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English - improving your writing

  • 07-05-2005 5:42pm
    #1
    randomfella
    Closed Accounts Posts: 728 ✭✭✭


    Just wondering does anybody know where i can find good short stories?
    I'd say i've done about 3essays in 2years but i still scraped a good B in the mocks in my essay. We were told to write a paragraph everyday but our teacher doesn't check them so it feels pointless.

    Also i'm wondering do you prepare an essay(s)? OR even paragraphs?


Comments

  • #2
    RagShagBill
    Closed Accounts Posts: 168 ✭✭RagShagBill


    Start a blog or something, but do it in decent English. Don't get it corrected or anything, you will notice your writing improving. Also, read Kavka's short stories or the papers.

    EDIT: Actually, about the papers - some will actually balls up your English. Read Johann Hari of the UK Indy and Polly Toynbee of the Guardian.

    http://www,johannhari..com

    http://www.guardian.co.uk


  • #3
    chickens
    Closed Accounts Posts: 165 ✭✭chickens


    My teacher tell me to write short descriptive paragraphs to make english better and she get me to re-write a basic english in fancy word. Like she say: Sam go to party, she drink and dance, Sam had fun. I have to write long paragraph/story about that, but that is more for learning words I think. I read good essays at http://homepage.tinet.ie/~splash/ I find it good to write paragraph because it help you feel more confident for story. If I have to write story (or essay) I write out 6 points, one for each paragraph. I write what mood is each paragraph and the first and last sentance and then I join it all up, I find it work good, I get C/B which good for me in english.


  • #4
    astec123
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,072 ✭✭✭astec123


    Screw the above advice of teachers, sign up to doctor dictionary, learn the words that the site sends you and when you go to the exam write on a blank sheet not to be handed up the words you added to your vocab, make sure to use them all. Find some boards on a topic of interest, such as cumputing, MP3 players/DAPs etc, and post, always post well and punctuate, it will be interesting and valuable to you, as you are interested in the topic, and it gets you to write those paragraphs and more without needing to work on a topic you dislike. Ok the exam will be topics you dislike but sentence structure and language use will still be the same. Never seen the point in doing what the teachers advise as its dull and boring. Always got A/B in english and this is what I do. I have 4888 posts at this moment on my chosen site. Any my english is always on the up.


  • #5
    randomfella
    Closed Accounts Posts: 728 ✭✭✭randomfella


    www.short-stories.co.uk also just try www.google.com and search 'short stories' or whatever type of essay u're writing in the exam.


  • #6
    Scarinae
    Hosted Moderators Posts: 11,362 ✭✭✭✭Scarinae


    In terms of the essay for English, it's always far better to write a personal essay. It's very difficult to write a good short story in that amount of time. My English teacher told us that a reasonable personal essay will always get higher marks than a very good short story, so if you're struggling with the essay I'd recommend changing the titles that you pick


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  • #7
    randomfella
    Closed Accounts Posts: 728 ✭✭✭randomfella


    what exactly is the difference between a personal and a short story essay? Also does anybody else ever try humour? i have tried with moderate success but because the examiners are so subjective i'd rather pick a marking friendly essay.


  • #8
    cessy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 66 ✭✭cessy


    yeah i used humour in my mocks but my papers were marked badly so i dont really know the verdict.but id say they welcome it if your good but only very good according to my english teacher. informative essay or persuasive are easy enough to do wellin if you have the facts,structure and balance right


  • #9
    Gone West
    Registered Users Posts: 6,374 ✭✭✭Gone West


    I'll try and stay away from humour, as the examiners for HL english are usually aged between 35-65 (so says a teacher in my school). They may not 'get' our type of humour.


  • #10
    Errant11235
    Closed Accounts Posts: 43 ✭Errant11235


    I did an essay for homework a few weeks back on the topic "invisible lives". I hadnt any idea what to on but I eventually I decided to write a story about "the invisble lives of moles-what they didnt want you to know". My teacher is close to 40-45 and like the above poster's teacher said, she did not get my humour. I think she gave me a grade D for it. I personally thought it was a pretty good essay. But in future I will steer away from using humour! The persuasive essay isn't too bad really, I actually like doing them.


  • #11
    cessy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 66 ✭✭cessy


    love the creative/personal response to the title errant11235 he he he excellent


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  • #12
    Scarinae
    Hosted Moderators Posts: 11,362 ✭✭✭✭Scarinae


    randomfella wrote:
    what exactly is the difference between a personal and a short story essay?
    I'm really bad at explaining tings, but I'll try my best - short story is when you're literally just talling a story, generally in the third person. Personal essay is when you're actually giving your opinions on stuff, like the discursive essays. They're just far easier to structure and write well


  • #13
    randomfella
    Closed Accounts Posts: 728 ✭✭✭randomfella


    ok... so what would a personal short story be? Narrative?

    I've never done a discursive essay so i won't bother now.

    A problem i have is i always seem to find it hard to end stories, i always try to throw in a realistic twist but sometimes i write for ages just trying to get that twist to fit right.

    How many pages did everyone write for their essays in the mocks? i think i reached the 5page mark.


  • #14
    Scarinae
    Hosted Moderators Posts: 11,362 ✭✭✭✭Scarinae


    randomfella wrote:
    How many pages did everyone write for their essays in the mocks? i think i reached the 7page mark.
    I wrote about three and a half pages. I was in such a panic afterwards when I came out and everyone else was telling me they'd written pages and pages... But as it turned out, I got the only A in the class. So really it's not how much you write - in fact, if anything it'll annoy the examiner more because they have to read it all!

    The problem with short stories is that, like you said, it can be hard to end it effectively, and it can just end up being waffly. That's why I find the discursive ones better. I don't know the names of different types of essay so I can't really explain properly I'm afraid, maybe ask your English teacher?


  • #15
    randomfella
    Closed Accounts Posts: 728 ✭✭✭randomfella


    yeah aswel when i haven't mastered the calm descriptive essays, there always has to be some action going on of some sort and that is always hard to handle effectively and clearly. Good point about the examiner not wanting to read so much, yet i still got 80/100. Examiner we had (we sent them out) said on one of the lad's papers that the essay should be 750-1000 words.


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