However, with all such rules there are variations. Sociological essays can use past tense, as they are looking at research that has already been performed. ‘The research has concluded that humans are social beings and herein will examine the reasons why.’ But as a general rule, if you stick to future tense use, your introduction will be clearer and easier to read.
Tense use throughout your academic essay can vary, and it is easy to become confused as to which tense fits well with an introduction. If you think of your introduction as the guide to your essay, things should start to look clearer. So, if your introduction needs to outline your argument, you should choose a tense that matches it. Most academic essay introductions should be written in future tense because, to put it simply, you are stating your intent, which will carry the essay forward. For example the following future tense phrases can be used ‘Herein I will discuss’, or ‘This essay will argue against’. However, with all such rules there are variations. Sociological essays can use past tense, as they are looking at research that has already been performed. ‘The research has concluded that humans are social beings and herein will examine the reasons why.’ But as a general rule, if you stick to future tense use, your introduction will be clearer and easier to read.
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The prefixes ‘aff’ and ‘in’ make a world of difference to the meaning of these two words. It is all a question of point of view. If one inflicts pain upon someone else, the victim is afflicted by pain. Afflict The verb ‘afflict’ means ‘to affect in a negative way’. It is most often used in the passive, as in the sentence: ‘The workforce was afflicted by an outbreak of cholera’. It can sometimes be used as an active verb, as seen in the following sentence: ‘Cholera afflicts people who are susceptible, like the elderly and young children’. It is, however, rare for the verb ‘afflict’ to be used in any way other than in the passive. Whenever it is used actively, it is simply that the negative impact (in this case, cholera) is put before the verb rather than after it. Affliction The noun ‘affliction’ means a state of distress, illness, misery or great hardship. It refers to a situation which is so unpleasant and unfortunate that it is emotionally difficult to bear. As it is quite an old-fashioned word, it is now often used in a sarcastic or ironic way, as in the sentence: ‘We missed out on tickets to Glastonbury. Please sympathise with us in our affliction.’ Inflict To inflict is to impose or cause suffering, pain or something unpleasant. It can also mean imposing something which is un-wanted or unwelcome, like an opinion, upon somebody else. The word ‘inflict’ is often used in the context of punishment or physical bodily harm, as in the sentence: ‘The attackers inflicted life-changing injuries upon the victim’. The verb ‘inflict’ must always take an object. Its noun version, ‘infliction’, simply means the act of inflicting. If you are still confused about the definition or usage of words like ‘afflict’ or ‘inflict’, or have any other queries about your writing, the professionals at Proofread My Essay can help you today! The words ‘horde’ and ‘hoard’ provide further examples of words in the English language which sound identical when spoken but have different spellings and meanings. One can be used as a verb whilst the other is a noun which is used in very specific circumstances. Make sure that you use the correct word in your writing by brushing up on their meanings and usage. Horde The word ‘horde’, in its proper sense, is a noun used to describe a group of nomadic warriors. It is particularly used in the context of tribes from the Asian continent. It is much more commonly used, usually in a slightly derogatory way, to describe large numbers or crowds of people: ‘A horde of schoolchildren piled onto the bus’ or ‘Our progress along the street was halted by a horde of football fans’. It is also used to describe a large pack or swarm of animals, as in ‘a horde of wasps invaded the picnic area’. It is not, however, to be confused with the word ‘herd’, which is the term used to describe a group of hoofed mammals. Hoard The word ‘hoard’ is a noun meaning a ‘stash’ or ‘supply’ which is kept secretly in preparation for future use. It would be used in a sentence like this: ‘He kept his hoard of tinned goods in the cellar’. It can also be used as a verb, ‘to hoard’, meaning to secretly accumulate a cache over time. ‘Hoarding’ is now also defined as a psychological condition and the term can be found in medical dictionaries. If you would like more guidance about your writing or would like to have your essay checked, get in touch with the professionals at Proofread My Essay today! The Hyphen The hyphen is a punctuation mark which is used to join together two words, often in order to form a compound noun, adjective or verb, or to separate one word into multiple parts. It looks like this: ‘- ’ The hyphen is not to be confused with the dash, which is slightly longer and used in different contexts. The hyphen should not be preceded or followed by a space and is used in a sentence like this: ‘Jonathan was extremely well-read and achieved a first-class degree’. There is such a thing as a suspended or hanging hyphen, where, if two hyphenated words are used in list form, the first hyphen can be left ‘hanging’ without its adjoining word. This is an example: ‘Seventeenth- and eighteenth-century portraiture marked a departure in style…’ The hyphen is also used in newspapers, magazine articles and some books in cases where the final word of the sentence has been cut short by the edge of the column or page. In such cases it would be used like this: ‘The Prime Minister has stated his intention to reform plan- ning permission laws…’. The Dash Dashes can be used much like brackets are to delineate a separate but related part of the sentence. They are used in pairs in sentences like this: ‘The Etruscans- although they left behind many archaeological artefacts- remain a largely mysterious civilisation.’ The dash should directly follow the preceding word with no space and then be followed by a space. Quite often, grammatical rules about usage of the dash are ignored in informal writing. They are used in emails, notes and letters to indicate a new thought, an aside or any multitude of other things. Although in an informal context it is usually easy to decipher the meaning of a dash, in academic writing it is wise to stick religiously to the rules which apply. Overuse of the dash can also be conspicuous, so consider using other punctuation marks which might fit your purpose, such as the semicolon, colon or comma. When To Hyphenate The act of using a hyphen is known as ‘hyphenation’. It involves joining two separate words together to form one single noun, verb, or adjective, known as a compound. Some examples would be: hand-made, well-known, record-breaking and part-time. When hyphenated, a holiday of two weeks becomes a ‘two-week’ holiday. Quite often words which begin with the prefix ‘pre’, ‘non’ or ‘re’ are hyphenated. Hyphenation of compound verbs and nouns is becoming less common and is sometimes considered archaic. There are some words which require a hyphen and would be incorrect without one, but there are also some compound words which no longer include a hyphen in common usage. The words ‘refresh’, ‘delineate’ and ‘precede’ are examples of this dying away of the hyphen. In some cases, hyphenation can completely change the meaning of a sentence. Take, for example: 1) I came across a man eating grizzly bear 2) I came across a man-eating grizzly bear The first sentence describes the actions of a man who was eating grizzly bear. The second, hyphenated, sentence makes it clear that the grizzly bear was ‘man-eating’. Here, the two words ‘man’ and ‘eating’ have been combined to form a single adjective. Be sure to check your relevant style guide for a list of words which should and shouldn’t be hyphenated, as this can vary between institutions. If you are still having trouble with hyphenation, compound words or how to use dashes, the professionals at Proofread My Essay can help you today! Misuse of the words ‘lay’ and ‘lie’ is so common that it has almost become ubiquitous, especially in modern speech. As a result of how accustomed we are to hearing and using these two verbs incorrectly, it can be difficult to distinguish the correct form! In academic writing, however, it is important that you mark yourself out as a competent writer by using both verbs and their past participles correctly. Lie For the purposes of distinguishing between ‘lay’ and ‘lie’, the other definition of the verb ‘to lie’, meaning to tell a falsehood, will not be discussed here. The verb ‘to lie’ means to recline, sit back or rest and does not take a direct object. It would be used in a sentence like this: ‘He lies on the sun lounger, sunbathing’. Lay ‘To lay’ is a verb meaning to place or put something down. Lay always takes a direct object and would be used in a sentence like this: ‘I lay my book on the table’ The real confusion stems from the fact that the word ‘lay’ is both the present participle of the verb ‘to lay’, meaning to place or put something down, and the past participle of the verb ‘to lie’, meaning to recline. This means that both of the sentences: 1) ‘I lay my keys on the kitchen table’ and 2) ‘Peter lay down on the bed’ are correct. The first is in the present tense and the second is in the past. ‘Peter lay his book on the bed’ is incorrect. The past participle of ‘to lay’ is ‘laid’, so it should instead read, ‘Peter laid his book on the bed’. The word ‘lay’ is quite often used incorrectly in the place of the word ‘lie’. Remember that ‘lay’ does not mean to lie down but rather to place or put something down. The exception to this rule is if ‘lay’ is used as the past participle of ‘to lie’, as in the sentence, ‘She lay on the sofa’. Otherwise, it is correct to write: ‘The dog is lying in his bed’ And incorrect to write: ‘The dog is laying in his bed’. The latter sentence prompts the question of WHAT the dog is laying (placing or putting down) in his bed? Remember that the verb ‘to lay’ always takes a direct object. The table below, detailing the various verb forms of each word, is a helpful tool to consult when deciding upon the correct word choice. Tenses of ‘to lay’ Present: ‘I lay my book on the table’ Past: ‘He laid his book on the table’ Past participle: ‘She had laid her book on the table’ Present participle: ‘I am laying my book on the table’ Tenses of ‘to lie’ Present: ‘I lie down on the bed’ Past: ‘He lay down on the bed’ Past participle: ‘She had lain down on the bed’ Present participle: ‘I am lying down on the bed’ If you are still struggling with the meanings and various tenses of these verbs or others, or would like more help with your writing, get in touch with the professionals at Proofread My Essay today! If you are ever unsure about the correct spelling of a word, there is likely to be a helpful rule which you can apply. Words can be broken down into types and categories and usually fit into a spelling mould. However, as with most aspects of the English language, there are many and varied exceptions to any given rule! Learn about the intricacies of several spelling rules below. ‘I’ before ‘e’ except after ‘c’ This mnemonic has been taught to children since the mid 1800’s and remains a useful spelling tip to this day. Usually, words with a long ‘e’ sound are spelled ‘ie’, as in ‘believe’ and ‘achieve’. When preceded by a ‘c’, though, they are switched to ‘ei’ as in ‘ceiling’, ‘receive’ and ‘deceit’. The rule does not apply to words which have a long ‘a’ sound (as in ‘reign’), which are spelled ‘ei’, like ‘deign’, ‘reindeer’ and ‘weight’. Neither does it apply to words where the ‘c’ is pronounced as ‘sh’, as in the words ‘prescient’ or ‘ancient’. There are some words which are exceptions to the ‘’i’ before ‘e’’ rule, even those with a long ‘e’ sound. These include, ‘weird’, ‘protein’ and ‘seize’. ‘…ence’ or ‘…ance’? Although spelled differently, the final syllable of both ‘independence’ and ‘insurance’ sounds exactly the same. In English, this indistinguishable vowel sound (pronounced like the ‘a’ in ‘ago’) is known as a ‘schwa’. It is this indistinct sound in speech which can lead to much confusion in spelling. Knowledge of the word from which the noun stems can help you to decide whether it should be spelled with an ‘ence’ or an ‘ance’. Nouns spelled with ‘ance’ stem from: - Verbs ending in ‘ure’, ‘ant’ ‘ear’ or ‘y’. ‘Insure’ becomes ‘insurance’. -words where the ‘ance’ is preceded by a harsh ‘k’ or ‘g’ sound, like ‘significance’. Nouns spelled with ‘ence’ stem from: - Verbs ending in an ‘er’ sound, like ‘prefer’, which becomes ‘preference’. - Verbs ending in ‘ere’, like ‘interfere’, which becomes ‘interference’. -Words where the ‘ence’ is preceded by a soft ‘g’ or ‘c’ sound, like ‘intelligence’ and ‘licence’. There are, of course, some exceptions. The word ‘perseverance’ doesn’t fit any of the rules! ‘…se’ not ‘…ze’ Generally, words like ‘generalise’, theorise’ or ‘minimise’ are spelled with ‘se’ in British English and ‘ze’ in American English. Although ‘ze’ is not considered incorrect, it is best to stick to British English spelling throughout your writing, especially if you are at a British institution! Necessary The word ‘necessary’ often trips up those who aren’t sure whether there is a double ‘c’ or a double ‘s’. Remembering the children’s mnemonic ‘I wear one hat and two gloves’ might help you to remember that ‘necessary’ is spelled with one ‘c’ and two ‘s’s! If you would like to have your written work checked for spelling or grammar mistakes, the professionals at Proofread My Essay can help you today! The introduction may well be one of the most important sections of your essay and it is essential that it makes the best possible impression upon the reader. It should be well structured, free from grammatical errors and written with flair and a distinctive voice. There are also some specific elements which are usually included in the content of an introduction. The main components to bear in mind are: content, structure and style. Content In brief, this list details most of the elements which should be included in an introduction:
Structure Having decided upon the content, you can now break it up into as many paragraphs as you require. Bear in mind that the introduction for most dissertations is around two pages long and that an overly long introduction implies that you are unable to be focused or concise. Each new paragraph should flow naturally and be connected with the final sentence of the previous paragraph. There should be a sense of introduction, main content and concluding paragraph within the introduction itself. Style Composing the very first sentence of a vast piece of work might seem like a daunting challenge. It can, however, be an opportunity to impress from the very beginning. Dive straight in and avoid clichés such as ‘in order to ascertain whether or not…’ or ‘this essay will examine…’. Sparing use of personal anecdote can draw the reader in, but keep this to a minimum so that knowledge and factual understanding remain at the forefront of your introduction. Remain focused and stick to the point. There is time enough in the main body of your essay to go into more detail. For a long piece of work the introduction works almost as a teaser, intriguing the reader and compelling them to read on. Don’t state the obvious or generalize about large swathes of history or schools of thought. The introduction is not a story or a synopsis but rather an explanation. Remember that your work should always be a joy to read, rather than a hard slog. Write with confidence, persuasively and with a wide range of vocabulary. Don’t let sentences with multiple clauses get too long and keep clarity of meaning at the forefront of your mind when writing. Introduction writing is a skill which you will likely need to use multiple times throughout longer essays, when a reminder of previous findings and of the question in hand is helpful at the beginning of each new chapter. If you would like some more guidance about how to write and structure a piece of writing, the professionals at Proofread My Essay can help you today! |
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