TEST PREP : ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY - Risty

Hi, same thought as your last essay: you use a lot of "big words", the plus of this strategy is that it gives an appearance of sophistication, the down side is you risk using a word incorrectly, possibly sounding awkward, or even pretentious.  I don't think there is a final "right" answer to this issue as it's a matter of style, but my own personal leaning is towards clear and simple writing.  The reason for that is because when I think of books like "Anne Frank's Diary", clearly the author has no great literary sophistication, yet she manages to get her message across in a powerful and memorable way.  By contrast, the sophisticated and erudite works of professors published in journals have, I hear, an average of 3 readers per article, that's including the author, the editor, and peer reviewer! In your situation, your audience is school, a teacher or fellow student; not saying you ought to write one way or another, but just be aware of your rhetorical choices and the pros and cons of those choices.