Davila 1

Anthony Davila
English 1010
Professor Mckeever
4 July 2014
Word Count 01
!"o# to $ay %othing in &00 Words'
(n 1)&0*s Professor Paul Mc"enry +o,erts -1)1./1)0.1 #rote a essay !"o# to $ay %othing in
&00 Words'2 Professor +o,erts states that although the su,3ects or to4ics change throughout the years5 !the
4rinci4les of good #riting should re6ain the sa6e'2 (n this essay he gives ) un6issa,le #riting ti4s2 7ake
the less usual side8 avoid the o,vious content8 sli4 out of a,straction8 get rid of o,vious 4adding8 call a fool
a fool8 ,e#are of 4at e94ressions8 colorful #ords8 colored #ords8 colorless #ords2 7hese reco66endations
and suggestions assist a #riter in successfully develo4ing an essay2
Professor +o,erts ,egins #ith a fresh6en #ho has to #rite a &00 #ord 4a4er on college foot,all2
7he student has to 4ick a side 4ro college foot,all or against college foot,all2 (n +o,erts essay the student
4icks against college foot,all and doesn*t 4ut 6uch effort in #riting his 4a4er and the result is a !D' grade2
+o,erts then goes on to 6ake great suggestions2 "e said to 4ick the side of the argu6ent that 6ost 4eo4le
#ould stay a#ay fro62 7hen think of so6e reasons #hy you 4icked that side5 and thro# the6 out5 ,ecause
if you thought of the6 reasons so easy then everyone else #ould co6e u4 #ith those2 Professor +o,erts
suggest that you 4ick difficult 4oints5 this #ay your essay #ill stand out and you 6ay get a ,etter grade2
:uther Professor +o,erts 4ro4oses that the #riter not 3ust lay out the facts5 ,ut give so6e
e9a64les2 "e suggest that the facts5 or o,vious5 6ay ,e ,oring and dull to the reader -teacher in this case12
;ive e9a64les this 6ay enlighten the reader and 6ake the 4oint stronger2 +o,erts also #arns #riters to
avoid a,stractions2 <ike dull and ,oring facts5 generalities #ill also do nothing for the reader2 +o,erts
suggest after the #riter states a fact5 he should follo# it u4 #ith a e9a64le and really illustrate the facts2
Professor +o,erts goes on to the su,3ect of 4adding a 4a4er5 !get rid of o,vious 4adding' he
suggests2 =y this he 6eans that a #riter is usually trying to 4ut in as 6uch as he can to reach that #ord
li6it assigned to hi6 ,y his 4rofessor2 A #riter should not add #ords to 6et the #ord count2 Everything
the
Davila 2
#riter 4uts do#n on his or her 4a4er should add so6ething to the #riting2 +o,erts suggest that to 6eet the
#ord count5 #ithout 4adding sentences5 3ust add e9tra content2 $tate the facts and then 4rove the62
+o,erts ,elieves that ,y doing this5 the #riter #ill 6ore 6eet the #ord li6it2
Professor +o,erts also 6akes suggestions a,out avoiding using 4hrases like !in 6y o4inion' or
!the #ay ( see it'-+o,erts5 .12 A #riter should delete these 4hrases #henever they cree4 into a 4a4er2
Decide #hat you #ant to say and say it as vigorously as 4ossi,le5 #ithout a4ology and in 4lain #ords2 (n
this day and age you cannot avoid all 6odern 3argon5 ,ut you can do 6uch if you #ill guard against those
sort of 4hrases2 (f
>ou can kee4 these 4hrases out you have a ,etter chance that your 4a4er #ill re6ain cris4 and forceful2
Paul Mc"enry +o,erts concludes his suggestions and reco66endations #ith e94laining the
difference and the i64ortance of using colorful5 colored5 and colorless #ords2 =y using colorful #ords a
#riter can 4roduce a 4icture or tell a story2 An e9a64le the Professor gives is !instead of !"e sat in his
chair'5 #e 6ay say5 !he lounged5 s4ra#led5 coiled'-+o,erts5 )12 Colorful #ords are 6eant to ,ring out a
e6otional res4onse2 =y using colored #ords +o,erts suggests that the #riter ,e careful to use the right
#ords in the right 4lace2 +o,erts gives e9a64les of #ord like 6other and 6other/in/la#2 When you see
the #ord 6other things like ho6e5 safety5 love5 food5 and other 4leasant things2 As o44osed to 6other/in/
la# so6e 6ay think of co64letely different things like nosey and 6ean2 7he ?uestion of #eather to use
loaded #ords or not de4ends on #hat is ,eing #ritten2 :inally Professor +o,erts s4eaks of colorless #ords
#hich he ,elieves are #ords that give a #riter the 6ost difficult ti6e2 Colorless #ords can ,e 4lain5 that
3ust don*t offer 6uch of a descri4tion2 7hese #ords are ,asically 6eaningless and lack any 4otency in a
4a4er2 +o,erts suggestion and reco66endations are and #ill al#ays ,e relevant and hel4ful to ne#
#riters and a good refresher for long ti6e #riters2 Challenge yourself as #riter not to take the easy #ay
out2 @se different vie# 4oints5 think of different #ays to e94ress yourself2 7hese are #hat Professor
+o,erts #ould like all the readers of his essay to a44ly2 And 6ost likely you #ill not end u4 #ith a !D'2