circumstances,would seem to be rather dangerous in many respects,or at least so it would seem to me. Thus four words have been turned into forty,and not an iota of content has been added. 21 Now this is a way to go about reaching five hundred words,and if you are content with a"D" grade,it is as good a way as any.But if you aim higher,you must work differently.Instead of stuffing your sentences with straw,you must try steadily to get rid of the padding,to make your sentences lean and tough.If you are really working at it,your first draft will greatly exceed the required total,and then you will work it down.thus: It is thought in some quarters that fraternities do not contribute as much as might be expected to campus life Some people think that fraternities contribute little to campus life. The average doctor who practices in small towns or in the country must toil night and day to heal the sick. Most country doctors work long hours. When I was a little girl,I suffered from shyness and embarrassment in the presence of others. I was a shy little girl. It is absolutely necessary for the person employed as a marine fireman to give the matter of steam pressure his undivided attention at all times The fireman has to keep his eye on the steam gauge. 22 You may ask how you can arrive at five hundred words at this rate.Simple.You dig up more real content.Instead of taking a couple of obvious points off the surface of the topic and then circling warily around them for six paragraphs,you work in and explore,figure out the details. You illustrate.You say that fast driving is dangerous,and then you prove it.How long does it take to stop a car at forty and at eighty?How far can you see at night?What happens when a tire blows? What happens in a head-on collision at fifty miles an hour?Pretty soon your paper will be full of broken glass and blood and headless torsos,and reaching five hundred words will not really be a problem. CALL A FOOL A FOOL 23 Some of the padding in freshman themes is to be blamed not on anxiety about the word minimum but on excessive timidity.The student writes,"In my opinion,the principal of my high school acted in ways that I believe every unbiased person would have to call foolish."This isn't exactly what he means.What he means is,"My high school principal was a fool."If he was a fool, call him a fool.Hedging the thing about with "in-my-opinion's"and "it-seems-to-me's"and "as-I-see-it's"and "at-least-from-my-point-of-view's"gains you nothing.Delete these phrases whenever they creep into your paper. 24 The student's tendency to hedge stems from a modesty that in other circumstances would be commendable.He is,he realizes,young and inexperienced,and he half suspects that he is dopey and fuzzy-minded beyond the average.Probably only too true.But it doesn't help to announce your incompetence six times in every paragraph.Decide what you want to say and say it as vigorously as possible,without apology and in plain words. 66 circumstances, would seem to be rather dangerous in many respects, or at least so it would seem to me. Thus four words have been turned into forty, and not an iota of content has been added. 21 Now this is a way to go about reaching five hundred words, and if you are content with a "D" grade, it is as good a way as any. But if you aim higher, you must work differently. Instead of stuffing your sentences with straw, you must try steadily to get rid of the padding, to make your sentences lean and tough. If you are really working at it, your first draft will greatly exceed the required total, and then you will work it down, thus: It is thought in some quarters that fraternities do not contribute as much as might be expected to campus life. Some people think that fraternities contribute little to campus life. The average doctor who practices in small towns or in the country must toil night and day to heal the sick. Most country doctors work long hours. When I was a little girl, I suffered from shyness and embarrassment in the presence of others. I was a shy little girl. It is absolutely necessary for the person employed as a marine fireman to give the matter of steam pressure his undivided attention at all times. The fireman has to keep his eye on the steam gauge. 22 You may ask how you can arrive at five hundred words at this rate. Simple. You dig up more real content. Instead of taking a couple of obvious points off the surface of the topic and then circling warily around them for six paragraphs, you work in and explore, figure out the details. You illustrate. You say that fast driving is dangerous, and then you prove it. How long does it take to stop a car at forty and at eighty? How far can you see at night? What happens when a tire blows? What happens in a head-on collision at fifty miles an hour? Pretty soon your paper will be full of broken glass and blood and headless torsos, and reaching five hundred words will not really be a problem. CALL A FOOL A FOOL 23 Some of the padding in freshman themes is to be blamed not on anxiety about the word minimum but on excessive timidity. The student writes, "In my opinion, the principal of my high school acted in ways that I believe every unbiased person would have to call foolish." This isn't exactly what he means. What he means is, "My high school principal was a fool." If he was a fool, call him a fool. Hedging the thing about with "in-my-opinion's" and "it-seems-to-me's" and "as-I-see-it's" and "at-least-from-my-point-of-view's" gains you nothing. Delete these phrases whenever they creep into your paper. 24 The student's tendency to hedge stems from a modesty that in other circumstances would be commendable. He is, he realizes, young and inexperienced, and he half suspects that he is dopey and fuzzy-minded beyond the average. Probably only too true. But it doesn't help to announce your incompetence six times in every paragraph. Decide what you want to say and say it as vigorously as possible, without apology and in plain words