TOW: How to Say Nothing in 500 Words by Paul Roberts

How to Say Nothing in 500 Words by Paul Roberts essentially analyzes the different types of strategies that student writers use to fill up words in their essays, as well as giving helpful advice on other ways to have a strong structured piece of writing. The author, Paul Roberts, is an american author who taught college English for over 20 years, first at San Jose State College and then later on at Cornell University. He also wrote several helpful writing textbooks including English Syntax (1954), Patterns of English (1956), Understanding English (1958), and English Sentences (1962). The audience that this text is composed for is students who write ineffective essays. The context is initially a scenario in which a student is dreading a 500 words essay and just overuses examples and ideas that many other students also use. The author then goes on to explain ways that students can write a good essay and utilize an advanced structure. Throughout How to Say Nothing in 500 Words, Roberts applies several didactics and instructs his intended audience on using adequate words and sentences. This rhetorical strategy effects the entirety of the essay because it makes it much more informative and allows the audience to see the purpose of the writing. The purpose in writing the text is to benefit students in their writing skills, and also teaches them to write an intriguing essay rather than a bland and uninteresting one. In my opinion the other certainly did a good job in advising students on writing a better structured and appealing essay because he is able to establish a tone that makes the audience comfortable and allows them to understand what he is saying. The text is well backed up by examples, which I believe did a good job of illustrating Robert's purpose.