You have probably already encountered the phrase "compare and
contrast," and learned that in Teacherese, this means to write essays
about the similarities and differences of two stories or articles or
species of fish. Now you have graduated to more advanced confusing
phrases, and the trouble is, there are many more of them now. But just
like "compare and contrast," all these new phrases are, amazingly, still
in English.
Take the phrase "critical analysis," for example. We
know what it means to be critical of something, and when we analyze
something, we pick it apart and discuss all the little pieces. So all
we need to do is combine the two terms. A critical analysis, then, is
when we pick apart whatever it is we are supposed to be reading, and
cast a critical eye on all the little pieces. What does this part mean?
Is the author's opinion valid? What do we know that can support or
disprove it? Whenever you are asked to analyze, pick out each idea
presented by the author and discuss it in detail. You're less likely to
miss something that way.
So what are you going to do when the
teacher or professor asks you to do something like "synthesize the
materials" or "evaluate critically" or "cross-reference" your sources?
Many students in this situation are embarrassed to ask for
clarification, thinking that they are already supposed to know these
terms. Perhaps they are, but they often just go straight to the essay
and guess at what the instructions mean. Bad idea. Particularly when
most students have a dictionary no further away than their school
library. Most of the time, those difficult and confusing words in your
essay instructions have a meaning from regular life.
"Cross-referencing," for example, sounds like it would mean to reference
across. (Many thanks to my cowriter, Captain Obvious.) The point is,
that is exactly what it means. At the end of a source, you find the
sources that that writer used. You then look a-cross to that other
source, and reference it.
Let's try "synthesize." To synthesize
is to combine things. So how do you synthesize reference
materials?...That's right, you combine them. Into a coherent, whole
paper. Doesn't sound so confusing anymore, does it? The same can be
done with nearly every instruction you will receive in the context of an
assignment. What does the professor want when she asks you to "evaluate
critically" something you've read? That's right, she wants you to make a
judgment based on your knowledge of the subject. This technique can be
use to translate nearly all essay directions. But what if you reach
one of which you can't seem to deduce the meaning?
No, you do not
guess. You can ask a classmate. You can summon your courage and ask the
professor. You can consult your librarian, your mother, or the fortune
teller with a shop on Main Street. Granted, the fortune teller should
most likely be a last resort, but there are many other resources to
assist you in translating your essay directions. You can also use these
methods to translate grading rubrics or other academic instructions that
seem to be written in the dreaded language of Smartypantsese.