Author: Corinne A. Nulton (Page 5 of 6)

A Quick Tool for Building Your Vocabulary and Eliminating Redundancy

November 2, 2022 / Corinne A. Nulton / 0 Comments

We all have our favorite phrases and “go-to” words. I often find myself repeating these words multiple times in a single paragraph:

Thought Reversals: “however,” “although,”

Thought Extensions: “also”, “and it states”

Interpreting Statements: “so”, “this means that”

On my first draft, the repetition doesn’t matter, but when I start revising, I have to rethink each of those sentences so that I’m not redundant—I want to show that I can articulate my thoughts in a variety of ways to keep my reader engaged.

I’ve found that most college freshmen struggle with building their vocabulary and minimizing the usage of their “go-to” words and phrases. Your vocabulary will grow naturally as you read and become familiar with expressions in your discipline.

However, if the paper is due tomorrow, you may not have that sort of time. You need some tools to expedite that process.

One my favorite tools to eliminate redundancy is https://www.wordhippo.com/.

Here’s why . . .

You can pull up synonyms, antonyms, definitions, examples of usage, and the most common forms of usage by searching for a single keyword.
The synonym search works well: it’s broken down by the possible definitions of the original word, and it generates several synonyms on each search.
You can search for both words and phrases, though it works better with just words.
Everything is hyperlinked! If you find a new word that’s a synonym, you can click on it to check the definition so that you’re using the new word correctly in your context.
If you want to use a word that’s unfamiliar to you, you can click to have the word pronounced correctly for you.
There’s a “See Also” section that further explains how to use the word in grammatically correct formations.
Are you taking a poetry writing class? Or maybe you want to embellish a paper with some poetics? This site will generate rhymes for your words and phrases, too.

However, this website is ultimately just a machine pulling up prewritten data—keep that in mind. That means it doesn’t give you the connotations for the specific keyword (so if you are replacing a negatively charged word like “stuffy,” you may accidently insert a positively charged word like “cozy”. ) It also doesn’t say if the synonym has any slight differences from the original word on the landing page, and that could lead to using words that don’t express exactly what you mean. Last, it doesn’t work well with field-specific vocabulary.

Still, I’d recommend this resource for eliminating word-choice redundancy, and you’ll find that as you search for more and more words, you’ll acquire more and more words.

Transition Words and Phrases

November 1, 2022 / Corinne A. Nulton / 0 Comments

It’s time to abandon the simple “First” , “Second”, “Finally,” and “In conclusion” transition words from high school. It’s no longer acceptable to have “and” twice in a single sentence or “also” twice in the same paragraph. You instead need words, phrases, and constructions that not only transition your thoughts, but that reflect the relationships between your ideas. Listed below is my favorite list of transitions sorted by the relationships they express.

The Best Quick List of Transitions and Conjunctions Sorted by Type

This next list is another one of my favorites. It’s less colorful, but significantly more extensive. It also includes more academic transitions, and it has longer transitional phrases. It’s three full pages of transitions by type. Just be sure to look up sample constructions–not all of these words can just be inserted into a sentence. For example “embark” is used very differently in a sentence than “commencing with”

The Best Extensive List with Some Uncommon Transitions Sorted by Purpose

This next resource is a chart of common transitions in the “word” form and in the “phrase” form with examples of how to use them effectively in sentence constructions. All of these words are included in the previous two worksheets, but this particular resource is useful if you need to convert a one-word transition into a phrase to emphasize a point. Sometimes writers use full phrases to transition between larger ideas (or paragraphs) and single word transitions to move between little ideas (like individual pieces of evidence). It doesn’t provide a lot of examples, but it shows how to use each in a sentence correctly with punctuation, which is beneficial.

Samples of Word Transitions Converted to Phrase Transitions with Examples

Imposter Syndrome

October 31, 2022 / Corinne A. Nulton / 0 Comments

Imposter syndrome is that feeling of “I don’t belong here” specifically because “I don’t know enough.” It’s a common type of anxiety experienced by graduate students as novice experts in their field. It can prevent students from making the most of their educational experience because they are afraid to try new things or attempt challenges for fear of judgement. They feel like a fraud, and worry that someone will realize they’re a fraud, even though that’s not true. If you are accepted into a graduate program, you deserve to be there. You have earned your place there, even if you sometimes feel out of place there.

It’s important to remember that this feeling is common when you are surrounded by academics who are experts in the field and who have had years to hone their skill-sets. It’s unfair to compare yourself to them or to others in your program. Sometimes the feeling is so intense that it becomes a barrier that cripples a student’s academic performance. Check out the resources below to learn how to manage and overcome “Imposter Syndrome.”

Here’s an article that describes the common symptoms of Imposter Syndrome and how to combat them.

This is an infographic with some suggestions on how to manage feelings of Imposter Syndrome.

Using Quotes

October 31, 2022 / Corinne A. Nulton / 0 Comments

by Owen Stanczak

To select quotes, it is important to first understand what it is that you are talking about. Trying to select quotes without a strong central thesis often leads to a jumble of unrelated segments from the text or texts you are using for support.

The first step is to think carefully and clearly about the point you are trying to make. What is your claim? Why did you choose that claim? Was there something about the text that led you to your conclusion? What specifically about the text relates to the claim you are making?

Once you have established your claim, begin thinking about which parts of the text that you are using relate to specific parts of your claim. Thinking about this will allow you to pinpoint areas where you may find the most relevant quotes. I always try to remember specific sentences or phrases that stood out to me while reading.

Once you find quotes that fit your claim, begin to organize them. You can do this by writing them down, or using sticky notes. Use a system to organize them, whether by topic, or by order which they will appear in your paper. Using different colored sticky notes to differentiate topics, and numbering each sticky note in the order in which the quote will appear in your paper is one effective method.

Once you have chosen and organized your quotes, you can easily incorporate them into your paper. Just make sure to introduce and explain your quotes when they appear in the paper and you’re all set!

Introducing and Analyzing Quotes

How to Build Complex Paragraphs with Quotes

Integrating Quotes Correctly to Avoid Plagiarism

Using Sentence Templates

October 27, 2022 / Corinne A. Nulton / 0 Comments

Academic writing typically requires longer, more complicated sentences because you have to interpret evidence or compare your ideas to those within another source. If longer sentences are not well-constructed, they can lack clarity or grammatical integrity. It’s also easy to fall into a pattern of passive voice when you are describing ideas opposed to actions.

For those reasons, I highly recommend the worksheet of sentence templates below:

It will provide you with a variety of verbs to use other than “is”, “are,”, “was”, “were”, and “will be.”
It will provide you with some conjunctions that indicate a transition or show relationships between ideas.
It is organized by how you wish to combine or express your ideas.
As a bonus, there’s additional transitions on the bottom!

A Great Worksheet with Adaptable Sentence Templates

This next worksheet also contains sentence templates and thought transitions, specifically to eliminate “I” from your writing, but some of the verbs are more passive. It’s still worth checking out!

A Great Worksheet with Sentence Starters

This worksheet is useful because it has extended sentence templates for comparing topics in multiple sentences.

Extended Sentence Templates

The Academic Word List

October 26, 2022 / Corinne A. Nulton / 0 Comments

The Academic Word List below contains 570 words that are commonly used in academic texts. It also contains the various forms of each word so you can recognize different versions of the same word. I recommend that you review the list and try to use words from it as you write in order to expand your academic vocabulary.

The Academic Word List

Resume Templates

October 26, 2022 / Corinne A. Nulton / 0 Comments

Selecting a resume template can be difficult. Always consider these things when choosing a a template:

The template should be easy to manipulate. Your resume should grow with you, and you should never be confined by your template.
The template should maximize how much text can be displayed while still being aesthetically pleasing.
The template should have white space strategically so that it draws your reader to your most relevant experience.
The template should have a logical system that organizes your experience and the tasks you’ve completed. It should never violate the organizational pattern it establishes. The fonts, colors, and placements should be consistent.
The template should be memorable, but the design should not be the focal point. Your relevant experience should be the focal point, and successful templates underscore your accomplishments but do not overshadow them.
The template should guide you through the resume writing process by providing examples and categories.
Ideally, the template should come with a matching cover letter or it should be easily to create a cover letter that matches.

MS Word provides dozens of resume templates with matching cover letters. Sites like Canva, do, too, but they sometimes cost money. Some are also available through Google Docs that users created, and they can be copied and modified. Check out the resources below to explore potential templates.

Here is a great template for an academic resume

How to Browse Resume Templates in MS Word

Free Resume Templates in Google Docs

Improving Your Grammar

October 26, 2022 / Corinne A. Nulton / 0 Comments

Are you looking for some resources to help you improve your English Grammar? Perhaps you’ve seen the phrase “comma splice” or “dangling modifier” on previous papers, but you weren’t entirely sure what it meant. If so, these two resources are for you!

Grammar Bytes is a great resource to learn grammatical concepts. It provides self-guided, interactive instruction as well as handouts, exercises, and voice-over PowerPoint presentations. It’s like a free online course in grammar, but the only difficulty is that the website format is not very user friendly or ascetically pleasing. However, once you start clicking around and searching for topics you’re interested in, I think you’ll understand why we love the “Grammar Instruction with Attitude” so much that we can ignore the cheesy shark theme.

Hypergrammar is supposed to be a free online grammar course once it is fully constructed. It is still in the process of being developed, but this is a fast guide to all the grammatical concepts in the English language. If you want to improve your grammar quickly, but you don’t know where to start, this is a great resource. However, there are some drawbacks. There’s no practice questions, and it typically only gives one example per concept, so it’s brief, but not as extensive. Hopefully, it’ll continue to improve as it’s developed.

Free English Grammar Lessons

Outlining Basics

October 21, 2022 / Corinne A. Nulton / 0 Comments

Diana P. Lozinger

Some writers may think that outlining is a waste of time, but in my own experience, it actually makes better use of your time. In fact, I even outlined this post before I started writing it. Outlining can help strengthen the connection between your thesis and your content, thus strengthening your argument. If your assignment does not require a thesis, it can at least organize your thoughts so that you are completing every requirement or answering every question within your prompt. It makes your writing clearer and stronger, and it is a good way to make sure that your thoughts are all in order.

So, how do we do it? First of all, most outlines do not have to be fancy. I just use bullet points, and for more developed or longer papers, I include subheadings. For some writing intensive courses, your professor may want to see an outline before you start writing, and some professors want it in a more professional style, utilizing roman numerals, numbers, and letters. However, some professors who want to see outlines may not even require these formalities.

For essays that are in response to multiple questions, it may be appropriate to outline with the intention of addressing each question, in order, with at least one paragraph. The amount of paragraphs needed is up to you, or up to how long the paper is supposed to be. If it is a larger paper, I may need entire sections made up of multiple paragraphs to answer the question. Regardless, I will start with breaking down the prompt into appropriate sub-questions or subtopics.

For more open-ended assignments or essays, I first consider the length of the paper, and following this, I determine how many subtopics I can address within it. This includes determining approximately how many paragraphs would be appropriate to have within the paper. For brief papers, it may be appropriate to have only one paragraph per subtopic. The classic five-paragraph essay is an example of this. For this, the topics or arguments of each of the three body paragraphs should be determined well in advance before you start writing. For longer papers, it is appropriate to have many paragraphs under a subtopic: these paragraphs would then address sub-subtopics.

Then comes the brainstorming part of the process. Again, I approach this as coming up with ideas that I could write about, but I remember that I do not have to commit to them. This would also be the time that I start researching, if that is the type of paper that I’m writing. When I research, I try to take notes within my outline. Each note goes under the corresponding subtopic. Some of my sources will only pertain to one subtopic, but some can be helpful for more than one. A great thing about outlining is that I do not need to concern myself with the order of sentences until I start working on a draft. This means that I can start taking my research notes right away. Also, if I have an immediate spark of genius regarding my subtopic, then I write it down. Then, later, I edit: I put the ideas in the correct order, I improve my wording, and I may have to take some ideas out or add ideas in.

Personally, I like outlining because it feels “off the record.” I have less commitments to the words that I’m writing. Instead, it is a time for brainstorming. We may develop an emotional investment in the things that we write, so it disappoints us when our ideas do not end up working in our essay and we have to delete them. Some writers come into an essay with the intention of writing the final draft. This often causes the writer to become stuck, almost like Spongebob:

Instead of coming into an essay with the intention of writing the final draft, we can outline so that we can see if our plan for our paper truly works. So, if I find out later that I don’t actually want to include a paragraph about a certain subtopic, I won’t feel as disappointed about letting go of the hard work that it took to form that whole paragraph. Thus, I really do not “waste time.” My time is being used more effectively.

Resources for Outlining:

How to Write a Meaningful Outline

A Template for Making Outlines

Sample Outlines for Each Type of Essay

A Template for Writing a Cover Letter

October 21, 2022 / Corinne A. Nulton / 0 Comments

Your name

Your address

Your phone number

Portfolio/website

The date

The hiring manager’s name

The company name

The company’s address

Dear_______________,

Paragraph 1:

Sentence 1: What job are you seeking and where did you see it posted/who referred you? Be sure to mention the specific position and the company’s name.
Sentence 2: Briefly mention your current employer/position or your university and major.

Sentence 3: What unique experience/quality qualifies you for this position? Be memorable.
Sentence 4: (optional) Reiterate your desire to be considered for this position.

Paragraph 2:

Sentence 1: What has been the focus of your educational/professional career?
Sentences 2-10: Summarize your professional career so far (relevant coursework, research projects, internships, campus leadership opportunities, employment history, etc.) What have you learned? What skills do you have? What programs are you familiar with? Who have you worked for/studied under? Remember some of this is already in your resume, so spend time on the items that may not be listed there.
What skills/qualities are they asking for in the ad that are not outlined in your resume? This is a good opportunity to address those. Use specific examples. Use the same verbiage as the ad.
(Optional): Are there any extra curriculars that show your leadership/communication/conflict management skills? Are there any service projects that show your values? Are there any gaps or clarifications you need to explain in your resume? If so, include that here.
(Optional): What was one major challenge you faced and how did you overcome it? Or what is one professional accomplishment you are particularly proud of?

Paragraph 3:

Sentence 1-3: Why do you want this specific job at this specific company? Show that you know the company’s mission, goals, and values. Show that they align with your own personal philosophy and professional goals.

Sentence 3-4: What unique experience/perspective/qualities can you offer compared to other applicants? How will you be an asset to their team?

Paragraph 4

Sentences 1-4: Let them know that you’re eager to further discuss your qualifications. Perhaps highlight any part of your resume you’d like them to pay close attention to. Close by thanking them for their consideration.

Sincerely,

Your Name

Your degree/License

Looking for a visual template? Check out this template in Canva. Just be sure to make a copy to your account by logging in, clicking file and then “make a copy”

A visual template for a cover letter

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