Language for You

If you are unsure about how to use a semicolon, have a look at Gary Olson’s Punctuation Made Simple, which points to two major scenarios: (1) the semi-colon as a connector of two sentences, (2) the semi-colon as a “supercomma.” Purdue University’s Writing Lab addresses the first scenario in a useful comparison of the semicolon and comma in compound sentences. Besides serving as a connector of two independent clauses (otherwise known as sentences), the semicolon helps connect such sentences using a conjunctive adverb such as however or nevertheless. The examples on these two websites are good, so I won’t provide any of my own. Once you think you understand, have a look at the somewhat more detailed semicolon chart offered by the Writing Center at the University of Wisconsin.

Related post: Commas

Do you know a beginner in English or a child just learning the alphabet? Here is a fantastic 1970s jazz version of the alphabet from Sesame Street:

Or perhaps you would prefer a calming version for your child or yourself at night? Here’s another 1970s clip from Sesame Street:

Even more advanced students of English sometimes forget to learn how to say the alphabet. Do they really need it? I think so. Sometimes people on the phone ask me how to spell my name or street address. Without the alphabet I’d be in trouble.

allude / elude

Allude and elude are both verbs. They sound similar, though not identical, but their meanings are different. If you click on the previous links, you will find yourself at each definition at Merriam-Webster, a venerable American dictionary of English. Besides definitions and written pronunciation descriptions, this dictionary offers audio files for most entries. Click on the little red speaker next to a word to hear a North American say the word aloud. This feature is especially useful for words we confuse with others and for big words that we only know through reading, but have never heard anyone say before. This situation happens to me all the time when I read history.

The dictionary also shows you how to use each word, though I wish the examples were more extensive. That’s the main reason I still recommend that people buy a suitable dictionary for that purpose. There, are, however, other online options. Two I recommend are the Cambridge Dictionary of American English and the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Or you could get links to a whole bunch of different dictionary definitions at the same time using OneLook. The links appear on the left and a few “quick definitions” appear in a box on the right. The option to view several definitions can come in handy for words that are particularly difficult to understand. It can also help you find out which online dictionaries work best for you. You might want to be cautious of the quick definitions, though, since users can also add them.

By now I hope you have looked up both allude and elude, if you were not completely sure about their difference. If so, then you will appreciate why someone cannot write about how a text eludes to an event in the past. Such a statement makes no sense. Elude means escape or avoid, and it does not use the preposition to. Instead we can write about how a text alludes to something in the past, that is, how it refers indirectly to that thing.

Here’s a good example of allude that I found on USA Today by googling the phrase “Obama alluded” with quotation marks:

Obama alluded to his historic status as the nation’s first black nominee of a major party during his appearance here, telling the audience that “I’m proud of America for giving me this opportunity because obviously we all know it’s a sign of enormous growth in this country.”

He referred to his unique achievement as the first presumptive African-American nominee of the Democratic or Republican party, but without coming out and saying so directly.

And here’s an example of elude: “Killer eluded police with fake names.”

Finally, here’s a more idiomatic usage of elude: Please don’t allow the differences in meaning between words that sound similar elude you. Use a dictionary. (And read this blog.)

Related post: Fighting Poor English Usage lists my other shorter posts on specific words, and it points to a related blog’s posts on confusing word pairs.

Here’s a funny Monty Python sketch about words. It includes a few “naughty words” too, so don’t say I didn’t warn you. You might also want to read the transcript.

Whenever I run across words that people mix up with other words, I try to explain the problem. This effort has led to posts on the following words:

• between / among,  many / much,  fewer / less
• effect / affect
• en masse,  saddest / sadist
• statute / statue,  tenet / tenant

I plan do more such posts as opportunity offers, but I would like to point out a blog that offers a whole lot of posts about other words, One Step Forward by Legbamel, whose voice makes her writing a pleasure to read. Here is a sampling of recent words covered:

• adverse / averse
• alternate / alternative
• dually / duly
• moot / mute
• per se
• pore / pour

My only complaint? The blog has no proper index of words covered. This weakness might be due to the blog’s strength. She’s covered so many of them that listing them might break the blog’s category system.

Sometimes I encounter students from other countries who are not familiar with the basic ingredients that every essay for high school, college, and graduate school must contain. This article is aimed at such people, though it might prove helpful to native speakers as well. Due to time constraints, however, the information is bare bones with no concrete examples. To compensate for this weakness somewhat, I have linked to further resources at the end of the article.

The basic building block of any essay is the paragraph, which itself requires specific ingredients:

• Transition sentence — With the exception of the first paragraph in your essay, each paragraph will need a transition sentence that moves the reader from the topic of the previous paragraph to the topic of the new one. This transition sentence might act only as an introduction to the paragraph, but it might also serve as the topic sentence.
• Topic sentence — The topic sentence states clearly what the paragraph is about. It might also function as the transition sentence.
• Sentences that develop the topic — You need sentences that develop the main idea of the topic sentence by expanding on that specific point with clarifying statements and specific evidence. Each paragraph will usually contain several of these sentences. When you write them, make sure each one builds clearly on the previous one without repeating information unnecessarily.
• Concluding sentence — Paragraphs usually also require a concluding sentence to tie everything together. The more complex your paragraph, the more likely such a sentence will be necessary to help your readers understand your argument.

After you write these paragraphs, it is important to see if they are in an order that makes sense. You can test your paper’s organization by printing it out and highlighting the topic sentences. If you read only these topic sentences, your paper should make sense. If it doesn’t, think about what paragraphs you might need to add or how you could reorganize the ones you have.

Your essay also requires specific kinds of paragraphs in the following order:

• Introduction — Your introduction must come right to the point and tell your reader about the topic and scope of your essay. This paragraph will also include a thesis statement, that is, a sentence that states the core idea or main argument of your essay. (It can be difficult to write a topic sentence for your first draft, but after you have finished the whole essay, go back and rewrite the topic sentence.)
• Body paragraphs — You will probably have three or more body paragraphs in which you develop the idea set out in your introduction. Each one will address a key idea stated in a topic sentence and developed with specific evidence in additional sentences.
• Conclusion — This is your last paragraph. Use it to tell your reader what your essay has demonstrated. Under no circumstances should you use it to begin a new topic or introduce additional evidence.

There are many different kinds of essays, each with specific requirements. It is up to you to learn what your professor’s expectations are before writing the paper. When in doubt, ask. No matter what kind of essay you write, however, it must always contain the above ingredients.

Additional Considerations

When you write your essay, you are allowed to assume that your reader is intelligent, but you must also assume that he knows nothing about the topic. Include enough background information to make your essay understandable not only to your professor, but also to someone outside of the class.

This article assumes that you know how to write English without making a lot of mistakes. Since everyone makes mistakes, however, I have written several posts about proofreading. See also the posts about the differences between informal and formal English prose, especially “Contractions” and “Using ‘I’ and ‘You’ in Academic Prose”. Keep in mind too that knowing the right word and using it are two different things. Remember to use your dictionary not only to find words and definitions, but also for information about how to use words. Finally, see the Books page of this blog for links to further resources.

Besides using these resources, you should see if your university or school has any writing tutors. Such tutors are not there to proofread your work, but rather to help you master the mechanics of writing. Each university I teach at has such tutors at a “writing center.” To use their services, you must make an appointment in advance and then plan on focussing on specific issues that are causing you trouble.

Useful Links

• George Mason University Writing Center
• Georgetown University Writing Center
• English Works! Writing: Essays
• Essay Writing
• Guide to Writing a Basic Essay