Category Archives: Writer’s Handbook
Figures of Speech: Schemes and Tropes
Schemes and Tropes Schemes and tropes are figures of speech, having to do with using language in an unusual or “figured” way: Trope: An artful deviation from the ordinary or principal signification of a word. A trope uses a word in … Continue reading
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Tagged figure of speech, rhetoric, schemes, style, tropes, wordplay
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Types of Humor
Literary devices that create humor As you read, you will encounter many types of humor, and you will find some types funnier than others. If you want to learn to use humor in writing, it helps to identify some of the literary devices … Continue reading
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Tagged comedy, exaggeration, funny, humor, incongruity, irony, literary devices, litotes, overstatement, rhetorical devices, understatement, wordplay
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Research Paper Tips
7 Tips for Taking Your Research Paper from Snoozeworthy to Spectacular by Janice Campbell If you have mastered the basics of writing a research paper, it’s time to take your paper to the next level. Here are seven tips to … Continue reading
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Tagged eil, research paper, tips, writing
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How to Create a Reverse Outline
Reverse Outline: A useful tool As you work with a text —essay, story, speech, article, or fable, it can be helpful to create a reverse outline. This can help you see the structure of the piece and the flow of ideas, … Continue reading
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Tagged benjamin franklin, eil, literary analysis, model-based writing, organization, reverse outline
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How to Annotate for Active Reading
If you read actively and annotate your books, you will understand and enjoy the text more deeply than if you simply skim. Here are suggestions for effective annotation. Continue reading
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Tagged annotate, annotation, book study, define, eil, highlight, model-based writing, write in books
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Creating Outlines by Kathleen Lietzau
Creating Outlines by Kathleen Lietzau What is an Outline? Macro Outlines Micro Outlines Crafting an Outline Moving from the Outline to the Paper What is an Outline? An outline is a way of formally arranging and developing your ideas. Though … Continue reading
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Tagged arrangement, canons of rhetoric, clustering, eil, how to, macro outline, micro outline, outline, topic outline, university of richmond, writer's web, writing
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Plot Diagram: Freytag’s Pyramid
German novelist Gustav Freytag created a diagram to show the form of a basic plot. Exposition: The part of the narrative structure in which the scene is set, characters introduced, and the situation established. It usually falls at the beginning … Continue reading
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Tagged eil, freytag, narrative structure, plot diagram
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Journalism Story Structure by Mark Grabowski
Journalism Story Structure by Mark Grabowski Organizing the way you write journalism articles is as important as organizing the way you tell any story. Readers won’t tolerate a confusing story. They want a story that reads clearly and naturally. Keep … Continue reading
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Tagged eil, journalism, mark grabowski, story, structure, writing
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Sample Compare-Contrast Essay Outline
Sample compare-contrast essay outline Here is a sample outline for an essay comparing and contrasting Achilles’ and Odysseus’ attitudes toward war. This example is excerpted from the Excellence in Literature Handbook for Writers, which contains much more information on this topic … Continue reading
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Tagged compare, contrast, eil, essay model, handbook, literary analysis, outline, sample, topic sentence
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How to Write a Compare-Contrast Essay
What is a compare-contrast essay? Have you encountered an essay prompt that directs you to compare or contrast two elements (e.g., two characters in a story, two different political theories, two different religious doctrines or scientific explanations, two different historical … Continue reading
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Tagged compare, comparing, comparison, contrast, e3, eil, essay, excellence in literature, how to, thesis, writer's handbook
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