic.

Take good care of your mind and body, practice critical reading and writing, and focus more on your progress and the intentions behind writing your chosen topics.

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