Welcome to the Active Voice Blog, the official blog of the Wake Forest University Writing Center. You can find all the information you need about the Center around our main site, but this space is reserved for students, faculty, and staff to share perspectives […]
Categories: Meta
It’s becoming more common to encounter the third-person singular they online and in news reports. Other formulations gaining usage include s/he, he/she, and he or she—combinations all designed to avoid bias in reporting and binary conceptions of gender and sexuality. However, the situation in academic […]
Categories: Tips and Tricks, Uncategorized
Guest post from Writing Center tutor Thomas. It’s often said that great papers aren’t written, they’re re-written. To be fair, after finishing a draft, it can be a daunting task to revisit your writing. Fortunately, every computer comes equipped with an valuable tool that can […]
Categories: Tips and Tricks
anfractuous, adj. “Winding, sinuous, involved; roundabout, circuitous; spiral.” “It was clear from her anfractuous talking that she did not do the reading for her class.” “anfractuous, adj.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2017. Web. 31 May 2017.
Categories: Word of the Week
Categories: Meta
Shout out to all the ‘slow-typists’ out there! A study from the University of Waterloo shows that typing slowly may improve the quality of your writing. Particularly, a slower speed seems to augment the sophistication of one’s vocabulary, as writers have more time to […]
Categories: Interesting Reads
argle-bargle, n. “Disputatious argument, bandying of words, wrangling.” “His answer to the question was so confusing, the hiring committee thought it was pure argle-bargle and didn’t give him the job.” “ˈargle-ˈbargle, n.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2017. Web. 31 May 2017.
Categories: Word of the Week
The Writing Center is starting to put together some writing groups for graduate students writing theses and dissertations as well as students writing undergraduate theses. We are currently recruiting participants as well as group facilitators. So what are these writing groups all about? Well, we want to provide students working on long-form writing projects with […]
Categories: Meta, Tips and Tricks
It’s crunch time! Fall break is just around the corner and you have a few more things to do before you can head home. We’d love to help you! Is the schedule full? Make sure you sign up on the waiting list!
Categories: Meta
disputatious, adj. “Characterized by, or given to, disputation; inclined to dispute or wrangle; contentious.” “Everyone knew that the professor was disputatious so they never argued over their grades.” “disputatious, adj.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2017. Web. 31 May 2017.
Categories: Writing Process
Finishing a paper can sometimes seem impossible, but it doesn’t have to be! Break down your task into manageable pieces by setting some S.M.A.R.T. goals. Specific: State exactly what it is you need to accomplish. Be as […]
Categories: Tips and Tricks, Writing Process
