Examples of How Not to Begin an Essay

Examples of How Not to Begin an Essay When was the last time you ran across a really good hooker? Thats Stephen Kings term for a particularly enticing opening sentence in a story or essay- a knock-you-dead first line that compels you to keep reading. In Great Hookers I Have Known, King says that an effective hooker-sentence offers readers the pleasure of instant gratification (Secret Windows, 2000). The opposite of a hooker might be called a chaser- a bore-you-to-death introduction that drives readers away. At best, a chaser may hint at delayed gratification. More often it provides little more than an excuse to stop reading. Examples of the Worst Kinds of Essay Opening Lines Here are 10 examples of such boring or baffling opening lines- chasers that youll want to avoid when composing your own essays. The examples are in italics, and the explanations are in bold. According to my dictionary . . . Avoid leads [or ledes] that quote Websters- the Jim Belushi of openings, according to Annie Edison in Community. It accomplishes nothing, but everyone keeps on using it. When you gave us this assignment to describe in detail a place you know well, my first thought was to write about my bedroom closet. . . .As a general rule, avoid openings that comment on the writing assignment itself. One dark and stormy night, the ghost of General Oglethorpe grabbed me by the goolies and hurled me down the castle stairs. . . .Dont strain too hard to shock or amaze, especially if you cant maintain that level of excitement. Sometimes youve got to stick your neck out on a limb and keep your nose to the grindstone. . . .Avoid clichà ©s and mixed metaphors. In this essay, after giving the subject a lot of thought, I am going to write about . . ..Skip the announcements. Life is like a box of chocolates, my Mama used to say, quoting Forrest Gump. . . .Dont get too c ute. Your mama has terrible opinions on essay writing . . .Dont get belligerent. Framed fantastically against the expansive cerulean sky was a soaring wedge of gossiping, gabbling geese, a shimmering cocaine-colored V haloed in sunlight and dusted with the durable dreams of earthbound warriors . . ..Avoid excessive alliteration, needless modifiers, and Rogets Thesaurus. Wikipedia says . . . Challenge questionable facts and steer clear of dubious sources. It is a melancholy object to those who walk through this great town or travel in the country, when they see the streets, the roads, and cabin doors, crowded with beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags and importuning every passenger for an alms.* . . .No matter what else you do, never plagiarize. * This is the opening sentence of Jonathan Swifts satirical essay A Modest Proposal.Now its time to take a more positive approach. For examples of fresh and compelling opening lines- that is, some truly good hookers- see these two articles: How to Begin an Essay: 13 Engaging Strategies With ExamplesWhack at Your Reader at Once: Eight Great Opening Lines

Et Al. Meaning and How to Use It

Et Al. Meaning and How to Use It Et al. essentially means â€Å"and others,† extra, or in addition. It is the abbreviated form of the Latin expression et alia (or et alii or et aliae, the masculine and feminine form of the plural, respectively). The abbreviation et al. often appears in academic documents. It is generally used in footnotes and citations: for example, when a book has multiple authors, et al. can be used after the first name to indicate that there are more than two other authors who worked on the project.   How to Use Et Al. Et al. can be used in a situation that refers to more than two people. Make sure it’s always followed with a period, which indicates that it’s an abbreviation, but given its prevalence in the English language, italicizing it is not necessary in reference citations, though some publications may require it. According to the APA, it should only be used when there are two or more authors. For three to five authors, all names must be listed within the first citation, but all following citations can include just the name of the first author and et al. For six or more authors, the first author and et al. can be used in all citations, including the first. If you’re referencing sources with many of the same authors, spell out as many names as possible before using et al., until there is no room for confusion. If using a different style guide, be sure to reference the corresponding manual as rules can differ. Keep in mind that since et al. is plural, it must apply to at least two people. For example, if you are dealing with four authors and have typed out three names, you cannot use et al. to substitute the last one, since it cannot be used in place of just one person. Does it have a place outside of citations? Generally, no. Though not technically incorrect, it would be rare, and overly formal, to see it within an email greeting to multiple people, such as: â€Å"Dear Bill et al.†Ã‚   Et Al. vs. Etc. Et al. might sound familiar to another abbreviation we encounter regularly: â€Å"etc.† Short for â€Å"et cetera†- which means â€Å"and the rest† in Latin- â€Å"etc.† refers to a list of things, rather than individuals. Unlike et al. which normally makes appearances in academic sources, â€Å"etc.† is both formal and informal and can be used in a wide variety of contexts. Examples of Et Al. Jolly et al. (2017) published a revolutionary study on the role of the gut microbiome: In this sentence, et al. doesn’t appear on a reference list, but still serves to indicate that Jolly and others contributed to the study in question.  Some large-scale surveys found cats to be the preferred pet (McCann et al., 1980) while others found dogs to be the ideal pet (Grisham Kane, 1981): In this example, et al. is used in the first citation because there are more than two authors. If this is a first citation, that indicates there are six or more authors, or if this is a subsequent citation in the text, there could be three or above authors. Et al. is not used in the last citation because there are only two authors who worked on the study.  Meditation once a week was found to improve focus by 20% in study participants (Hunter, Kennedy, Russell, Aarons, 2009). Meditation once a day was found to increase focus by 40% among participants (Hunter et al., 2009): This example, though citations of the same study would normally not occur in such close proximity, shows how et al. is used when introducing a work co-authored by three to five individuals. Et al. is reserved for all subsequent citations, with the first clearly naming everyone involved.   The Other â€Å"Et Al.†: Et Alibi In less common situations, et al. stands for et alibi, which refers to locations that will not appear in a list. For example, if you went on a trip, you could use et alibi when writing down the places and hotels you visited so you don’t have to name all of them. This can also be used to refer to locations within a text.   How do you remember what this means? Think of an alibi, which is used to prove that a criminal suspect was elsewhere when the crime took place, thus absolving them of suspicion.

1.Water should be privatized rather than made a public good. 2.Water Essay

1.Water should be privatized rather than made a public good. 2.Water should be piped out of the Great Lakes to provide to water-restricted states - Essay Example te more social gains such as increased coverage and quality but on the other side, it creates low political benefits such as loss of employments as well as hiked prices (Mandri- Perrott 24). US has enjoyed abundant supply of water for the last half of 20C but considering the rate of poor water management practices as well as the persistent droughts, these privilege will surely last for a short time. As much as future generations will demand more water systems, climate change predicts to decrease the currently available supplies. A Government Accountability survey of the Unites states found out that water managers in 36 states are likely to face water shortages during the first two decades of this century. A sustainable approach to using water resources is the only remedy to ensure regulation of water usage besides ensuring supply of quality water to Americans. The remedy to this critical water situation may just be the privatisation of water sources instead of making it a public good (Mandri-Perrott 24). As much as others may claim that water is a natural resource and should not be economic, they are wrong because the same water faces the forces of economics such as supply and demand. Despite the fact that God gives water freely for all humanity, water has to go through various economic processes such as collection, management, processing, treating as well as packaging of drinking water( Frerot 104). In addition, to supply this water to the Americans, there has to be installation of expensive systems of reservoirs, channels, treatment plants as well as pipes. Those who claim that providing clean water by the government is a responsibility duty fail to understand that the government has to invest a lot (Frerot 104). The government cannot afford the investment needed in ensuring removal of dirty wastewater and human wastes in sanitation systems hence making privatization necessary (Mandri-Perrott 24). Water is a limited natural resource and humankind should