Writing

Cliff has answered many Writing questions from other students who need a little help on their homework and tests. Browse this list of questions to find out if Cliff already has an answer for you. If not, return to the Ask Cliff page to ask your Writing question, keeping in mind, of course, that Cliff won't do your homework for you.

Change results to: All English Grammar Writing
1. I just read Dracula. What's the forcemeat in Jonathan Harker's journal?
2. Can the word stern mean more than one thing?
3. What does the word supercilious mean?
4. Is grippe something that makes you sick?
5. Does the word elucidation have something to do with drugs?
6. How would you use fervid and fervent in a sentence?
7. How can someone become a good writer?
8. What's the difference between parody and satire?
9. How do you cite CliffsNotes in APA, MLA, and CMS styles?
10. Define mood as it relates to a work of fiction. Distinguish mood from effect.
11. For my English homework, I have to write a love poem. I'm only 13 and I haven't had my first love yet. How would I go about writing about feelings that I haven't felt yet?
12. In The Red Badge of Courage, what's an imprecation?
13. The word portmanteau shows up in a lot of the literature I read for school assignments. It sounds French. What does it mean?
14. What period in history does histrionics cover?
15. People used to die from consumption. Does that mean they ate too much?
16. What are alliteration and assonance?
17. Is it ever okay to start a sentence with the word but?
18. What is the longest word in the English language?
19. I'm learning English now, so I gave myself an English name — "Vivi." However, an American told me that "Vivi" is not suitable for a name. There are some local reasons. So I want to know if "Vivi" really can't be used as a name.
20. I'm guessing the word quadroon is four of something. But what's a roon?
21. In Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, what's a samovar?
22. I came across a music channel that featured "tejano," and then I saw the same word when I was reading Bless Me, Ultima. What does it mean?
23. In The Awakening, there's a term "prunella gaiter." I'm guessing that gaiters are a type of covering for your legs, like the gaiters I use on my ski boots to keep snow out. But what the heck is prunella? Is it a purplish color like prunes?
24. What's sedulous mean?
25. When writing a paper, what do I do to the title of a book? Do I underline it or italicize it?
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