A large part of writing well has to do with knowing what not to write. This is much harder than it sounds: students who lack good training tend to write whatever comes to mind. They tend to include even more irrelevant material when they are working under the time pressure of an exam: with adrenaline… Continue reading Go off-topic in a writing exam and lose marks
At one point in her operatic career, Maria Callas became so portly that in a performance where she sang next to live elephants on stage - they were there as props - a critic joked he couldn’t distinguish her legs from those of the gigantic beasts’. Stung by these harsh words, Callas announced - to… Continue reading Hitting the high notes
The way I see it, developing an eye for good writing is a bit like wine-tasting. Taste this sample. What makes it work, and how does it compare with the samples you already know? Keep weighing and questioning, and over time, you’ll develop a sense of what’s good. Below is a “wine-tasting” exercise, consisting of… Continue reading Going beyond DSE English
The three-paragraph script below was written by a candidate who sat for her UKiset. To differentiate her text from mine, I’ve put her copy in italics. Exam writing topic: “It is important to stop procrastinating” 1. Certainly, every person has bad habits. Some people may be in the habit of speaking rudely; some tend to… Continue reading Exam essay writing tips: how to use examples and quotations properly
A student who sat for her International Baccalaureate English exam wrote the following essay for its writing segment. For ease of reference, I’ve numbered the paragraphs in her piece. The writing topic she was given: “The best way to understand the true nature of society is to study its dominant trends in art, music and… Continue reading Rescuing a near-hopeless IB English essay
“You know the meaning of ‘dull as dishwater’?” I asked a writing student the other day. I was using “dull as dishwater” to characterize many of the argumentative essay topics English teachers routinely assign. It’s not exactly their fault: students have to tackle this kind of writing questions in public exams, so teachers have to… Continue reading Scoring high on the argumentative essay
Among the things I revisit to maintain my sense of wonder is this one-minute video clip dating back to the1970s showing the choreographer Balanchine teaching the great dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov the role of The Prodigal Son: we see Balanchine demonstrating the steps in the last scene of the biblical tale, when Baryshnikov’s character, now broken… Continue reading Teach writing by dancing up a storm
When I started coaching people on their English writing, I soon noticed a curious pattern among the adults who sought me out. Most are in their late 30s or early 40s. They usually have an expertise in, say, finance or accounting. For a decade or so, they managed to thrive in the workplace, thanks to… Continue reading The Business of Business Correspondence
Come Write Like Michelle 