Why Essays Fail #2

You Started at the Beginning This seems like a ridiculous proposition; of course you start at the beginning, right? Well, not exactly. As a TA, I marked hundreds of essays and the vast majority had an excellent introduction. After that, things tumbled downhill quickly. If you start with your introduction, you'll edit it over and …

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Why Essays Fail #1

You didn’t understand the assignment. Before starting an essay, make absolutely sure you understand the assignment and the type of essay required. If you are not completely certain, ask your instructor or TA. If your school has a writing centre, go to them. At the very least, ask your classmates or friends, just be wary …

The Efficient Essay is HERE!

Available on Amazon and only $18.95 for the hardcover and $9.95 for the Kindle version. Stop worrying about getting your essay done on time. This book takes you through the entire process from choosing a topic, through researching, writing, and finally editing an essay. It provides a formula for success and keeps you on track …

The Efficient Essay (Coming Soon!)

The Efficient Essay is not just about writing an essay; it is a guide to the entire life-cycle of your essay project. Chapters take you through choosing the type of essay, narrowing in on a topic, conducting research, developing arguments, building structure, writing introductions and conclusions then effective proofreading and editing. I provide time saving …

A window to the World: What makes a good travel website?

As someone who remembers life before the Internet, I still recognize it as a magical thing. I remember traveling when the Internet was still in its infancy and it was a very different experience. When we traveled to Cancun in 1999, the only thing we had preplanned was our hotel and that was because we …

Learning Japanese, I really think so: Observations on Duolingo from an English teacher

As a shamefully monolingual individual, I am always impressed at how people can switch between different languages. It makes me feel very North American and a typical English speaker. We English speakers get off easy because our language is the most commonly spoken second language, and there are few areas in the World that haven't …

English Basics: pronoun lowdown

Subject and object pronouns are weird and confusing for both learners and native English users alike, but it is especially troubling when more than one subject/object is present. If you don't know what I'm talking about, consider the following sentences. Which ones are correct? She and I went to the hockey game.Her and I went …

English Basics: there, there’s, their, theirs, they’re in the air

Let's all face it, English sucks. It's a terrible language with all sorts of confusing little landmines to trip up learners and native speakers alike. The problem during speaking is these words are pronounced the same, but have significantly different meanings. When writing, these words are commonly misused, either consciously or subconsciously. Sometimes my typing …

English Basics: verb tenses for gin lovers

There are so many tenses in English, it gives people tension, and what better way to ease tension than drinking a lovely gin and tonic, martini, or gin smash. Many of us use tenses without really knowing what they are or how to use them properly. Whenever we use the PERFECT tense we must use …

English Basics: me, myself, and myself?

There is a saying in English that we're never alone because we are always with "me, myself, and I." These are three common pronouns to denote ME as the subject and object of a sentence, yet they are commonly misused by English speakers. Let's have a brief look at how to use them properly. I …