ATAR Notes: Forum
VCE Stuff => VCE English Studies => VCE Subjects + Help => VCE English & EAL => Topic started by: 98.40_for_sure on August 20, 2010, 08:16:01 pm
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I wanna sound like a pro when i sit my end of year english exam, so recently i've been trying to use massive words almost everywhere and sound like i know my shiz...
So my question is... what's the best way to rapidly increase vocab and be able to incorporate it when writing a fluent piece?
I'm assuming the most common answer will be: read read read
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Write write write.
Practice is the only way to get there. Reading is only part of the process - after that's all done, you need to be sure you can actually apply what you've learnt, and that only comes from consistent practice (or usage of words, anyway).
The other thing is that being verbose doesn't necessarily get you good marks (it can lead to obfuscation and make your writing just look plain ugly), and you can do well without an excessive vocab. Our school captain from last year wrote pretty much bare-bones, "Hemingway-esque" writing, and ended up getting a Premier's Award.
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I wanna sound like a pro when i sit my end of year english exam, so recently i've been trying to use massive words almost everywhere and sound like i know my shiz...
You'll risk shooting yourself in the foot when exuberant verbosity becomes entangling, incomprehensible and contextually nonsensical. Better to succeed at mediocrity than to fail at egregiously optimistic feats.
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Perfect example of how i wanna write:
You'll risk shooting yourself in the foot when exuberant verbosity becomes entangling, incomprehensible and contextually nonsensical. Better to succeed at mediocrity than to fail at egregiously optimistic feats.
Teach me!
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Firstly. You do not aim to be verbose. Verbose is a negative term used for people who try to be literary.
Secondly. You don't aim to use good words, you aim to use the right word at the right time.
For example:
Virgil presents Aeneas as a human character, rather than a strong hero.
In the above sentence, I could say:
Virgil presents Aeneas as a credible human character, rather than a pale paragon.
The word paragon, I learned recently means 'an ideal embodiment'-like a hero.
So the trick is to use the right word in the right context.
If you try and use words you don't know well enough, then you will get far worse marks than if you were to use plain simple english.
To expand your vocabulary in an effective way, read Literary journals on the books you are reading: these can be accessed off JSTOR off the State Library Website.
Also make a book of all the 'good' words you learn, and provide an example. I have had a book since Grade 1, which I, till today add words to.
Most importantly, don't let the need for good words or quotes detract from what you are trying to say in an essay.
Read some of pooshwaltzer's posts, they are like essays in themselves-look up the good words he uses.
Cheers.
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I wanna sound like a pro when i sit my end of year english exam, so recently i've been trying to use massive words almost everywhere and sound like i know my shiz...
You'll risk shooting yourself in the foot when exuberant verbosity becomes entangling, incomprehensible and contextually nonsensical. Better to succeed at mediocrity than to fail at egregiously optimistic feats.
Oh the irony of this post! :)
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As mentioned, vocab does not equate fluent writing. In some cases, verbosity can make a piece of writing very mechanical, detracting from the purpose of an essay. Best way to "sound pro" is through deep analysis, or in other words, showing a sophisticated understanding of the ideas in the text and exploring it in a fluent way. A lot of the top essays I've read don't necessarily use any big words, but focus on clear writing so the reader knows exactly what you are on about. I don't think simply reading books would help you much since the vocabulary needed in writing an essay is very different from those used in writing imaginative pieces. A good alternative is to read through model essays, or going through "essay vocab lists" and highlighting the words/sentence structures/phrases that you are not sure of and look up a dictionary afterwards. Another good way is to pick up a Roget's Thesaurus and study some synonyms, though you must be sure that the right words are used in the essay.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwicLgOGJOI
Learn how to speak from this guy.
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Uhh ok, if i was to reword my question.
How do you write using big words, but where every word adds meaning to your writing? Occasionally some big words i add in act as metaphors as well as expressing my point more clearly?
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I'd empty quote pooshwaltzer's post but we've been there/done that before (although this one is relatively solid)
Anyway, one of the key rules I use when writing is that powerful words need space. If you load a sentence with "big" words, they take away from each other and compete for the attention of the reader. Part of what makes them so strong is the contrast between, say, "callipygian" and the rest of the sentence.
If you want to learn them..well, there's no quick way to do it. Go buy the fin review, that often has some very well written articles. Other than that, just read and write sample essays in order to get into the habit of integrating key words.
e, just remembered, i have a "dictionary of difficult words" that I used instead of a normal dictionary for VCE english
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You'll risk shooting yourself in the foot when exuberant verbosity becomes entangling, incomprehensible and contextually nonsensical. Better to succeed at mediocrity than to fail at egregiously optimistic feats.
soooo many hard words in twoo sentences. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh :'(
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e, just remembered, i have a "dictionary of difficult words" that I used instead of a normal dictionary for VCE english
ohhhhhh, how long did it take to create this dictionary?
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1. If you’ve got two words that mean the same thing, choose the simpler one
2. If you’ve got a word which can replace a phrase, use it
3. Generally only one 'big' word per phrase (see what Russ said regarding words needing 'space')
Rules of vocab from my English cram sessions. Big words need a purpose, not just wedged in for the sake of it. I find that fluency tends to decrease with increasingly long sentences, so chucking in a big word to replace a string of words serves to improve fluency in most cases. Replacing a simpler word with a big word would only decrease it however. Try and find 'big' words which are uniquely suited to analysing your text succinctly. These are often words which embody ideas represented in your text.
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ohhhhhh, how long did it take to create this dictionary?
It's a published dictionary
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1. If you’ve got two words that mean the same thing, choose the simpler one
2. If you’ve got a word which can replace a phrase, use it
3. Generally only one 'big' word per phrase (see what Russ said regarding words needing 'space')
Rules of vocab from my English cram sessions. Big words need a purpose, not just wedged in for the sake of it. I find that fluency tends to decrease with increasingly long sentences, so chucking in a big word to replace a string of words serves to improve fluency in most cases. Replacing a simpler word with a big word would only decrease it however. Try and find 'big' words which are uniquely suited to analysing your text succinctly. These are often words which embody ideas represented in your text.
What if say... you struggle to meet word limits? Would you then still risk coming short for the sake of fluency?
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There's a few things students should learn to familiarize and recognize in the course of formulating written prose:
1. Style of language to suit audience. It may not be necessary to utilize complex vocabulary when, the course of doing so, such implementations may drastically impair conveyance of intended meaning. No priority is above reproach. Vocabulary must commensurate with situational prerogatives and circumstantial context.
2. Level and rank of sophistication. Comprehensiveness vs. comprehensibility - two entirely distinct primers. Employing tact in the choice of selective language use can greatly enhance the impression purveyed upon the reader and assessor. Simple sentences enhance robustness of meaning; compound language makes for greater degrees of discretionary freedom albeit the risk towards established conventions.
3. Grammar and punctuation above all else. This is the binding force which ensures the structural integrity of your essay. An article devoid of, or otherwise deficient in, the aspects of robust form will inevitably fail in its delivery thereby resulting in failure to achieve rapport with the audience. Expressionism conjures sentiment from within the beholder; make it an auspicious one.
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ohhhhhh, how long did it take to create this dictionary?
It's a published dictionary
lol, i didnt know that one of these existed!
how do you remember all the words in that dictionary though? does it have full explanations or activities or something? how exactly is it different to a normal one
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1. If you’ve got two words that mean the same thing, choose the simpler one
2. If you’ve got a word which can replace a phrase, use it
3. Generally only one 'big' word per phrase (see what Russ said regarding words needing 'space')
Rules of vocab from my English cram sessions. Big words need a purpose, not just wedged in for the sake of it. I find that fluency tends to decrease with increasingly long sentences, so chucking in a big word to replace a string of words serves to improve fluency in most cases. Replacing a simpler word with a big word would only decrease it however. Try and find 'big' words which are uniquely suited to analysing your text succinctly. These are often words which embody ideas represented in your text.
What if say... you struggle to meet word limits? Would you then still risk coming short for the sake of fluency?
Since when was there a word limit? Following these rules isn't going to chop your word limit in half anyway. It's going to make a very minor difference overall really... Think about how often you even use big words =/
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There's a few things students should learn to familiarize and recognize in the course of formulating written prose:
1. Style of language to suit audience. It may not be necessary to utilize complex vocabulary when, the course of doing so, such implementations may drastically impair conveyance of intended meaning. No priority is above reproach. Vocabulary must commensurate with situational prerogatives and circumstantial context.
2. Level and rank of sophistication. Comprehensiveness vs. comprehensibility - two entirely distinct primers. Employing tact in the choice of selective language use can greatly enhance the impression purveyed upon the reader and assessor. Simple sentences enhance robustness of meaning; compound language makes for greater degrees of discretionary freedom albeit the risk towards established conventions.
3. Grammar and punctuation above all else. This is the binding force which ensures the structural integrity of your essay. An article devoid of, or otherwise deficient in, the aspects of robust form will inevitably fail in its delivery thereby resulting in failure to achieve rapport with the audience. Expressionism conjures sentiment from within the beholder; make it an auspicious one.
*head explodes*
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1. If you’ve got two words that mean the same thing, choose the simpler one
2. If you’ve got a word which can replace a phrase, use it
3. Generally only one 'big' word per phrase (see what Russ said regarding words needing 'space')
Rules of vocab from my English cram sessions. Big words need a purpose, not just wedged in for the sake of it. I find that fluency tends to decrease with increasingly long sentences, so chucking in a big word to replace a string of words serves to improve fluency in most cases. Replacing a simpler word with a big word would only decrease it however. Try and find 'big' words which are uniquely suited to analysing your text succinctly. These are often words which embody ideas represented in your text.
What if say... you struggle to meet word limits? Would you then still risk coming short for the sake of fluency?
Since when was there a word limit? Following these rules isn't going to chop your word limit in half anyway. It's going to make a very minor difference overall really... Think about how often you even use big words =/
Majority of my essays are "filler" words and i still come up short... for example an 800-1200 word essay, i'll be sitting at 600. if i chop it, i'll be looking at ~500
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1. If you’ve got two words that mean the same thing, choose the simpler one
2. If you’ve got a word which can replace a phrase, use it
3. Generally only one 'big' word per phrase (see what Russ said regarding words needing 'space')
Rules of vocab from my English cram sessions. Big words need a purpose, not just wedged in for the sake of it. I find that fluency tends to decrease with increasingly long sentences, so chucking in a big word to replace a string of words serves to improve fluency in most cases. Replacing a simpler word with a big word would only decrease it however. Try and find 'big' words which are uniquely suited to analysing your text succinctly. These are often words which embody ideas represented in your text.
What if say... you struggle to meet word limits? Would you then still risk coming short for the sake of fluency?
Since when was there a word limit? Following these rules isn't going to chop your word limit in half anyway. It's going to make a very minor difference overall really... Think about how often you even use big words =/
Majority of my essays are "filler" words and i still come up short... for example an 800-1200 word essay, i'll be sitting at 600. if i chop it, i'll be looking at ~500
Then you've got an issue with your content and ideas. Get back to the drawing board and get some ideas together before trying to write any more essays. You should be struggling to stay under 1000 words in a text response even when condensing your language. Ideas are generally going to be more important than expression when it comes to marks.
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Yeah i figured something was wrong when my body paragraphs are 100-150 words and 80% of the words are big... sounded good though :(
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Are you guys doing essays plans writing to drafting response? It sounds like the need for window dressing in order to reach a measly 1000 words would suggest lack/absence of structure approach. Ideally, there would be enough conceived content to drive quantity beyond the recommended word limit. Thereafter, use of advanced vocabulary and high level expressions would serve the purpose of condensing simple structure into compound paragraphs. It is relatively easy to fill one's piece with complex language. However, it is as yet an imperfect art the key task of expanding core concepts with stylized language of the elaborate form. The idea is the deliverable; language use, the mechanism; convergence ensues.
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Virgil presents Aeneas as a credible human character, rather than a pale paragon.
The word paragon, I learned recently means 'an ideal embodiment'-like a hero.
So the trick is to use the right word in the right context.
Not to undermine your point or anything (because I do agree), but I find that your use of the word paragon here is slightly awkward. :p Something along the lines of "Virgil presents Aeneas as a credible human character, rather than simply the paragon of human heroism" might work better (although ironically, I'm also uncertain here, so anybody feel free to shut me down too...).
On another note, I pretty much agree with Shinny for purely prosaic writing. You're aiming to develop a "sophisticated" style, not a "verbose" one; this means that you want to sound intelligent, as opposed to gaudy in your use of language. There's a thin line between writing like an English Professor and writing like an annoying prat.
The only conventional exceptions to this would be stuff like creative writing or certain parts of essays. I find that in Literature in particular, a lot of teachers will recommend nice "clincher" endings which may or may not be slightly more verbose or flamboyant than the rest of the writing.
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Virgil presents Aeneas as a credible human character, rather than a pale paragon.
The word paragon, I learned recently means 'an ideal embodiment'-like a hero.
So the trick is to use the right word in the right context.
Not to undermine your point or anything (because I do agree), but I find that your use of the word paragon here is slightly awkward. :p Something along the lines of "Virgil presents Aeneas as a credible human character, rather than simply the paragon of human heroism" might work better (although ironically, I'm also uncertain here, so anybody feel free to shut me down too...).
On another note, I pretty much agree with Shinny for purely prosaic writing. You're aiming to develop a "sophisticated" style, not a "verbose" one; this means that you want to sound intelligent, as opposed to gaudy in your use of language. There's a thin line between writing like an English Professor and writing like an annoying prat.
The only conventional exceptions to this would be stuff like creative writing or certain parts of essays. I find that in Literature in particular, a lot of teachers will recommend nice "clincher" endings which may or may not be slightly more verbose or flamboyant than the rest of the writing.
Couldn't agree with you more. I was meant to write as a pale paragon of stoicism-since the essay was on Roman Stoicism.
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lol, i didnt know that one of these existed!
how do you remember all the words in that dictionary though? does it have full explanations or activities or something? how exactly is it different to a normal one
It's exactly the same as a regular dictionary except it doesn't have words like "dance" in it. Just more complex ones and definitions/origin/phonetic spelling. I didn't really need it, I just figured it was more useful to have than a regular dictionary.
There's a thin line between writing like an English Professor and writing like an annoying prat.
Pretty much everybody who writes flamboyantly has, at some time, crossed into writing egregiously. (see what I did there!)
Best thing to do, if you want to improve the length of your essay, is to spend a couple of minutes writing down points at the start and then explore each of those points in as much depth as possible. Don't worry about time limits, just focus on coming up with arguments and supporting them through discussion. Then, hopefully, you'll be able to fit it into your hour time limit.
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Pretty much everybody who writes flamboyantly has, at some time, crossed into writing egregiously.
Rest well assured in affirmed confidence and with sobriety of conscience that I for one have yet to transgress that omnipotent threshold of linguistic wantonness.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_mDTLphIVY
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I used to be really focused in trying to improve my vocab and reading writing style theory, but now I've just totally let go of that. It's way, way, easier to write mellifluously when you aren't thinking about your writing, and you just write the way you feel like writing.
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I used to be really focused in trying to improve my vocab and reading writing style theory, but now I've just totally let go of that. It's way, way, easier to write mellifluously when you aren't thinking about your writing, and you just write the way you feel like writing.
well thats because you already have a "vebrose writing style".
ie words like mellifluously?
i think that having good vocab can make your work look more appealing and interesting (that's IF you use the words in the right context). but i guess no point on learning vocab if you dont even know how to write good in structure.
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easier to write mellifluously when you aren't thinking about your writing, and you just write the way you feel like writing.
Here may be a case of all roads leading to Rome. Each writer would, over time, develop their own distinct style of literary expression. The manner in which certain individuals build their vocabulary repositories may differ but the final outcome is quite often comprehensibly convergent. That is, some would strive to rote learn dictionary terms with religious vigor whereas others may elect to adopt a more organic approach in allowing their knowledge base to accumulate in accordance with natural pace and as necessitated by their dynamic linguistic styles.
FWIW - Targeted, surgical verbosity with a sense of purpose can be distinguishing and effective at times. Note that effective does not always translate into efficacy. Consider the BBC series "Yes, Minister" for context.
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FWIW - Targeted, surgical verbosity with a sense of purpose can be distinguishing and effective at times. Note that effective does not always translate into efficacy. Consider the BBC series "Yes, Minister" for context.
Gotta love Sir Humphery's talent of taking 2 paragraphs to say absolutely nothing :D
Unfortunately, although the answer was indeed clear, simple, and straightforward, there is some difficulty in justifiably assigning to it the fourth of the epithets you applied to the statement, inasmuch as the precise correlation between the information you communicated and the facts, insofar as they can be determined and demonstrated, is such as to cause epistemological problems, of sufficient magnitude as to lay upon the logical and semantic resources of the English language a heavier burden than they can reasonably be expected to bear.
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I just read other people's essays and when I find phrases that I like I copy them. Hence it's important to find essays that are based on your texts, or at least have similar themes. I don't have a wide vocab myself like Evangelion Zeta ...and dare I say pooshwaltzer but I just copy and sometimes, if I'm lucky I'll have nice words and if I'm not, I sound like a moron.
I find that in Context your verbosity drops because you are exploring a general idea and shaping it. Where as in text response and in literature you pinpoint and "attack" concepts in each text which I find makes it easier to integrate higher-level words- descriptions, analysis etc.
by the way, I have a MAJOR expression problem: i always end up writing sentences with too many "to"s or "of"s
"negation of the beauty of life" or "leads to a desire to criticize *** in order to make herself appear superior"
Does anyone else find this happen naturally and what do you do?? ><
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YES! It always happens to me in regards to words like 'the audience blabla' or repeating 'such as' when trying to quote stuff in essays.
Lat year, I remember using the phrase 'shows us...' a lot, but then the English teacher suugested replacing it with words like illistrates, demonstrates, portrays, reveals etc.
I dont have a big range of vocab too, hence why I try to stop myself copywriting things written on sparknotes.com or english textbooks XD.
I have finally realized that with analytical writing, you just have to stick to the point and express what you're trying to say in short concise sentences and remember to link back to the topic. Although, sometimes having good vocab will help. It makes your work sound more pro :)