Getting Ready to Write

In my avocation of tutoring students in writing (see Off To College),  I am frequently asked the best way to improve vocabulary. The obvious answer is to read and to read a variety of material. But parents and students need to know that simply reading doesn't complete the job. I have often had students whose vocabulary is only that of a reader--they never think about using the words they know in oral or written communication, sometimes with funny results.

Once while looking over a student essay on Ethan Frome, I was astonished and amused to read that "Ethan Frome was an onanist." The poor student's argument was that Ethan Frome was self-centered. She jumped from that idea to Frome being focused on self-gratification. Then, no doubt with the help of a thesaurus, she made the astonishing leap to Frome as an onanist without any idea that she was accusing Frome of masturbation. Dictionaries and thesauruses are great tools but they can only take you so far.

First, students should discuss ideas at home, learn to form and defend a critical argument and then learn to form and defend the other side of the argument. As they practice those skills, they should access good vocabulary lists. Be aware that there are two sorts of vocabulary lists that are critical for success in AP Literature. The first, and most commonly supplied list, gives the vocabulary necessary to read the works assigned. Those lists are crucial but even more important are the lists that give the words and phrases necessary for literary criticism. Clearly "solipsist" is a better fit for Ethan Frome than "onanist" and "eponymous"  is a good word to know for that and other works. Learning to use "bildungsroman", "anodyne", "rebarbative", "inchoate", and "pathetic fallacy" among myriad others improves the end product--those dreaded essays. So have your student search online for "vocabulary for literary criticism." Using appropriate vocabulary in conversation at home makes the written product more persuasive because it is more natural.

Don't let any student develop either a fear of or a hatred for writing. Writing is key to success in academia and also in life. Even artists need to be able to write well to apply for grants. When my husband read resumes the ones that were poorly written rarely went further than his first reading regardless of what other qualifications the person had.