Wednesday, January 18, 2012

How to Use a Bookmark

It can be so annoying to lose your place in a book. Even if you use a bookmark to mark your page, it can take some time to figure out exactly where you left off. But there is a method for finding your place in a book right away, every time you return to it.

The trick is using a small card, like a research note card, for a bookmark. The card should have writing on one side, so you could decorate it to suit your style.

When you stop reading, place the card on the line where you stopped reading--not at the top of the page. This way it will line up with the last line that you read.

If you left off on the odd-numbered page, always place your card front side up. If you left off on the even-numbered page, always place the card bottom side (blank side) up. Once you get used to using this trick, you'll never have to worry about finding your place in a book you're reading.


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Why So Many Writing Styles?

You may know that instructors from different disciplines will prefer different writing styles for your assignments. For example, your English teacher will most likely prefer that you write according to Modern Language Association (MLA) rules as you construct your essay, while your history teacher might prefer papers written in Turabian Style.

Another writing style is American Psychological Association (APA). This is the style that many instructors prefer when teaching in the social sciences, like psychology and social studies.

Teachers aren't being picky when they prefer different writing styles; there are reasons for the different types of paper styles. Turabian Style fits with history papers because it allows for footnotes, and history papers require the use of many explanatory footnotes or endnotes.

APA is appropriate for social sciences, because it is designed to allow for highly structured reports, and that is perfect for describing the experiments and results that you often find in this type of scholarship. APA papers contain specific sections and subsections, according to the process used in research.


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Study Partner

One great way to stay on target and earn better grades is to pair up with a study partner. A study partner will help you in several ways.
  1. A study partner will help you remember a due date or the date of an exam. Never forget another test! Share calendars with your study partner and both of you will know when a big project or paper is due.
  2. Your study partner can share flashcards with you and quiz you before a test. Create your paper cards and meet up to study or use online flashcards together.
  3. Two heads are better than one, so your study partner may think of practice essay questions that you didn't think of.
  4. Study partners can switch papers and pre-grade each other before assignments are turned in. Proofread together and share your thoughts and ideas.
  5. A study partner can have your back if you get sick on the day when your paper is due. Arrange ahead of time to pick up and turn in papers for each other in the event of an emergency.
  6. A study partner will understand some methods or problems that you don't. You will be able to explain some problems to your partner in return. It's a trade-off.
  7. Your partner may be able to help you with your research skills. Meet your partner in the library and learn to use the resources together--then share what you know to help each other out. For example, one partner can learn to search databases while the other learns to find books on the shelves.
  8. You can benefit from sharing your strengths. One may be better with grammar, while the other is better with numbers.
  9. Study partners motivate each other and reduce the potential for procrastination.
  10. Study partners can be there if you forget important tools--like a calculator, dictionary, colored pencils, or notebook paper.

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The Scarlet Letter

Title, Author and Publication

The Scarlet Letter is a novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne. It was first published in 1850 by Ticknor & Fields of Boston.

Setting

The Scarlet Letter is set in 17th century Boston which was then a small village populated mostly by Puritans.

Characters of The Scarlet Letter

  • Hester Prynne: the protagonist of the novel, Hester is a young married woman who has an affair with the village minister. Her infidelity is revealed with the pregnancy that results and she is forced to wear a scarlet letter 'A' as the mark of her sin.
  • Roger Chillingworth: the antagonist of the novel and Hester's husband. Chillingworth disguises himself as a doctor in order to discover Hester's partner in adultery.
  • Arthur Dimmesdale: the village minister and Hester's lover. Dimmesdale's sin is protected by Hester, but his guilty conscience causes him significant physical ailments.
  • Pearl: the illegitimate child of Hester and Dimmesdale.

Plot for The Scarlet Letter

The Scarlet Letter begins with Hester Prynne being taken from prison to be berated by the townspeople for both her adultery and for keeping her lover's name a secret. As the novel progresses, the reader realizes that Dimmesdale is Hester's lover and that Chillingworth is her husband in disguise bent on avenging his defamed honor. Hawthorne reveals the honest emotion that exists between Hester and Dimmesdale, but tempers it with the danger of their secret being revealed at the hand of Chillingworth. Dimmesdale's health deteriorates as his guilt eats away at him and eventually he reveals to the village that he is Hester's lover and Pearl's father.

Questions to Ponder: Consider the following questions as you read.

Examine the development of character through the novel.

  • Why is Hester Prynne an admirable character?
  • In what ways is Roger Chillingworth revealed as a warped or evil character?
  • What does Pearl symbolize?
  • What is the significance of Pearl not recognizing her mother without her 'A'?
  • How do the names in the book reveal aspects of the characters' natures?

Examine the conflict between society and nature.

  • How does the ethic of Puritanism conflict with human nature?
  • What symbolic examples may be found in the text for man's domination over nature?
  • What is Hawthorne trying to say about religion through the character of Arthur Dimmesdale?
  • What is the significance of the many references to light and dark?

Possible First Sentences for The Scarlet Letter

  • Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale are like a 17th century Adam and Eve.
  • The Scarlet Letter is a novel rich in symbolism.
  • Nathaniel Hawthorne creates an allegory of man's domination over nature in The Scarlet Letter.
  • The wildness of human nature is often in conflict with the rules that govern society.

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Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Point of View

The point of view of a book is the method and perspective an author uses for conveying the story.

A "first person" point of view uses "I" and sounds a little bit like reading a journal. The narrator witnesses events first hand and expresses how it looks and feels through his or her experience. From Huckleberry Finn:

"Tom's most well now, and got his bullet around his neck on a watch-guard for a watch, and is always seeing what time it is, and so there ain't nothing more to write about, and I am rotten glad of it, because if I'd a knowed what a trouble it was to make a book I wouldn't a tackled it, and ain't a-going to no more."

A second person point of view is seldom used, which makes sense if you think about it. In second person, the writer speaks directly to the reader. This would be awkward and confusing in a novel!

The third person is the most common type of narration. Of this type, two varieties are used in most of the novels you read.

Omniscient narration provides an insight to the thoughts, feelings, and impressions of all the characters and events. We receive information from an all-knowing vantage point—and we even know what’s going on when nobody is around to experience it.

In an objective or dramatic point of view, we are told events and allowed to react and have feelings as an observer. We are not provided the emotions, we experience emotions, based on the events we read about. While this may sound impersonal, it is just the opposite. This is much like observing a film or a play—and we know how powerful that can be!


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Resolutions for Students

There are a number of steps you could take to really improve your performance in school, so this is a perfect time to pick one or two great study habits and resolve to work on them. You'll find that you don't have to change your whole personality or your whole life to improve your grades; one or two small changes in your habits will make a huge difference.

  • Resolve to read your assignments. Many students choose to skip this step and rely on teacher lectures. Most of the time you can get away with this to maintain an average GPA. But is that really your goal?
  • Resolve to record every assignment and due date in your planner. This action, alone, will improve your performance.
  • Resolve to read classic literature outside your assignments. This will increase your vocabulary and expand your mind.
  • Resolve to be on time every day. Tardiness can lead to many more problems.
  • Keep a journal. Journal writing is good for your brain, good for your emotional health, and good for your writing skills.

Can you think of another resolution that will improve your grades?


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Position Paper

In a position paper, you will choose a side on a particular controversial topic and build up a case for your opinion or position. Once you state your position, you will use facts, opinion, statistics and other forms of evidence to convince your reader that your position is the best one.

As you collect research for your position paper and begin to craft an outline, you must remember that the teacher will be looking for a well-constructed argument. This means that the subject matter and your topic is not as important as your ability to make a case. You topic could be simple or complex—but your argument must be sound and logical.

Select a Topic

Your position paper is going to center around a personal belief that is supported by research, so you have an opportunity to tap into your own strong feelings in this assignment. Take advantage of this opportunity! Find a topic that is near and dear to your heart, and you’ll put more of your heart into your work. That always leads to a better outcome.

Conduct Preliminary Research

Preliminary research is necessary to determine whether evidence is available to back up your stance. You don’t want to get to attached to a topic that falls apart under a challenge.

Search a few reputable sites, like educations sites and government sites, to find professional studies and statistics. If you come up with nothing after an hour of searching, or if you find that your position doesn’t stand up to the findings on reputable sites, you might want to find another topic.

Challenge Your Own Topic

This is a very important step! You must know the opposite view as well as you know your own stance when you take a position. You must know all the possible challenges that you might face as you support your view. Your position paper must present the opposing view and chip away at it with counter evidence.

For this reason, you must find arguments for the other side of your position, address those arguments, and state why they are not sound.

Draw a line down the middle of a sheet of paper and list your points on one side and list opposing points on the other side. Which argument is really better?

Continue to Collect Supporting Evidence

Once you’ve determined that your position is supportable and the opposite position is (in your opinion) weaker than your own, you are ready to branch out with your research. Go to a library and conduct a search, or ask the reference librarian to help you find more sources.

Try to collect a variety of sources, to include an expert’s opinion (doctor, lawyer, or professor, for example) and personal experience (from a friend or family member) that can add an emotional appeal to your topic.

Create an Outline

A position paper might be arranged in the following format:

1. Introduce your topic with a little background information. Build up to your thesis sentence, which asserts your position. Sample points:

  • For decades, the FDA has required that warning labels should be placed on certain products that pose a threat to public health.
  • Fast food restaurants are bad for our health.
  • Fast food packages should contain warning labels.

2. List possible objections to your position. Sample points:

  • Such labels would affect profits of major corporations.
  • Many people would see this as overreaching government control.
  • Whose job is it to determine which restaurants are bad? Who draws the line?
  • The program would be costly.

3. Support and acknowledgement of the opposing points. Sample points:

  • It would be difficult and expensive for any entity to determine which restaurants should adhere to the policy.
  • Nobody wants to see the government overstepping its boundaries.
  • Funding would fall onto the shoulders of taxpayers.

4. Explain that your position is still the best one, despite the strength of counter arguments. Sample points:

  • The cost would be countered by the improvement of public health.
  • Restaurants might improve the standards of food if warning labels were put into place.
  • One role of the government is to keep citizens safe.
  • The government already does this with drugs and cigarettes.

5. Summarize your argument and restate your position.

Get Attitude When you write a position paper, you should write with confidence. In this paper you want to state your opinion with authority. After all, your goal is to demonstrate that your position is the correct one. Be assertive, but don't be cocky. State your points and back them up with evidence.


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Start a Weird Routine

Do you get frustrated when you forget things? We all forget stuff once in awhile, but forgetting can be costly! A forgotten homework assignment usually turns into an F.

One way to make sure that your grades reflect your true potential (and not your forgetfulness) is to incorporate a weird activity into your routine. In other words, concentrate on a step you often forget (like packing your homework into your bag) and introduce a weird activity, like ringing a homework bell or doing a special dance step, that indicates you've completed that step.

Sound crazy? Actually, this weird activity will become a habit--one that you will remember every night. Since you'll become accustomed to your activity through tactile learning, you will remember the duty that goes along with it.


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Absent Days Aren't Free Days!

When a student visits my office for academic counseling, I always pull up a copy of the student's schedule on my computer. Once in a while I notice that the student is sitting in my office when he or she should be sitting in class. The conversation that follows goes something like this:

Me: "Aren't you supposed to be in class right now?"

Student: "Yes, but I am allowed three free days off."

Me: "There's no such thing!"

Instructors often allow students to miss a few days of class, and they will state this allowance in a syllabus, because instructors know that emergencies happen. The important thing to note is that those three or so days are set aside for emergencies; they're not free pass, sleep-in days! Skipping class and using up those allowances that fit within the teacher's guidelines will cost you in the long run.

First of all, you always miss a lot of valuable, testable information when you miss a class. It's hard to catch up from that!

Secondly, when you use up your absent days, you are asking for trouble. A flat tire, a bad cold, or a family situation will certainly pop up to cause you to go over your limit of absences.

If you are "allowed" a certain number of absences in a class, don't think of these as "free pass" days to be used at your leisure. This is a recipe for disaster.


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Saturday, January 7, 2012

A Wrinkle in Time

Title, Author & Publication

A Wrinkle in Time was written by Madeleine L’Engle and published in 1962 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux of New York.

Setting

The scenes of A Wrinkle in Time occur in the home of the protagonist and on a variety of planets. In this type of fantasy novel, the willing suspension of disbelief is essential to a deeper understanding of the story. The reader must embrace the other worlds as symbolic of larger abstract ideas.

Main Characters

Meg Murry, the protagonist of the story. Meg is 14 and considers herself a misfit among her peers. She is an adolescent lacking in maturity and confidence who embarks on a quest to find her father.
Charles Wallace Murry, Meg’s five year old brother. Charles is a genius and has some telepathic ability. He accompanies his sister on their journey.
Calvin O’Keefe, Meg’s close friend and, though popular at school, also considers himself odd next to his peers and family.
Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who & Mrs. Which, three angelic aliens who accompany the children on their journey.
IT & The Black Thing, the two antagonists of the novel. Both creatures represent ultimate evil.

Plot

A Wrinkle in Time is the story of the Murry children and their search for their missing scientist father. Meg, Charles Wallace and Calvin are guided by three aliens who act as guardian angels, and who battle the force of The Black Thing as it tries to overcome the universe with evil. As the children move through space and time with the Tesseract, they are met with several challenges that require them to prove their worth. Most important is Meg’s journey to rescue her brother as it is during this time that she must overcome her fears and self-serving immaturity to succeed.

Questions and Themes to Ponder

Examine the theme of maturity.

  • How does Meg transform over the course of the book?
  • How does Charles Wallace act as a foil to Meg?
  • Why does Charles Wallace become susceptible to the influence of IT?

Examine the theme of good vs. evil.

  • Archetypes are recurring symbols that are used repeatedly in art and literature.
  • What archetypes are found in this book and how do they contribute to the development of this theme?

What roles do the Murry parents play?

  • How do the goals of IT threaten the Murry family and society at large?

Consider the role of religion in the novel.

  • Is there irony in the fact that one of the main characters is named Calvin? Why?
  • How is the Christian ethic depicted?

Possible First Sentences

“Good and evil are concepts that transcend the finite regions of time and space.”
“Fear keeps individuals from succeeding and societies from evolving.”
“Physical journeys often parallel journeys taken within oneself.”
“Maturation is a common theme in children’s literature.”


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Bad Sources

In conducting homework research, you are basically conducting a search for facts: little tidbits of truth that you will assemble and arrange in an organized fashion. Your first responsibility as a researcher is to understand the difference between fact and fiction—and also the difference between fact and opinion.

Here are some common places to find opinions and works of fiction that can be disguised as facts.

1. Blogs

As you know, anybody can publish a blog on the Internet. This poses an obvious problem with using a blog as a research source, as there is no way to know the credentials of many bloggers or to get an understanding of the writer’s level of expertise.

Many people create blogs to give themselves a forum to express their views and opinions.

2. Personal Web Sites

A web page is much like a blog when it comes to being an unreliable research source. Web pages are created by the public, so you have to be very careful when choosing them as sources. It's sometimes difficult to determine which web sites are created by experts and professionals on a given topic.

If you think about it, using information from a personal web page is just like stopping a perfect stranger on the street and collecting information from him or her. Not very reliable!

3. Wiki Sites

Wiki web sites can be very informative, but they can also be untrustworthy. Wiki sites allow groups of people to add and edit the information contained on the pages. You can imagine how a wiki source could contain unreliable information!

The question that always arises when it comes to homework and research is whether it’s OK to use Wikipedia as a source of information. Wikipedia is a great site with a lot of fantastic information, and a possible exception to the rule. Your teacher can tell you for certain if you can use this source. One thing is for certain: Wikipedia offers a reliable overview of a topic to give you a strong foundation to start with. It also provides a list of resources where you can continue your own research.

4. Movies

Don’t laugh. Teachers, librarians, and college professors will all tell you that students often believe things the they’ve seen in movies. Whatever you do, don’t use a movie as a research source! Movies about historical events can contain kernels of truth, but they are created for entertainment, not for educational purposes.

5. Historical Novels

Students also believe that historical novels are trustworthy, because they state that they are “based on facts.” There is a difference between a factual work and a work that is based on facts!

A novel that is based on a single fact can still contain ninety-nine percent fiction! Never use a historical novel as a history resource.


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Homework Checklist

Printable View

After School:

____ Mark new due dates on your calendar

____ Make a shopping list for supplies needed for future assignments

____ Set up email or text message reminders

____ Finish your homework

____ Proof read written assignments

____ Put all work into book bag

____ Place book bag in designated location

____ Check your calendar to determine a study time for tomorrow

____ Set your alarm for morning

In the Morning:

____ Pack a lunch and/or snack to put in your book bag (to avoid distractions)

____ Eat something for breakfast

____ Take your book bag to school

____ Leave early

During Study Time:

____ Date all your notes

____ Use color-coded sticky notes (when reading)

____ Double-check due dates


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Ethos, Logos, and Pathos

You may be surprised to learn that much of your life consists of constructing arguments. If you ever plead a case to your parents -- in order to extend your curfew, or to get a new gadget, for example -- you are using persuasive strategies.

When you discuss music with friends, and agree or disagree with them about the merits of one singer compared to another, you are also using strategies for persuasion.

Here's a surprise: when you engage in these "arguments" with your parents and friends, you are instinctively using ancient strategies for persuasion that were identified by the Greek philosopher Aristotle a few thousand years ago!

Aristotle called his ingredients for persuasion ethos, logos, and pathos.

Persuasion Tactics and Homework

When you write a research paper, write a speech, or participate in a debate, you also use the persuasion strategies mentioned above. You come up with an idea (a thesis) and then construct an argument to convince readers that your idea is sound.

You should become familiar with pathos, logos, and ethos for two reasons. First, you need to develop your own skills at crafting a good argument, so that others will take you seriously.

Secondly, you must develop the ability to identify a really weak argument, stance, claim, or position when you see or hear it.

What Is Logos?

Logos refers to an appeal to reason based on logic. Logical conclusions come from assumptions and decisions derived from weighing a collection of solid facts and statistics. Academic arguments (research papers) rely on logos.

An example of an argument that relies on logos is the argument that smoking is harmful based on the evidence that "Cigarette smoke contains over 4,800 chemicals, 69 of which are known to cause cancer." (1)

Notice that the statement above uses specific numbers. Numbers are sound and logical.

An everyday example of an appeal to logos is the argument that Lady Gaga was more popular than Justin Bieber in 2011 because Gaga's fan pages collected ten million more Facebook fans than Bieber's.

As a researcher, your job is to find statistics and other facts to back up your claims. When you do this, you are appealing to your audience with logic-or logos.

What Is Ethos?

Trustworthiness is important in research, as you well know. You must trust your sources, and your readers must trust you.

In the example above concerning logos, you saw two examples that were based on hard facts (numbers). However, one example comes from the American Lung Association. The other comes from Facebook fan pages. Which of these sources do you suppose is more credible?

Facebook fan pages can be started by anyone. Lady Gaga may have fifty different fan pages, and each page may contain duplicate "fans." The fan page argument is probably not very sound (even though it seems logical).

Ethos refers to the credibility of the person posing the argument or stating the facts.

The facts provided by the American Lung Association are probably more persuasive than those provided by fan pages, since the American Lung Association has been around for more than 100 years.

At first glance, you might think that your own credibility is out of your control when it comes to posing academic arguments-but that is wrong!

Even if you write an academic paper on a topic that is outside your area of expertise, you can improve your credibility (persuade through ethos) as a researcher by coming across as a professional--by citing credible sources and making your writing error-free and concise.

What Is Pathos?

Pathos refers to appealing to a person by influencing their emotions. Pathos is involved in the strategy of convincing the audience by invoking feelings through their own imaginations.

You probably appeal through pathos when you try to convince your parents of something. Consider this statement:

"Mom, there is clear evidence that cell phones save lives in emergency situations."

While that statement is true, the real power lies in the emotions that you will likely invoke in your parent. What mother wouldn't envision a broken-down automobile perched by the side of a busy highway upon hearing that statement?

Emotional appeals are extremely effective, but they can be tricky.

There may or may not be a place for pathos in your research paper. For example, you may be writing an argument essay about the death penalty.

Ideally, your paper should contain a logical argument. You should appeal to logos by including statics to support your view-such as data that suggests that the death penalty does/does not cut down on crime (there's plenty of research both ways).

But you may also use pathos by interviewing someone who witnessed an execution (on the anti-death penalty side) or someone who found closure when a criminal was executed (on the pro-death penalty side).

Generally, however, academic papers should employ appeals to emotions pretty sparingly. A long paper that is purely based on emotions is not considered very professional!

Even when you are writing about an emotionally-charged, controversial issue like the death penalty, you can't write a paper that is all emotion and opinion. The teacher, in that circumstance, will likely assign a failing grade because you haven't provided a sound (logical) argument.

You need logos!

1. From the web site for The American Lung Association, "General Smoking Facts," accessed on December 20, 2011.


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Monday, January 2, 2012

Tips for Senior Year

The senior year is the best of times and the worst of times.

That might be a little bit of a stretch; that sentence is really an allusion to the opening line of A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens. This subtle reference is the sort of thing you may be expected to recognize as a college student.

The senior year does resemble a sort of double-duty function. It is a time when you should celebrate your accomplishments, but it's also a time when you have to work hard to prepare for your future. One way to be prepared is to recognize how college studies will differ from high school studies. The other way to prepare is to tie up loose ends when it comes to college and financial aid applications.

Study Tips for Seniors

  1. Improve your note-taking skills.
    College lectures cover a lot of information and sometimes the lectures go at a fast speed. Develop your own form of shorthand and speed writing.
  2. Familiarize yourself with the library.
    You'll be expected to do more thorough research than ever before in college. You'll need to discover how to find journal articles, government reports, and maybe even primary sources at some point.
  3. Exercise critical reading skills.
    In college you will not only use more sources than ever before, but you'll also learn to analyze those sources. Learn to read with a critical eye.
  4. Practice reading difficult books and chapters.
    You may get a big surprise when you open one of your college text books. Some are written in a language and style much like the texts you use in high school. Some are not. Many college texts are written by academics who use pretty advanced vocabularies and propose pretty complicated theories and concepts. Be aware of this, but don't panic about it. All you have to do is learn how to divide and conquer the reading.
  5. Learn to use Microsoft Word or another word processor.
    You will have to write research papers on a more frequent basis than before. Things like footnotes and bibliographies should become second nature.

College Prep Tips for Seniors

You should complete the college application process in a timely manner by creating a personal admission calendar countdown. Your specific time line will depend on your college of choice. As a general rule, you should apply to the most competitive colleges as early as possible, sometime in the fall months. Community colleges and technical college applications normally go out a little later, at some point in the winter months.

  1. Follow Through with Financial Aid
    If you are planning to use some sort of financial aid such as loans, grants, or even scholarships, you should complete a lot of financial aid paperwork. This starts with the FAFSA, which is a federal-level form which establishes a file for you within the federal government system, but it doesn't end there! Each college has its own paperwork that establishes a file within that particular college.

    Each year, some students face a big surprise on move-in day, when they realize that their financial aid application is not complete. Students may complete some of the steps and believe they have done everything necessary-when, in fact, they have not.

    Once you believe you have done everything necessary when it comes to applying for financial aid, follow through with a phone call to a counselor. Ask them exactly where you stand and whether there will be a balance due on move-in day.

  2. Senior Year and College Mail

    During your senior year you will be bombarded with college recruitment mail. At first this is flattering, but eventually it becomes annoying. The problem is, students start to throw away everything when they become overwhelmed. This can be a big mistake!

    Once in awhile, some colleges will mail out information about scholarship opportunities that you hadn't expected and hadn't applied for. Small private colleges often do this. Why miss out on a great opportunity? Take the time to open your mail and do a quick evaluation before trashing it.


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A Figure of Speech

Definition: Irony is a figure of speech in which an expression means something the opposite of or very contrary to its literal meaning.

Pronunciation:

eye-ro-nee

Also Known As: incongruity, sarcasm

Examples:

He was suspended for his little mishap.

The homeless survived in their cardboard palaces.

My cat enjoys the thrill of a good, long nap.


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Typing Spanish Letters

If you use WordPerfect for Windows, you can insert Spanish characters by bringing up the box you see above.
  • Go to the Insert menu
  • Select Character.
  • Select the Multinational character set
  • Click on appropriate symbol.

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