Summary of How to Say Nothing in 500 Words.

Professor Paul Roberts elaborates on how to write an effective essay by using the
proper approach, format, and word choice in his 1956 essay, How to Say Nothing in 500
Words.
Professor Paul Roberts reminds readers that writing to appease the reader is not
the best approach to take when writing an essay. He starts off with an example of a
situation in which a student is confronted with a challenging assignment. The student
decides to side with the teacher, but he finds it difficult to write on the topic. Professor
Paul Roberts explains that this is a poor approach to take when writing on a topic. It is
stated that a professor's opinion is likely no stronger than that of a student. The reader is
reminded in the essay that the professor's job is not to grade the paper based on his
feelings toward the subject being written on, but rather to objectively assess the capability
of a student to write an effective paper.
Additionally, Professor Paul Roberts gives several suggestions as to how to write
an essay that touches readers. He starts with instructing writers to avoid obvious content.
He claims the reason for this is because it isn't appealing to readers. The reason it isn't
appealing is because of the fact that the readers are likely to have the same thoughts. He
suggests writing a list of arguments that come to mind and not writing about these, but
rather avoiding them in order to focus on more appealing supporting statements.
Furthermore, the professor continues on to direct writers to take the less usual side
if the essay is a matter of opinion. The reason that this is suggested is, once again,
because of the fact that it will usually be easier to write interestingly about this viewpoint.

It also makes the essay stand out to the Professor who is reviewing the article.
The professor goes on to say, it is stated in the essay that being abstract is not a
good approach. The recommended method of writing is to elaborate on one's viewpoint in
a convincing way. If one writes in a very general way, it will not serve to convince the
audience. Though, if a detailed explanation is written, the descriptiveness will serve to
influence the opinion of the reader.
In the next section, the adding of unnecessary padding is touched upon. The
Professor states that this habit should be broken. The reason is that it is a more touching
essay if one delves deep into the topic rather than remaining wordy and surface. He
suggests that an effective writer provides as much detail as possible using as few words
as possible in order to influence his or her audience. The Professor elaborates on this by
stating that the primary reason for excessive padding in student essays is due to tepidness.
He states that this should be avoided, and that "a fool should be called a fool." He
emphasizes being blunt about one's opinions in the writing.
According to the professor, phrases that are commonly used are to be avoided.
The reason the professor suggests avoiding these expressions is because they can act as a
wall between the writer and the thought that is being expressed. They can act as a means
of influencing readers to give no thought to what is being attempted to be conveyed. He
states that he is aware of the difficulty (almost impossibility) of avoiding said
expressions, but emphasizes "good writers avoid them more often than poor writers."
Finally, in the last part of his essay, Professor Paul Roberts puts forth some ideas
on word selection. He divided this content into three sections: "Colorful Words,"

"Colored Words," and "Colorless Words."

In his section on "colorful words," the professor states that words should
"persuade the reader or soothe him or startle or amuse him." This is what sets coloful
words apart from the other types of words he describes; coloful words have a powerful
effect on the reader's emotions. He also brings forth the fact that word selection must be
done carefully as it may work against the writer in some instances. One does not want to
sound "too colorful," and one does not want to understate his or her messages.
Furthing on the topic of word selection, the section regarding "colored words"
simply touches upon the connotation of words. He emphasizes the importance of
understanding the connotation of the words being used in an essay. Depending on one's
intent, "colored words" may best be avoided, or may be useful in serving the purpose of
the essay.
In the very last section, Professor Paul Roberts mentions words that are very
general, or "colorless words." The name "colorless" was chosen for these words because
they are in opposition of colorful words; "colorless" words have little to no effect on the
reader's emotions. It is stated in this section that words such as these are overused, and
use of "colorless" words may well lead to a bad grade. Not only this, but also, a general
detachment from the opinions expressed in the essay by the readers. This detachment
means the essay will have less of an impact on readers. Therefore, these "colorless
words" are best avoided.