Writing around Reading

Writing around Reading

Write at least 120 words about an essay entitled “Van Gogh:Mad or Genius” based on your summary of the text.Your essay should include the following three points:

1)Van Gogh is considered a great artist;

2)Van Gogh is also famed for his mental instability;

3)A conclusion on Van Gogh’s life.

Before writing，you need to learn the writing skill of maintaining objectivity which are provided below.Then you should write your essay in the space provided.

Writing Skill

Writing Techniques—Maintaining Objectivity

You wouldn’t think of writing e-mail or a letter to a friend without using the first-person singular I,me,or my.However,when you write academic prose or essays,you should make them feel as objective as possible.Tips for maintaining objectivity in writing are as follows:

1)Take your perspective in a detached manner,that is,try not to involve your personal emotion in it;

2)Support your view with concrete figures instead of words that reflect your judgment,such as “a little” and “greatly”;

3)Eliminate phrases like “I think” and “in my opinion”;

4)Avoid using words like “maybe”,“perhaps” and so on;

5)Use phrases like “this implicates…” or “it is suggestive of…” when making inferences;

6)Third person is always preferred;

7)Use passive voice to state an opinion or phenomenon;

8)Take as many aspects into consideration as possible when drawing conclusions.

Van Gogh:Mad or Genius

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