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Last updated on Nov 24, 2022

Show, Don't Tell: Tips and Examples of The Golden Rule

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About Martin Cavannagh

Head of Content at Reedsy, Martin has spent over eight years helping writers turn their ambitions into reality. As a voice in the indie publishing space, he has written for a number of outlets and spoken at conferences, including the 2024 Writers Summit at the London Book Fair.

Show, don’t tell is a writing technique in which story and characters are related through sensory details and actions rather than exposition. It fosters a more immersive writing style for the reader, allowing them to “be in the room” with the characters.

In his oft-repeated quoted, Anton Chekhov said , “Don’t tell me the moon is shining. Show me the glint of light on broken glass."

In short: showing illustrates, while telling merely states. Here’s a quick example:

Showing: As his mother switched off the light and left the room, Michael tensed. He huddled under the covers, gripped the sheets, and held his breath as the wind brushed past the curtain.

Telling: Michael was terribly afraid of the dark.

In the “showing” example, rather than merely saying that Michael is afraid of the dark, we’ve put him in a situation where his experience of that fear takes center stage. The reader can deduce the same information they’d get from the “telling” example but in a much more compelling way.

In this post, we'll show you why Show Don't Tell is the most popular "rule" in creative writing and show you how you can add some "showing" skills to your toolkit.

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Drawing the readers in with action

Showing also helps develop characters in a way that isn't just listing their traits . For instance, rather than telling your readers that “Gina was selfish and immature,” you could show this side of her by writing a scene where she whines about how everyone forgot her half-birthday. Or if you have a character who’s extremely determined, show her actually persisting through something — don’t just say “she was persistent.”

When done right, showing draws readers into the narrative with truly immersive description. It contributes to story development but also leaves certain things up to the reader’s interpretation, which is much more interesting than making everything explicit. (Though of course, you can still use language to alter their perception ).

The bottom line: telling might be quicker, and it’s certainly necessary to have some telling in every story (more on that later), but showing should almost always be your prime strategy.

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All right, that’s enough theory for now! Let’s talk about how you can show, not tell, in your own work. Here are five key tips on how to show rather than tell in a story

4 Practical 'Show, Don’t Tell' Tips

Let's start with one of the most important aspects of storytelling...

Tip #1. Create a sense of setting

One of the best ways to show rather than tell is to create a sense of setting. You can do this by writing about how characters perceive and interact with their surroundings, weaving plenty of sensory details and occasional action into the scene. This is a particularly good way to lend immediacy to your story, as the reader should be able to imagine themselves in that very setting. 

Telling: I walked through the forest. It was already Fall and I was getting cold.

Showing: The dry orange leaves crunched under my feet as I pulled the collar up on my coat. 

Tip #2. Use dialogue to show character

In addition to setting, you can also use dialogue to demonstrate story elements beyond the surface conversation. A character’s speech will tell the reader a lot about them , especially when they’re first being introduced.

Do they use long sentences and polysyllabic words or do they prefer short, punchy replies? Are there likely to use slang and call an authority figure “dude” or “fam” or will they address them respectfully as “Mr. So-and-So”?

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Tip #3. If in doubt, always describe action

“Telling” almost always grinds your narrative momentum to a halt . Imagine having to describe the setting every time your characters enter a new space — any pace you had built in your chapter would be destroyed. However, it’s still important to evoke the setting and put your scene in context. And that’s where showing action comes in handy.

Let’s say you start your scene with your character walking through St Mark’s Square in Venice. Instead of describing the pigeons, the tourists and the layout of the space, you can evoke it through action:

He was late. St Mark’s clocktower had struck one and Enzo found himself pushing against the tide of tourists milling towards the cafes lining the Piazza San Marco. A clump of pigeons scattered in front of him.

Through action, you’re able to describe the setting of the scene while also maintaining your story’s forward motion.

Tip #4. Use strong details, but don’t overdo it

Strong, vivid details are crucial to the process of showing. However, that doesn’t mean you should include too many details, especially those that are overly embellished. This kind of excessively ornate language can be just as bad as “telling” language that’s too basic, as it may cause the reader to lose interest in your super-dense prose.

Too much detail: The statue felt rough, its aged facade caked with dust and grime as I weighed it in my hand, observing its jagged curves and Fanta-colored hue.

Just right: It was heavier than it looked. Some of the orange facade crumbled in my hand as I picked it up.

Strike the right balance by alternating between simple and complex sentences and ideas, and different types of sensory detail, so the reader doesn’t get overloaded on one type.

'Show, Don’t Tell' Examples

To break down this technique even further, here are a few additional "show, don't tell" examples of authors showing rather than telling in their writing. If you want to analyze even more examples of this tactic, just crack open the nearest novel! Pretty much every work of fiction involves showing, and observing the tactics of successful authors is one of the best ways to learn for yourself.

Example #1. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

I once had a garden. I can remember the smell of the turned earth, the plump shapes of bulbs held in the hands, fullness, the dry rustle of seeds through the fingers. Time could pass more swiftly that way. Sometimes the Commander’s Wife has a chair brought out, and just sits in it, in her garden. From a distance it looks like peace.

This passage uses various senses (smell, touch, and sound) to recreate the atmosphere of Offred’s old garden, romanticizing the act of gardening to show that she misses those days. It also connects that peaceful past time to the present day, implying that many people no longer feel at peace, including the Commander’s Wife.

Example #2. It by Stephen King

In this early scene, young Georgie runs after his toy boat as he is unwittingly being lured by a malevolent force.

Now here he was, chasing his boat down the left of Witcham Street. He was running fast but the water was running faster and his boat was pulling ahead. He heard a deepening roar and saw that fifty yards farther down the hill the water in the gutter was cascading into a storm drain that was still open. It was a long dark semi-circle cut into the curbing, and as Georgie watched, a stripped branch, its bark as dark and glistening as sealskin, shot into the storm drain’s maw.

King renders the fast-running rivulets of a rainy day by having Georgie run alongside them, unable to keep up. Then he sees the storm drain, which King aptly calls a “maw” (a spot-on metaphor), and its threat is heightened by the sound of its “deepening roar” and the fact that it swallows an entire branch. Needless to say, poor Georgie’s boat doesn’t stand a chance.

Example #3. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

In this scene, a suburban husband awakens to the sound of his wife’s cooking.

My morning breath warmed the pillow, and I changed the subject in my mind. Today was not a day for second-guessing or regret, it was a day for doing. Downstairs, I could hear the return of a long-lost sound: Amy making breakfast. Banging wooden cupboards (rump-thump!), rattling containers of tin and glass (ding-ring!), shuffling and sorting a collection of metal pots and iron pans (ruzz-shuzz!). A culinary orchestra tuning up, clattering vigorously toward the finale.

This passage starts off fairly simple, building up to the grand metaphor of the kitchen noises as a “culinary orchestra.” It’s also noteworthy for its use of onomatopoeia, which is a great tactic for “showing” sound.

However, this passage isn’t just what Nick hears: it’s also what he feels (“my morning breath warmed the pillow”) and thinks (“I changed the subject in my mind”). The intimate description pulls the reader in, and the passage's rhythm (quite literally!) keeps them engaged.

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Example #4. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

In this passage, Kristen contemplates her loneliness.

She had never entirely let go of the notion that if she reached far enough with her thoughts she might find someone waiting, that if two people were to cast their thoughts outward at the same moment they might somehow meet in the middle.

The theme of loneliness is evoked by with specific details: the character is shown desperately thinking about human connection. Her use of language — “reached far enough,” “cast their thoughts outward” — illustrates how extreme the character’s isolation is. This also ties into the post-apocalyptic novel’s theme of societal breakdown, which naturally results in isolation. Overall, this description gives us a much better idea of the character of Kirsten and the world of the Station Eleven than if Mandel wrote, “She wished that she weren’t so lonely.”

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Example #5. Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White

In this early scene, Fern, the very young daughter of a farmer, learns of a new litter of piglets.

"Where's Papa going with that ax?" said Fern to her mother. "Out to the hoghouse," replied Mrs. Arable. "Some pigs were born last night." "I don't see why he needs an ax," continued Fern, who was only eight. "Well," said her mother, "one of the pigs is a runt. It's very small and weak, and it will never amount to anything. So your father has decided to do away with it." "Do away with it?" shrieked Fern. "You mean kill it? Just because it's smaller than the others?"

From this brief conversation, E.B. White clearly characterizes Fern and sets the plot in motion . After realizing that her father is about to kill a runt pig, Fern steps up to save Wilbur (as she’ll soon christen him), who will become the story's main character. This passage also introduces the themes of empathy toward animals and the prospect of death, which pervades the rest of the book. White could have simply written, “Fern cared a lot about animals,” but from the dialogue, we see it for ourselves — plus we get a sense of how the plot might unfold from here.

Example #6. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

In this extract from Dickens's classic, orphan Oliver arrives in London for the first time.

A dirtier or more wretched place he had never seen. The street was very narrow and muddy, and the air was impregnated with filthy odours. There were a good many small shops; but the only stock in trade appeared to be heaps of children, who, even at that time of night, were crawling in and out at the doors, or screaming from the inside. The sole places that seemed to prosper amid the general blight of the place, were the public-houses… Oliver was just considering whether he hadn't better run away, when they reached the bottom of the hill.

Oliver’s initial impression of London hits us like a train: you can almost taste the filthy air and hear the children screaming for yourself. And if the description of London’s extreme depravity wasn’t already evident enough, you can tell from Oliver’s reaction that it must be pretty bad — for context, he’s just walked 30+ miles to reach London, and this is the first thing that’s really fazed him.

Of course, Dickens might have just written, “Oliver reached London. It was dirty and crowded.” But while this more or less summarizes the above passage, it completely loses the visceral sense of setting and Oliver’s feelings toward that setting. Without these details, the description would be totally generic.

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Example #7. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

In this scene, Montag, a “fireman” tasked with destroying books, hears his boss’s voice in his head, describing the burning of pages.

He could hear Beatty's voice. “Sit down, Montag. Watch. Delicately, like the petals of a flower. Light the first page, light the second page. Each becomes a black butterfly. Beautiful, eh? Light the third page from the second and so on, chainsmoking, chapter by chapter, all the silly things the words mean, all the false promises, all the second-hand notions and time-worn philosophies.”

This excellent use of metaphor (taken from our list of 97 examples from literature and pop culture ) compares the pages of burnt books to “black butterflies”: an eerie image that, fittingly enough, burns itself into our brains. Though no book-burning actually occurs at this moment (Montag is merely imagining it), the reader can still vividly see what it would look like. We shudder at the contrast between the innocent, petal-like pages and the monstrous, destructive fire. Indeed, this is the pinnacle of showing — it really drives home how powerful figurative language can be.

Example #8. White Teeth by Zadie Smith

Archie scrabbling up the stairs, as usual cursing and blinding, wilting under the weight of boxes that Clara could carry two, three at a time without effort; Clara taking a break, squinting in the warm May sunshine, trying to get her bearings. She peeled down to a little purple vest and leaned against her front gate. What kind of a place was this? That was the thing, you see, you couldn’t be sure.

The stream-of-consciousness style here evokes the rushed chaos of moving house. Also, the juxtaposed descriptions of Archie and Clara (him “ scrabbling, cursing, blinding, and wilting ” while she calmly assesses the situation) show how different they are — a disparity that will only grow over the course of the book.

"Telling" is sometimes a better option

Of course, sometimes you have no choice but to do some “telling” in a story. Yes, it’s a narrative shortcut, but sometimes shortcuts are necessary — especially when explaining something quickly, with no fanfare or immersive evocation for readers. Writers often “tell” at the beginning of a story to convey essential information or after a “big reveal” where certain details must be clearly stated. The important thing is balance; as long as you don’t have too much telling or showing, you should be fine.

Finally, remember that there are no hard-and-fast rules for writing. If you’re worried that you’re telling too much and not showing enough, but your writing still flows well and engages readers, don’t feel obligated to change it! And as Jim Thomas says in the video above: “In the arts, rules are more like friendly suggestions. This is especially useful to remember when you’re creating your first or second draft — you’re going to ‘tell’ and that’s okay. You’re still figuring out what your story is about.”

So whether you’re more inclined to show or to tell, just know that with practice, you’ll find the exact style that works for you. And when that happens, you’ll show everyone (sorry, we couldn’t resist!) what you’re made of as a writer.

9 responses

Diane Young says:

05/06/2018 – 21:27

Jim's talk was excellent. I tried to absorb every word he said, but in spots I had to back up the video to listen again for the concept of what he was putting across. The two takeaways that I really GOT were that you can "tell" in the early drafts, scribbled notes or an outline just to get it all down, but then come back later to rewrite and "show" what you told before. The second point that lit up for me is that the reader should start to have their own version of the story. It's all getting clearer in my mind!

Serena Graham says:

29/03/2020 – 22:09

How would you say this show not tell? The garden is beautiful. It was an exciting day. The cake was delicious.

↪️ Martin Cavannagh replied:

31/03/2020 – 14:43

The flowers were in full bloom, their blue and yellow petals bringing the garden to life. The boys could barely contain their excitement, clambering over each other for a peek out the window. Frosting dripped from Kate's lips as each layer of chocolate sponege seemed to melt on her tongue.

↪️ Jasbina Sekhon-Misir replied:

18/06/2020 – 22:45

what do you think makes a garden beautiful?If I asked you what about it was beautiful, what would you say?The peony's blossoms greeted us as we walked towards the wooden garden gate. The herbaceous scent washed over me and the petals looked like painted raw silk. I ran my finger tips over the different shades of pink and white. I never thought cottage gardens could be so lush. Lilacs beaconed me deeper in and I saw an ancient rose bush against the grey stone wall. Carefully tended it was an explosion of roses. There was no escape. I am not the best, but just clearly describe what you are seeing that makes it beautiful as a sense experience.

Britney Whatt says:

27/05/2020 – 12:42

I struggle to show a lot. For example, how could you show a enchanting castle that belongs to a Goddess? How do you also show that there's been a shift in the aura of the place? A place where the air was warm and friendly suddenly changed to be sinister and chilling. I just need a few phrases to show an enchanting world

18/06/2020 – 22:49

What do you think the castle is made of? The castle was an icicle of white marble, glass and clear quartz. Ghostly bleached wood veined its way through the architecture, pushing the slender building higher like finger pointing towards the heavens.I was scared by something so delicate being so large, so high. Everything about it seemed like an afront to what was natural... or even possible.

↪️ ella replied:

31/07/2020 – 03:56

The place, which Johna could sense used to be glorious, was now dimmed, it seemed, casting an aura of forgottenness and something more sinister...

01/08/2020 – 15:48

Modern writing tends to be so very bad that I simply can't read it any more. It is all the same ubiquitous dull style, yet the authors have often studied 'creative writing'. It's a huge problem for me. The overly simplistic shorter sentences and the banal conversations have replaced the controlled impeccable sentences and well placed and relatively rare conversation. Even ten years ago the writing was so much better. Today's themes are all the same as each other and books marketed on the basis that they resemble another author, with covers that make you think the same. Authors get published when they have nothing much to say and then do that very badly. It's very tedious. I used to hear that the novel was dead when I was at university and I disagreed. Now I couldn't agree more. Shut the lid on the coffin and bang in those nails some one. Save us from all those people who think they have a novel wanting to get out. Really? You probably don't.I wish people would not stop others from writing in ways that that are more natural to them, it kills off creativity. Look at the other comments here - they all want to write in the 'correct' way. Please people if you must write, then be innovative and be free to express yourselves the way you want. With regard to show and tell, the oft trotted out phrase that limits people rather than helps them; sometimes show and sometimes tell. No one person gets to tell writers what they should do, not even Chekhov. You do you. It certainly doesn't seem to have improved writing when everyone is obsessed with doing it.

↪️ Harrumphrey replied:

18/08/2020 – 19:44

Agreed 100%. How many of these self-professed writing gurus who know all the "correct rules" have ever written a single piece of fiction worth reading? Very few, I'd guess. I can only imagine what most of great literature would look if these over-zealous editors got their hands on it. "Show, don't tell" -- really? So narrative paraphrase and summary aren't viable techniques? Hmm, that red-inks just about everything written since the epic of Gilgamesh. Idiotic bad advice producing more bad writers who in turn produce more worthless books.

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11 Basic Writing Rules – Common Mistakes & Fixes [2024 Upd.]

Getting your message across may seem a bit harder online than in real life. Though, a whole lot of methods, including audio tracks, videos, animations, and other visuals, are available for you at any second. And let’s not forget about good ol’ text. So, what do you do to win this game?

You need to learn some rules. Writing rules, in our case. It is one of the most accessible methods of sharing your thoughts and ideas.

What’s the bottom line?Follow the basic essay writing rules prepared by our experts below. With them, you’ll be able to deliver perfect messages loud and clear. Make sure to check the provided examples, so it’s easier to understand what we’re talking about.

• 💬 Keep It Short
• 🗣️ Use Active Voice
• 🆗 Include Simple Words
• ⬇ Insert Quotes
• 🔀 Avoid Weak Writing
• ☑ Use Punctuation
• 🖋️ Make It Specific
• 📫 Address Readers
• ↩ Avoid Confusion
• ⏫ Be Consistent
• 🧱 Construct Properly

1. 💬 Keep Your Sentences Short and Simple

To leave your readers satisfied and give them what they came for, you need to act fast. You don’t have time to ramble about random things, so your sentences should be short and straightforward.

The golden rules are:

• You need to be able to fit up to 35 words in it.
• The main focus should be on verbs and nouns.

Also, there’s no need to search for fancy adjectives and adverbs when simpler alternatives are available (we’ll talk about it later). Once again, with short and simple sentences, you’ll be able to beat the reader’s short attention span and deliver your message before they decide to walk away.

2. 🗣️ Use Active Voice in Your Writing

Your writing needs to be more friendly to your readers. They’ll feel more comfortable when you speak directly to them (later, we’ll talk about addressing your reader to make them feel even more comfortable).

Let me help you.

This rule of writing is simple. Just use active voice instead of passive. You’ll see that the text becomes more engaging right away.

3. 🆗 Include Simple Words and Word Combinations

As mentioned earlier, short and simple sentences help to deliver your messages quicker and more effectively. But what’s the point of having short sentences when they’re filled with words that a regular person would rarely use in everyday life?

No one will ever want to look up the meaning of a certain word in the dictionary. Even if you have the best dictionary for writers in the world. Especially when quickly scanning through an article.

It isn’t a grammar rule per se, but it can save you much trouble. When struggling to make strong points, try making your writing easier to digest. With simpler words and word combinations, the message itself becomes clearer.

4. ⬇ Insert Quotes Properly

Sometimes, there’s no better way to strengthen your writing or to make a point than to share other people’s ideas or words. But the infamous short attention span gets in the way here, too. So, you need to make the quotes as efficient as possible.

Here’s the deal:

Include the amount of text that’s just enough to make your point. There’s no need to insert huge paragraphs just for the sake of context. Instead, you can make a short introduction to make a point of a quote clearer.

As long as you don’t alter the meaning, you can edit a quote if it helps to clarify the message.

According to the English grammar rules, it’s also essential to use proper punctuation:

• Add a colon before the quotation if you introduce it with an independent clause.
• Use a comma before the quotation if you introduce it with a verb that indicates expression.
• If there’s a quotation within a quotation, then use single quotation marks for the quotation within the quotation, such as in the third example below.

5. 🔀 Avoid Weak Writing (Use Action Verbs and Strong Adjectives)

So here’s the question:

How can you make strong points with weak writing?

Every word you use has to show that you know what you’re talking about. Your writing needs to express confidence. If it does, your reader won’t have any doubts that they will get what they want.

Include visceral verbs that can help with expressing action. While focusing on them, don’t forget that adjectives can strengthen your writing too. Just make sure not to use ones that require the words very or really before them. Those aren’t strong adjectives and will weaken your writing.

6. ☑ Use Proper Punctuation to Keep the Right Meaning of Your Sentence

Let me clarify this rule for you:

This writing rule doesn’t mean that you have to use the proper rules of punctuation . Instead, it’s about ditching some of those to deliver the right meaning.

A clear message is what makes people keep reading. And you want your visitors to stay on the page as long as possible. This will never happen if your writing is confusing and ambiguous.

So, if a sentence needs an extra comma, add it, even if punctuation rules tell you not to.

If you can separate two thoughts with a period instead of a comma, do so. This way, the meaning of both sentences will be exact and easier to understand.

7. 🖋️ Make Your Writing Specific

While keeping your sentences short and to the point, you also need to provide your reader with enough details. It may seem that this writing rule goes into controversy with the first one.

But here’s the thing:

It will help to make your writing more balanced. You just need to stay focused and make sure that the details you describe are on point. Being specific will help make it easier for you to share your ideas with readers. In turn, your writing becomes effective.

8. 📫 Address Your Reader

Nothing’s more comforting for the reader than when you address them personally. And it doesn’t mean that you have to call them by their name.

Simply use the word “you” whenever it’s possible.

This single word will make your reader feel that you’re in the same room, having a friendly conversation. This is the basic rule of writing and one of the easiest to follow.

9. ↩ Avoid Confusing Terms and Jargon

Not everyone is an expert in a particular sphere. Even if someone is trying to find the information on a specific topic, this doesn’t mean that they know something about it. Readers don’t usually enjoy checking dictionaries every two pages.

You need to keep your writing free of niche jargon and terminology as much as possible. And if it’s impossible to avoid it, provide your reader with more information so that they can understand what you’re talking about.

If your article is easy to understand, it will attract a wider audience and will keep them reading. In particular, if the English language isn’t native to them.

10. ⏫ Be Consistent When Writing

Delivering your message is essential.

But you also want your readers to believe in what you’re saying.

You need to build trust. This basic rule of writing goes together with addressing your reader and making your text specific. It also has to be consistent.

After stating your main point, you need to strengthen it by putting forward additional proof and facts. Describe your idea from different perspectives and points of view.

Even more, you also want to have consistency in the way you build your sentences. Which brings us to the next writing rule.

11. 🧱 Use Properly Constructed Sentences to Make Strong Points

Some might say that you can emphasize specific thoughts and ideas with an exclamation mark . Authors even try to incorporate it in essays and other academic writing.

Here’s the kicker:

This method is relatively poor and won’t add the strength that your writing needs.

Build your sentences correctly. This way, you won’t need any help from exclamation marks to make a strong point. You’ll show readers that it’s worth paying attention to what you talk about without such tools. You can even utilize a text compactor to make the content as concise as possible.

One of the great ways for your sentences to make strong points is to use a parallel structure. It means offering multiple ideas and using consistent grammar forms for a smoother delivery. Incorporating correct prepositional phrases, for example, will demonstrate your writing skills and have a positive effect on your reader.

In conclusion, it’s fair to mention that you can find many more writing rules to pay attention to than just the ones that we’ve listed here. We, however, listed the ones that are easier to follow. Even though these are quite basic writing rules, they often get ignored, leading to poor writing results.

We’re not telling you that you need to follow them all. Following even a single rule of writing can bring you desired results. So feel free to experiment and find ones that are the most suitable for you.

Thank you for reading the article! Share it with others and let us know your opinion in the comment section below.

Learn more on this topic:

• Useful Revising and Editing Checklists
• Essay Checklist: How to Write an A+ Essay
• Common Mistakes in Essay Writing
• Effective Writing Strategies for College Students
• How to Control Words per Page
• 200 Powerful Words to Use Instead of “Good”
• List of Credible Sources
• An Ultimate Punctuation Guide

🔗 References

• 5 Writing Rules That Are Really Guidelines: Brittney Ross, Grammarly Blog
• Effective Writing Grammar Rules: Grammar Book
• Tips on Grammar, Punctuation and Style: Kim Cooper, for the Writing Center at Harvard University
• Count and Noncount Nouns, Basic Rules: Purdue Online Writing Lab, College of Liberal Arts, Purdue University
• 10 Rules for Good Writing: Lifehack
• Rules of Style A-to-Z: Writing Style Guide, Western Michigan University
• 5 Comma Rules: Center & Resources, Writing center, Hamilton College
• Subject-Verb Agreement: Grammar, Academic Guides at Walden University
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Bloom’s taxonomy is a set of hierarchical models that classify educational learning objectives. It divides them into levels that differ in their specificity and complexity. Students use it for better learning and understanding of a subject, while tutors incorporate it into teaching. As a result:This article will give you a...

Bloom’s taxonomy is a highly efficient educational system that helps to set and reach learning objectives. But how do you make it even more effective? Use apps! Modern technology gives us plenty of opportunities, so why not take advantage of it? Here, at Custom-Writing.org, we’ve selected 46 apps that can...

English grammar is similar to math. It has strict rules defined by the correlations of different parts of the sentence. Unlike many other languages, there is usually one correct variant of saying a sentence. But these rules are complicated and intricate only until you find a simple explanation. Now there...

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is the problem of millions of children and their parents worldwide. Fewer children keep symptoms when they become adults. But smaller numbers do not mean the absence of the problem. These people are inattentive, hyperactive-impulsive, or both. The subtypes of the disease are respectively called ADD,...

Essay Writing Contest by Custom-Writing.org has come to an end. During that exciting period, numerous students from all over the world voiced their opinions on topics concerning students’ writing skills, decreasing amount of homework, requirements of academic writing, and custom essay services. It was our first contest here at Custom-Writing.org,...

A branch of linguistics that studies all human sounds is called phonetics. It analyses the production (articulation), transmission (sound), and perception (hearing) of sounds. The phonetic system of a language represents the way people use sounds in their speech. A language’s phonology classifies these sounds into vowels and consonants, long...

Public speaking and video recordings can cause panic for the most level-headed people. For some reason, a crowd of listeners in front of us makes our tongue refuse to move, our throat stops to make sounds, and our brain fails to generate ideas. Meanwhile, public speaking is much easier than...

Thanks a lot for sharing such a helpful article. you made my presentation assignment super easier. Great work. GOD BLESS YOU : )

Thank you so much. You made my assignment easier which is on writing skills. I need to mention it in my references, will you please provide me your full name and place. I will be really grateful.

Kindly refer this content as a webpage. You do not need any names or places.

The rules were written well and easy to understand. I learned more reading this than my own English textbook. Thank you.

Thank you so much for the advice Donna, I will definitely take it into account when writing my book.

Hi Donna – I love your article here. It contains lots of useful tools and tips to write well. I conduct training workshops in email and business writing skills, and am always surprised how many people are still writing like it’s the 60s. Using old-fashioned expressions, passive voice, and writing in a completely different style to how they speak. Life shouldn’t be so difficult! Thanks for this great reminder. I’ll tweet it too.

Dear Shirley,

Thank you very much for taking a moment and writing your feedback. I really appreciate the kind words and sharing my article!

All the best,

Thank you Donna, great resource and interesting read!

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The Seven Essay Writing Rules

Essays have different rules than do stories, letters, poems, or journal writing. Essays respond to a writing prompt or writing topic. The writer is required to develop a thesis statement in the introductory paragraph, then follow with at least two body paragraphs which address the thesis statement, then end with a concluding paragraph.

The Common Core Writing Standards divides essays into argumentative and informational/explanatory. Argumentative essays argue a position or point of view; informational/ explanatory essays explain and analyze. Each of these types of essays focuses on the subject of the writing prompt and follows the following essay writing rules.

Keep in mind that essays are a very formal type of writing. Although they may certainly express opinions, essays present evidence in a fair and balanced manner. Think of presenting evidence in an essay as an attorney would present evidence in a court of law. All of the traditional rituals have to be followed. The attorney (writer) has introductory remarks (introductory paragraph) in which a verdict (think thesis statement) is stated. Next, the attorney (writer) presents the main points of the case and the evidence that supports them (body paragraphs). Finally, the attorney (writer) presents the closing arguments (conclusion paragraph).

Here are the seven essay writing rules:

1. Write in complete sentences. Intentional fragments, such as “Right?” don’t belong in essays.

2. Write in third person. Talk about the subject of the essay. Don’t personalize with first person pronouns such as I, me, my, mine, we, us, our, ours, ourselves. Don’t talk to the reader with second person pronouns such as you, your, yours, yourself, yourselves. The essay is to be objective (fair and balanced), not subjective (personalized). Rid essays of “I think,” “I believe,” and “In my opinion.”

3. Do not abbreviate. Abbreviations are informal and serve as short-cuts, so they don’t belong in essays. So write United States , not U.S. in essays.

4. Do not use slang, such as kids . Use official, or formal, words, such as children .

5. Do not use contractions. Again, essays are very formal, so write “do not” rather than “don’t.”

6. Do not use figures of speech. Be direct and precise in essay writing. Essays do not use poetic devices or idiomatic expressions. For example, don’t write “He let the cat out of the bag.” Instead, say “He shared a secret.”

7. Do not over-use the same words or phrases. For example, avoid over-use of the “to-be” verbs : is, am, are, was, were, be, being, been.

TEACHING ESSAYS BUNDLE

The author’s  TEACHING ESSAYS BUNDLE   includes the three printable and digital  resources students need to master  the  CCSS W.1 argumentative and W.2 informational/explanatory essays. Each  no-prep  resource allows students to work at their own paces via mastery learning. How to Teach Essays  includes 42 skill-based essay strategy worksheets (fillable PDFs and 62 Google slides), beginning with simple 3-word paragraphs and proceeding step-by-step to complex multi-paragraph essays. One skill builds upon another. The Essay Skills Worksheets include 97 worksheets (printables and 97 Google slides) to help teachers differentiate writing instruction with both remedial and advanced writing skills. The  Eight Writing Process Essays  (printables and 170 Google slides) each feature an on-demand diagnostic essay assessment, writing prompt with connected reading, brainstorming, graphic organizer, response, revision, and editing activities. Plus, each essay includes a detailed analytical (not holistic) rubric for assessment-based learning.

Writing essay , essay program , essay rules , essay strategies , essay worksheets , five paragraph essay , Mark Pennington , Teaching Essay Strategies , writing rules

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13 Rules for Writing Good Essays

To write a good essay, you have to make your message clear..

Posted March 7, 2018 | Reviewed by Jessica Schrader

To write a good university essay you have to make your message clear. This means organizing your key points, supporting them with a series of evidence-based arguments, and wrapping it all up at the end so the reader knows what they've learned. To do this well, you need to take the reader's perspective. If you can see what might trip them up as they read your work, then you can avoid pitfalls that will confuse or bore them. Here are some tips to help you avoid the easy pitfalls. Once understood, these rules can be broken. But if you're unclear on how to approach your writing, these tips can help.

1. Your opening paragraph should clearly describe what you are going to discuss in the essay. These three things are vital: What’s the thesis (or problem), why is it important, and how are you going to address it? If you have each of those items in your opening paragraph your reader will know what they are reading, why they are reading it, and what they can expect to get out of it.

2. Organize the essay so that it covers a set list of subtopics that each support your main thesis. If it's a long essay, you should break it up into sections with headings that focus on specific subtopics. Introduce these topics in the opening paragraph of the essay (see 1 above). Overall, you want to organize information so it is easy to understand and remember.

3. Start paragraphs with opening sentences that explain what the paragraph is going to say. Then write sentences that follow one from the other and are easy to read. Avoid paragraphs that are too long, that read like lists, or that have no main thesis. Summarize complex paragraphs with concise sentences that explain what the paragraph said.

4. Create transitions between paragraphs so that one paragraph follows from the next. You are trying to make it all easy to understand for your reader. The more organized your writing, the more clearly you will understand and communicate your own ideas.

5. Make your sentences work. Avoid long sentences. When in doubt, break long sentences into smaller sentences. Avoid sentences that are repetitive and don't provide new information. Throw away weak and empty sentences ("Angioplasty is an important procedure." "Emotions are a central element in people's lives."). Sentences also need to be crystal clear. You can check for clarity by making sure they read well. Read them out loud to yourself or have someone else read them out loud to you.

6. Explain novel terms (jargon) when you introduce them . Don’t assume your reader knows what terms mean. Avoid jargon except where it communicates key concepts. Imagine the reader knows less about the topic than you do.

7. In science writing, you can use synonyms for key concepts only when you are first explaining them. After that, use the same word every time to refer to the idea. For example, you might want to write, 'affect,' and then 'emotions,' and then 'feelings.' If you use different words every time you refer to an idea, your reader will get confused. Define a term and then use it consistently.

8. Be careful when you use words like ‘this’ or ‘that’ or ‘their’ or ‘those’ or 'these' or 'they.' These words are often not as tightly connected to what they reference as you think. Check every one of them and see if you can rewrite it more clearly. When you use *these* words carelessly, your reader will need to think more to understand what you are referring to. *That* will break the flow and make it harder to understand what you're actually try to say. *They* (the readers) won't know who you're referring to. By simply stating what you are referring to specifically, you make your writing clear. It is better to be repetitive than unclear.

9. Use concrete information. Concrete information is powerful, is appealing, it is easier to understand, and it sticks in people's memory . Concrete information includes things like examples, statistics, quotes, facts, and other details. The more sentences that go by without communicating new concrete information or ideas that develop your thesis, the more likely your reader is to get bored .

10. If you have an interesting idea, check to see if someone else has already had it. If they have, cite them. Chances are someone has at least hinted at your clever insight, and you can use them as a springboard to say something even more interesting. This will demonstrate scholarship and an understanding of the broader context.

11. Make sure everything is relevant. Don’t include random facts that are not relevant. Don't include extra words that you don't need ("actually," "very," "in many ways," "the fact that"). Don't include paragraphs that have lots of cool facts if they aren't related to your central thesis. These slow down your reader and confuse them because they expect to hear content that is related to your theme. After you write a first draft (where you are just trying to get ideas down on paper), see what you can cut out to focus your argument on what matters.

12. The very best essays provide their own critique. End with something like this before the final summary: Provide criticism of your key point (appropriately referenced). Then provide criticism of the criticizer that you referenced (with another reference). If you can do this well, then in most instances you will have demonstrated thorough understanding of the issues. After this, provide your conclusion.

13. In the conclusion, take a position, make a prediction, or propose some future actions (an experiment, an implication, a new question to be addressed, etc). Summarize your thesis and the evidence you’ve provided in a concise way without being wishy-washy.

You might also be interested in my top 10 job interview tips or top 10 science-based study skills.

Follow me on Twitter .

Thomas T. Hills, Ph.D. , is a professor of psychology at University of Warwick.

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A (Very) Simple Way to Improve Your Writing

• Mark Rennella

It’s called the “one-idea rule” — and any level of writer can use it.

The “one idea” rule is a simple concept that can help you sharpen your writing, persuade others by presenting your argument in a clear, concise, and engaging way. What exactly does the rule say?

• Every component of a successful piece of writing should express only one idea.
• In persuasive writing, your “one idea” is often the argument or belief you are presenting to the reader. Once you identify what that argument is, the “one-idea rule” can help you develop, revise, and connect the various components of your writing.
• For instance, let’s say you’re writing an essay. There are three components you will be working with throughout your piece: the title, the paragraphs, and the sentences.
• Each of these parts should be dedicated to just one idea. The ideas are not identical, of course, but they’re all related. If done correctly, the smaller ideas (in sentences) all build (in paragraphs) to support the main point (suggested in the title).

Most advice about writing looks like a long laundry list of “do’s and don’ts.” These lists can be helpful from time to time, but they’re hard to remember … and, therefore, hard to depend on when you’re having trouble putting your thoughts to paper. During my time in academia, teaching composition at the undergraduate and graduate levels, I saw many people struggle with this.

• MR Mark Rennella is Associate Editor at HBP and has published two books, Entrepreneurs, Managers, and Leaders and The Boston Cosmopolitans .  

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Dan O’Neill’s Top 10 Rules for Academic Writing

Dan is a prolific writer, his last work was published in the journal Nature Sustainability . We have interviewed Dan in the past about the writing process. In this post Dan shares with us his top 10 writing tips.

Academic writing is a funny business. It’s not done to entertain, as in the case of fiction, but to communicate a set of ideas as carefully and unambiguously as possible. My suggestions for academic writing are unlikely to help you produce a best-solving novel, but they may help you publish a good journal article. Drumroll, please!

• Aim for clarity. Explain your ideas as clearly and simply as you can. Imagine that you’re explaining your findings to your grandmother, or a friend down at the pub. Avoid jargon and define any terms that your readers may not know.
• Work from an outline. Create a point-form outline of the ideas you want to cover in your article before you start writing. Although your plan may change as the article develops, an outline is a good place to start.
• Be aware of the 80/20 rule. Applied to writing, the 80/20 rules suggests that you can probably generate 80% of the content in 20% of the time. Focus on getting your ideas down on paper, even if it looks messy. Then go back and edit carefully. Do not try to write perfectly-referenced sentences in the first draft.
• Start in the middle. I personally have trouble motivating myself to write: a lot of coffee is required! I don’t particularly enjoy the process, so one of the things I try to do is make the process as easy on myself as possible. Start writing whichever section you are most comfortable with. For me, as a quantitative researcher, this section is generally not the Introduction, but more likely the Results, where I am simply describing what I have found.
• Don’t write about things you don’t quite understand. Muddled writing is a symptom of muddled thinking. If you don’t understand what you’ve written, then it’s unlikely your audience will do much better. In general, you should know more about the subject than what you actually write, not less!
• Pay attention to paragraphs. Discuss only one idea per paragraph, and keep paragraphs relatively short (I rarely write paragraphs that are longer than 10 lines). The first sentence of each paragraph should tell the reader what the paragraph is about. You should be able to follow an article simply by reading the first sentence of each paragraph.
• Pay attention to sentences. Keep sentences short and to the point. Avoid run-on sentences and avoid sentence fragments. If a sentence is longer than three lines, it’s probably too long.
• Write in the active voice. Think about who is doing the action in the sentence, and put them (or it) at the start. Avoid using the passive voice (e.g. “It has been demonstrated by some experts that…”). Instead, say “Smith and Jones (2012) demonstrate that…”
• Avoid vague pronouns. Words like “this” and “it” can spell trouble. Be careful every time you use them. Ensure that “this” is followed by the thing it is describing. Don’t say: “I conducted the experiment. This made Jim angry.” Instead, say: “I conducted the experiment. My findings made Jim angry.”
• Edit by cutting and pasting. Cutting down a 12,000-word draft to an 8,000-word article can be challenging. It’s not always clear what should stay and what should go, and sometimes you need to remove material that you’ve become attached to. Instead of consigning text to oblivion, cut and paste it into another file. The psychology is easier, and you’ll become a better editor in the process.

Which of these tips was the most helpful for your work? Do you have additional tips that work for you? Let us know. Leave your comments below!

Post by Dan O'Neill

Dan O'Neill is a Lecturer in Environmental and Ecological Economics at the University of Leeds . He is the leader of the Economics and Policy for Sustainability Research Group . His research focuses on the changes that would be needed to achieve a sustainable economy within planetary boundaries, and the relationships between resource use and human well-being.

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George Orwell’s Six Rules for Writing: A Reassessment

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By Daniel Adamson |

In April 1946, George Orwell published a short essay entitled “Politics and the English Language”. Orwell’s clear intention was to remedy the pervasive ‘ugly and inaccurate’ written English in contemporary literature.

Modern English, especially written English, is full of bad habits which spread by imitation and which can be avoided if one is willing to take the necessary trouble.

Ultimately, Orwell’s efforts were underpinned by political concerns, in an era where propaganda had become the arme de choix of a range of oppressive political movements.

“Politics and the English Language” has become best known for its suggested six rules of writing, which might be employed in order to avoid poor writing. Since their publication, these guidelines have become much loved from amateur literary blogs to self-help websites.

Nonetheless, Orwell’s rules deserve reassessment. Much has changed since 1946: the map of Europe has been redrawn, 140-character tweets have become a primary mode of communication, and a global health crisis has brought the world to a standstill. Do Orwell’s rules, therefore, still hold firm? And what lessons might a PhD student garner from reading them?

Rules for writing or rules for life?

Let us take Orwell’s six rules in turn, and consider the resonance each recommendation could carry for a PhD researcher in the twenty-first century

1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print

Originality is certainly a watchword of many PhD projects. The ability to break new ground within a dissertation is admirable. However, the quest to express oneself in an unprecedented way should not obscure the clear presentation of research findings. In some cases, certain metaphors or similes have become integrated into the English language precisely because they capture a sentiment in a particularly effective manner. In this case, their replication in a passage of PhD prose could be justified. A preoccupation with originality of prose has the converse potential to lead to the creation of phrases which are simply inappropriate. If writers cannot bring themselves to use an established figure of speech, the best advice might be to avoid elaborate language altogether: simply state an idea in plain terms.

2. Never use a long word where a short one will do.

Concision is essential in PhD research. A reader must be able to take away a clear picture of research findings. Equally, in the time-pressed academic world, accessible prose is a valued characteristic. The academic community is also global. English may not be the first language of any given reader. As such, the avoidance of archaic or obscure vocabulary is a sensible measure.

3. If  it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.

Orwell’s prioritisation of economical prose will speak to many PhD students. A limit of 100,000 words is, at first, daunting for many researchers when starting to write a dissertation. Often, however, the eventual challenge will be deciding which words to omit from a final draft. As such, the implications of Orwell’s advice are sound. If a long phrase can be substituted for a shorter one, it creates more room for the inclusion of useful insights.

4. Never use the passive where you can use the active.

Of all Orwell’s rules, this is perhaps the recommendation which is most dependent on personal preference. As long as the use of the passive voice does not obscure the clarity of prose (see rules 2 and 3), it seems somewhat drastic to forbid its use altogether. Rule number 4 might better be adapted to provide advice for life, rather than writing: ‘never be passive where you can be active’. The COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated how opportunities can be snatched away in a tragically short period of time. As such, PhD students must take initiative in maximising their chances when they become available. Seek out what can be done given contextual circumstances, rather than waiting for opportunities to present themselves unprompted.

5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.

The fifth rule in Orwell’s list is perhaps only partially applicable to PhD research publications. Particularly in scientific subjects, the use of technical vocabulary is unavoidable. Even in the arts and humanities, foreign words frequently can capture a notion that eludes the boundaries of the English language: glasnost , zeitgeist , détente and so forth. Once again, the use of specified words should not be pretentious, nor detract from the lucidity of research. One potential strategy is to include approximate English translations or explanations for more esoteric language.

6. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

In all areas of academic life, the avoidance of barbarity should be encouraged. There is often little to gain from cruelty towards the work of others. Commonly, such conduct is merely a way of exerting power over those less senior, and is almost never constructive. Criticism is a necessary element of the PhD experience. However, it is most effective when it is used to improve research, rather than to belittle work. ‘Be kind’ has emerged as a maxim of the Coronavirus-era, and it is a motto which all academics should observe.

Respect, not rigidity

Overall, few would argue that Orwell’s six rules of writing do not provide a solid base around which to centre prose. Orwell did not intend his guidelines to be used by postgraduates, but PhD students can find value in several different aspects of the guidelines, particularly in relation to the economy and clarity of writing.

Orwell’s recommendations command respect, even in the twenty-first century. However, it is also rather tyrannical to suggest that a rigid set of rules should dictate universal writing habits. In this blog alone, Orwell’s rules have probably been broken in various ways.

The deployment of the English language is a highly-personalised action, and one which lends human beings a sense of individual character. PhD projects can benefit from a stamp of personality. If it takes breaking some of Orwell’s rules to achieve this in a dissertation, PhD students should proceed with confidence. Moderation, as always, is key.

Daniel Adamson is a PhD student in the History Department at Durham University. He tweets at @DanielEAdamson. 

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September 10, 2020

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Good Essay Writing: A Social Sciences Guide

Student resources, four golden rules.

Four golden rules for writing a social science essay …

Rule 1:  Answer the question that is asked.

Rule 2:  Write your answer in your own words.

Rule 3:  Think about the content of your essay, being sure to demonstrate good social scientific skills.

Rule 4:  Think about the structure of your essay, being sure to demonstrate good writing skills and observing any word limit.

The One Golden Rule of Writing That You Can’t Ignore

by Eric Cummings

I learned what I consider the “Golden Rule of Writing” – the only rule that can help every writer – in the first creative writing class I ever took. Of course, I didn’t learn the rule immediately, or even in the first class. My classmates and I first had to learn how different we were from one another as writers.

Our teacher, an old bald Caribbean man with missing front teeth and a stoop, began by asking the class, “How do you write?”

Some students wrote on computers, others in journals ; I wrote long hand on legal pads. Some wrote in the morning at their home, others at night with friends; I wrote by myself at the library in the afternoon. Our professor wrote memoir fiction about his sexual escapades in the Caribbean standing at a lectern a la Hemingway. We wrote literary fiction, memoirs, and detective stories; newspaper articles, editorials, and e-mails. We were men and women, young and old, lazy and prolific, borderline illiterate and consummate professionals. Some of us needed two drafts, others needed dozens. We were a microcosm of the rest of the writing universe: no two writers write the same way.

The problem with learning the “rules” for writing is that none of them apply to everyone.

How can any rule possibly apply to everyone? I co-write my blog with my twin brother, and we don’t write the same way. What rule can cover journalism and blogging, poetry and prose; authors like James Joyce, who struggled to write seven words a day, or Nora Roberts, who writes multiple books a year? If a golden rule exists, it needs to unite all writers.

I learned the Golden Rule of Writing on my second day in class, as my story about a farmer and a mule was read aloud. I had spent some time writing it, one day rewriting it, and another afternoon editing it. I was nervous but confident. It was a good story.

The story began, “Light barely flooded into the room.”

“Wait.” Less than a sentence in, the Professor stopped the student reading my story. He turned to me, “Eric, what do you mean, ‘Light barely flooded into the room.’?”

“Well, it is sunrise, and the sun is coming up.” I said.

“But how can light ‘barely flood’ in? Do you mean the word flood?”

Light could either barely trickle in, or flood in, but it couldn’t do both. The lesson wasn’t that I needed to be clearer and more precise with my language–though I did–it was that I didn’t know what my words meant. I didn’t own the words on the page. The questions the professor asked us over the course of the quarter were always the same, “What do you mean?” “What did you intend here?” or “Why did you use this word?”

What is my Golden Rule of Writing? It’s this:

Intend every word you write.

Be aware of what your words mean, and make sure that the meaning aligns with what you are trying to say. Writing is communication; don’t we all want to communicate as accurately as possible?

(I hear the guy in the back saying, what if I want my writing to be confusing? Then be confusing, but do it intentionally.)

Notice how my professor coached me on my writing. He didn’t tell me what words to use, he didn’t tell me my mistake. He asked questions. Perhaps I meant to put the words together, as a poetic statement. Or perhaps the idea or the image I meant to convey wasn’t being conveyed. He made me aware of what my words meant. The lesson was clear: these were my words, dammit, and I needed to own them.

As my above example shows, the Golden Rule of Writing is not an easy one, especially when you write for readers . Your intention needs to jibe with what you want them take away from you work. (Perhaps you write only in your journal. You follow the Golden Rule every time you write, because you express what you mean every time you write, because you are writing for yourself.)

Below, I have seven tips for implementing intentionality behind your writing, to better convey what you want to say.

1. When you revise your work ask yourself, “Does this convey what I want to convey?” Ask yourself this question after every line, especially when writing fiction.

2. Think about your reader . Who is your intended audience? If you’re writing your church newsletter, then you probably aren’t going to want to include any swear words. Think about your reader, and write to them, being aware of how they will react to your words.

3. Think about the meaning of every word you write . James Joyce spent whole days writing just a handful of words, spending hours thinking about them and their meaning. Now, I hear you saying, “Whoa, I don’t have that much time.” True. But you can ask yourself, “Do I really know what this word means?” “Am I using it correctly?” “Will my intended audience get what I am trying to say?” Spend more time on longer sentences and bigger words.

4. Look out for especially “arty writing” The best writing is unlike anything anyone has ever seen before. But I’m not F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Joyce or Cormac McCarthy, and neither are you. So when you write something especially clever, unique or “arty,” double check it to make sure it makes sense. I learned this rule from personal experience.

5. Use a dictionary . Check it to see if that word means what you think it means.

6. Listen to podcasts about grammar, and read books and blogs about it. Did you know that non-plussed means confused, or bewildered? Do you know what a gerund is? Neither did I, until I started educating myself. I recommend the podcasts Grammar Grater and Grammar Girl , the books Writing With Style By Trimble and The Writer’s Reference . If you are revising your work and something strikes you as strange, look it up. It will add to your overall knowledge of grammar, usage and the written word.

7. Read . This is the single best way to add to your vocabulary and your knowledge of language and writing.

Ultimately, the Golden Rule of Writing is not about conformity, but freedom. Do you dislike semi-colons? Don’t use them. Do you want to start sentences with “and,” “but,” or “because?” Then go ahead, it’s your writing. If you want to use a word incorrectly, go ahead. But use it incorrectly on purpose, knowing the implications of that misuse.

With the Golden Rule of Writing, you are free to convey whatever idea, thought or image you want. You are free to tell whatever story, write whatever essay, or compose any poem you want. But write it with intention.

What’s your Golden Rule of Writing? let me know in the comments below.

Image courtesy of Pixabay

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Gordon Rule

For more information about the Gordon Rule requirement, visit the UCF catalog .

Course Criteria

The Common Program Oversight Committee will certify as Gordon Rule any course that can prove that four assignments of college-level writing (as defined below) will be part of the course. (In a course with multiple sections, all sections must meet the new Gordon Rule criteria for the course to be an authorized Gordon Rule writing course.)

For the purposes of Gordon Rule review, the University of Central Florida defines “College-Level Writing” as follows:

• Has a clearly defined central idea or thesis.
• Provides adequate support for that idea.
• Is organized clearly and logically.
• Shows awareness of the conventions of standard written English.
• Is formatted or presented in an appropriate way for the intended audience, purpose, and genre.

To qualify as a University of Central Florida Gordon Rule Course a course must:

• Include the written component (a minimum of 4 written assignments) as a significant portion–at least 60% minimum–of the final grade. • Demonstrate substantial, developed writing through the inclusion of at least one multi-page writing assignment. • Integrate at least one writing assignment in which the students submit a revision in response to substantive teacher/grader feedback.

Suggestions for Writing Assignments

The interpretation of “assignments” that evidence college-level writing (see above) may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Essays • Reports • Lab reports • Written examinations • Portfolios • Reviews • Case studies • Manuals • Discussion question responses • Process papers • Project plans • Business plans • Research papers • Interviews • Journals • Feasibility studies • Evaluated drafts • Online Discussion postings

Writing that would normally NOT fulfill this requirement would include the following:

• Resumes • Free-writing • One-minute (very short) papers • Annotations • E-mails • Brainstorming • Creative Writing • PowerPoint Presentations

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England fans forgot the golden rule – never write off Harry Kane

The england captain has faced scrutiny after his euro 2024 performances but was back to his best in the 2-0 win against finland.

It was around this time in 2015 that the pause button was pressed on the Harry Kane hype machine.

Kane was the 22-year-old late bloomer who had bolted from nowhere, ascending from Mauricio Pochettino’s third-choice striker to Tottenham and England’s saviour in a whirlwind 12 months after scoring 31 goals for his club in the 2014-15 season and netting 78 seconds into his international debut against Lithuania.

However, a slow start to the 2015-16 campaign led to a hasty reappraisal of his qualities. Kane went eight club games without scoring and debates over whether he could replicate his heroics from that extraordinary breakout year in August had morphed into hysterical “one season wonder” chants by September.

It was not Kane’s first taste of adversity. It has been a theme of his career ever since he was released by Arsenal as an eight-year-old.

“That might have built a bit of desire to prove them wrong when I was that age,” he said of Arsenal’s decision before making his 100th cap against Finland.

“Even when I first came to Spurs – I was there from 11 years old – and early on in my academy career I was close to being released. I was never the guy that everyone thought was going to go on and do what I’ve done.”

Six winners and losers from Lee Carsley's first England win over Ireland

When the goals started flowing freely again, Spurs supporters adopted the slogan as their own and the following nine years of Kane’s career have emphatically silenced those early sceptics.

A team trophy still eludes Kane, but sustained individual excellence has ensured his cabinet is still filled with gold: three Premier League golden boots; a World Cup golden boot; a European golden shoe; a Bundesliga golden boot.

He is both England and Tottenham’s all-time top goalscorer. On Tuesday, he reached another milestone by becoming only the 10th Englishman to reach 100 caps.

Before the game, he was presented with more gold, this time in cap form, before England’s 2-0 win over Finland in which he scored both goals. His sponsors Skechers even made special gilded boots for him to wear.

It’s a remarkable feat that is a testament to Kane’s longevity and consistency. It also brings into focus his footballing mortality. No senior player for England’s men’s team has surpassed Rooney’s 120 caps. Goalkeeper Peter Shilton remains the man to beat on 125.

Kane has no plans to ease off, stating last year that he will “probably play until I’m 40”. He wants to score goals for England into his late 30s, just like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are doing for Argentina and Portugal.

“I feel in really good shape, both physically and mentally I feel like I’m at the peak of my career,” he said.

“Watching Ronaldo scoring his 901st goal and seeing him compete at 39 years old just inspires me to play for as long as possible.”

Tom Brady, the legendary NFL quarterback who won Super Bowls well into his 40s, is another source of inspiration.

“I’ve spoken about him previously, his mentality,” Kane said.

“He went on to become the greatest in his sport. But even when he was 42, 43 he was still having to prove people wrong and prove to himself that he was good enough. I think that until I stop playing I will always have that attitude.”

Now, just as in 2015, scrutiny surrounds Kane. A growing number of England supporters believe he should no longer be a guaranteed starter after a few stodgy performances at the European Championship. That is time to rebuild the attack around someone else. Jude Bellingham perhaps, or Phil Foden.

A goalless display against the Republic of Ireland in Lee Carsley’s first game in charge did little to dispel the debate over Kane’s international future that has swirled in the aftermath of England’s defeat to Spain in Berlin.

No player should be an automatic selection for their country and Kane’s performances during the Euros fell short of the standard he has set throughout his time at the top even if he did finish the tournament with a share of (another) golden boot.

Fans chanted Ollie Watkins’ name as Kane toiled in the Olympiastadion and the Aston Villa striker poses credible competition as England’s starting No 9. Dominic Solanke may rival him too after arriving as his belated replacement at White Hart Lane.

However, the obituaries are premature. He looked leaner and sharper against Finland than he has done for months, even testing the goalkeeper’s reflexes with an acrobatic overhead kick. Both of his goals oozed class: his first was lashed hard and high into the net and the second was swept superbly into the corner out of Lukas Hradecky’s reach. They were his 67th and 68th international goals; it’s a phenomenal record that doesn’t get sufficient credit.

Kane is a master of reinvention. When he made his long-awaited breakthrough at Spurs, he was a sharp shooting, penalty box predator. Over the past half-decade, he has evolved his game to become as deadly a creator of chances as a finisher of them.

The difference between Carsley and Southgate? England are fun to watch

A susceptibility to ankle injuries in his early 20s led Kane to recruit a personal physio and adapt his training methods; he has since missed just six matches due to ankle issues in the past five years.

He is fuelled by an insatiable desire to improve, that links all the greats.

There is a possibility too that Kane can rediscover his top form in a more attacking, adventurous England team. The early signs are certainly promising.

Gareth Southgate ‘s shoehorning of Foden and Bellingham into his starting XI did Kane no favours with all three players naturally gravitating into the same central pockets of space.

He’s at his best when he has runners beyond him, not people getting in his way.

At Spurs, his partnership with the quicker Son Heung-min was statistically the best in Premier League history. One of his most notable England performances was one in which he didn’t score: a 3-2 win over Spain when he assisted both Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford.

Carsley has started similarly speedy wingers in both matches so far with Anthony Gordon deployed on the left and Bukayo Saka on the right. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s inclusion at right-back adds another dimension to the attack too. Perhaps the new England can unlock the old Kane.

Having reached the 100-cap mark, new ambitions come into focus, like scoring 100 international goals. “I would rather go for something unrealistic and not quite make it than be comfortable just saying I will be happy with 70 or 80 goals,” he said.

Those leading the calls for England to move past Kane have broken the golden rule: never write him off. Those who did so nine years ago were made to look foolish; the same fate could befall the non-believers now.

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