Purdue OWL
The descriptive essay is a genre of essay that asks the student to describe an object, person, place, experience, emotion, situation, etc. This genre encourages the student’s ability to create a written account of a particular experience. What is more, this genre allows for a great deal of artistic freedom (the goal of which is to paint an image that is vivid and moving in the mind of the reader).
One might benefit from keeping in mind this simple maxim: If the reader is unable to clearly form an impression of the thing that you are describing, try, try again!
Here are some guidelines for writing a descriptive essay:
Take time to brainstorm
If your instructor asks you to describe your favorite food, make sure that you jot down some ideas before you begin describing it. For instance, if you choose pizza, you might start by writing down a few words: sauce, cheese, crust, pepperoni, sausage, spices, hot, melted, etc. Once you have written down some words, you can begin by compiling descriptive lists for each one.
Use clear and concise language.
This means that words are chosen carefully, particularly for their relevancy in relation to that which you are intending to describe.
Choose vivid language.
Why use ‘horse’ when you can choose ‘stallion’? Why not use ‘tempestuous’ instead of ‘violent’? Or why not ‘miserly’ in place of ‘cheap’? Such choices form a firmer image in the mind of the reader and often times offer nuanced meanings that serve better one’s purpose.
Use your senses!
Remember, if you are describing something, you need to be appealing to the senses of the reader. Explain how the thing smelled, felt, sounded, tasted, or looked. Embellish the moment with senses.
What were you thinking?!
If you can describe emotions or feelings related to your topic, you will connect with the reader on a deeper level. Many have felt crushing loss in their lives, or ecstatic joy, or mild complacency. Tap into this emotional reservoir in order to achieve your full descriptive potential.
Leave the reader with a clear impression.
One of your goals is to evoke a strong sense of familiarity and appreciation in the reader. If your reader can walk away from the essay craving the very pizza you just described, you are on your way to writing effective descriptive essays.
Be organized!
It is easy to fall into an incoherent rambling of emotions and senses when writing a descriptive essay. However, you must strive to present an organized and logical description if the reader is to come away from the essay with a cogent sense of what it is you are attempting to describe.
Showing posts with label Eiken. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eiken. Show all posts
Thursday, December 1, 2016
Friday, October 21, 2016
‘2-Pass’ Technique
The ‘2-Pass’ Technique is good for language test takers that are dealing with words that they do not fully understand or have no clue to their meaning. For example. if the student does not know the key words, there is little they can do about it during the test so they shouldn’t waste time.
It is recommended for handling this challenge efficiently by deploying the ‘2-Pass’ technique. The way it works is on the first pass, the student goes through quickly answering all the questions that they find easy. The rule of thumb is that if they don’t know the answer within ten seconds, they skip to the next question.
On the second pass, the student goes back to the more difficult questions left blank. If they still aren’t sure of the correct answer after 30 seconds they should make an educated guess and move on.
By using the '2-Pass" Technique, it ensures that language test takers don’t get stuck on the more challenging questions and end up wasting a lot of time.
Friday, June 5, 2015
Test Taking Tips (General)
1. Bring at least two pens/pencils with good erasers, a calculator with enough batteries and any other resources that your instructor allows you to.
Bring a watch to the test with you so that you can better pace yourself.
2. Keep a positive attitude throughout the whole test and try to stay relaxed. If you start to feel nervous take a few deep breaths to relax.
3. Keep your eyes on your own paper, you don't want to appear to be cheating and cause unnecessary trouble for yourself.
4. When you first receive your test, do a quick survey of the entire test so that you know how to efficiently budget your time.
5. Do the easiest problems first. Don't stay on a problem that you are stuck on especially when time is a factor.
6. Do the problems that have the greatest point values first.
7. Don't rush but pace yourself. Read the entire question and look for keywords.
8. Ask the instructor for clarification if you don't understand what they are asking for on the test.
9. Write legibly. If the grader can't read what you wrote, they'll most likely mark it wrong.
10. Always read the whole question carefully. Don't make assumptions about what the question might be.
11. If you don't know an answer, skip it. Go on with the rest of the test and come back to it later. Other parts of the test may have some information that will help you out with that question.
12. Don't worry if others finish before you. Focus on the test in front of you.
13. If you have time left when you are finished, look over your test. Make sure that you have answered all the questions, only change an answer if you misread or misinterpreted the question because the first answer that you put is usually the correct one. Watch out for careless mistakes and proofread your essay and/or short answer questions.
14. Double check to make sure that you put your first and last name on the test.
2. Keep a positive attitude throughout the whole test and try to stay relaxed. If you start to feel nervous take a few deep breaths to relax.
3. Keep your eyes on your own paper, you don't want to appear to be cheating and cause unnecessary trouble for yourself.
4. When you first receive your test, do a quick survey of the entire test so that you know how to efficiently budget your time.
5. Do the easiest problems first. Don't stay on a problem that you are stuck on especially when time is a factor.
6. Do the problems that have the greatest point values first.
7. Don't rush but pace yourself. Read the entire question and look for keywords.
8. Ask the instructor for clarification if you don't understand what they are asking for on the test.
9. Write legibly. If the grader can't read what you wrote, they'll most likely mark it wrong.
10. Always read the whole question carefully. Don't make assumptions about what the question might be.
11. If you don't know an answer, skip it. Go on with the rest of the test and come back to it later. Other parts of the test may have some information that will help you out with that question.
12. Don't worry if others finish before you. Focus on the test in front of you.
13. If you have time left when you are finished, look over your test. Make sure that you have answered all the questions, only change an answer if you misread or misinterpreted the question because the first answer that you put is usually the correct one. Watch out for careless mistakes and proofread your essay and/or short answer questions.
14. Double check to make sure that you put your first and last name on the test.
Daniel J. Stone, MBA
ダニエル・ストーン
Founder and
Principal Consultant
Two Birds One
Stone Learning, LLC
3700 Riverside
Drive, #21861
Columbus,
OH 43221
Office: 614-219-9757
Cell/Text: 864-609-7295
Web: www.onestonelearning.com
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