https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kgoywgXc2o

Millions of students have been taught a formula that has nothing to do with chemistry. The formula is for how to write a five-paragraph essay. First, write an introductory paragraph to state the argument. Then, add three paragraphs of evidence. Finally, write a conclusion. Linda Bergmann is director of the Writing Lab at Purdue University in Indiana. Her job is to help students, including international students, improve their writing. Professor Bergmann has worked with many students who learned this traditional five-paragraph formula. She says international students sometimes have difficulty with this formula if they learned a different writing structure. But just knowing how to write a five-paragraph essay is not going to be enough for a college student who has to write a longer academic paper. As Professor Bergmann points out, the formula is too simple to deal with subjects that require deeper thought and investigation. In her words, "Essentially, it is way too simplistic to handle more intellectually sophisticated topics which involve actual inquiry." Karen Gocsik is executive director of courses in the Institute for Writing and Rhetoric at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. The institute has an extensive library of online writing materials on its website. So what are the qualities that make up good writing? Ms. Gocsik says there are no simple answers -- except maybe for one. That is, there is no formula that students can follow to guarantee a well-written paper. She says, "What we try to teach students to do in college is to listen to their ideas, and that the idea should be able to tell you what form it needs to take." She says moving from secondary-school writing to college-level writing can be difficult, but students should not be afraid. American college students are usually expected to state their thesis at the beginning of a paper. In some cultures, students organize their paragraphs to build toward the main idea at the end. And, while students in some cultures use lots of descriptive words, American professors generally want shorter sentences.For VOA Special English, I'm Alex Villarreal. Tell us about your own experience with academic writing. Go to voaspecialenglish.com and share your stories. And before you write that next paper, check out two links on our website. One is for the Online Writing Lab at Purdue. The other is for the Institute for Writing and Rhetoric at Dartmouth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28sxZz68PdM&list=RD5kgoywgXc2o&index=2

Can you think your way to wealth and success? Napoleon Hill believed that if you think the right thoughts you can. In 1937, he published the book "Think and Grow Rich." Napoleon Hill spent many years researching financial success and observing people who had become rich. Although it was published in the middle of The Great Depression, it was an immediate success. "Think and Grow Rich" remains one of the most-popular non-fiction books ever written. Forbes magazine says it has sold 70 million copies since it first appeared, and continues to sell today. Napoleon Hill wrote at least ten other books about success before his death in 1970. None of Hill's books came close to selling as many copies as "Think and Grow Rich." But for today's generation, "Think and Grow Rich" is now available in a different form. SmarterComics has released an illustrated version of the book. Franco Arda is the company's founder and publisher. He used to work as an investment banker. He started the company three years ago with his own money. He wanted to create picture books that increase understanding. His versions provide much of the information that is in full-length books but in an easy-to-understand, picture, or comic, form. Franco Arda says readers will understand and remember more about gaining success if they read the comic book version of "Think and Grow Rich." He says pictures make the book easier to remember.He says the book taught him to change the way he thinks about money and success. SmarterComics says the book tells how "wealth is a lifelong pursuit achieved by believing in the value of personal ideas." It says anyone can achieve their dreams by refusing to be stopped by temporary problems. For VOA Learning English, I'm Alex Villarreal.