Schilla 1

Christopher Schilla
Professor McKeever
English 1010
12 July 2015
Word Count: 936
A Summary of How to Say Nothing in 500 Words
Professor Paul McHenry Roberts (1917-1967) taught college level English at San
Jose State College, and Cornell University. In 1956 he writes, How to Say Nothing in 500
Words, which includes the dos and dontss of how to effectively write a paper. Be concrete,
says Roberts; get to the point; express your opinions colorfully Professor Roberts breaks down
the essay into 6 sections in order to present his ideas in an organized fashion.
Section one, Avoid the Obvious Content puts the spotlight on avoiding the use of broad
and general terms that kill the life of one's essay. Roberts begins by telling the reader to list all
the arguments that come to your mind, then dont use any of the arguments on the list. He then
offers alternative ways to avoid use of common ideas/arguments. Make keen and perceptive
observations when writing. Sum up conventional, commonplace arguments before moving on to
your own unique reasons for being for or against the topic you are writing on. This balances the
writer's credibility and personal views in an essay. Roberts explains this by saying, Sometimes it
is a good idea to sum up and dispose of the trite and conventional points before going on to your

Schilla 2

own. This has the advantage of indicating to the reader that you are going to be neither trite nor
conventional. (Roberts, Paul. How to Say Nothing in 500 Words Http://bblearn.tric.23 Oct.
1956 Web. 9 July 2015.)

The second section, Take the Less Usual Side tells exactly what the title says. Roberts
begins by saying, Take the side of the argument that most of the citizens will want to avoid.
(Roberts, Paul. How to Say Nothing in 500 Words Http://bblearn.tric.23 Oct. 1956 Web. 9
July 2015.) He goes on to explain how personal bias can narrate how a person writes their essay.
Robertss final point of emphasis is to avoid becoming soft spoken on expressing their genuine
voice in order to make their argument agreeable with the reader.
The third section is titled, Slip Out of Abstraction, Roberts outlines the main points on
how to do so in essay writing. First dont use glittering generalities, these are unconvincing
and often are too broad to get across a message. Second, do more than say your argument.
Display it! An effective writer displays their argument by using specific examples. Finally create
a stream of writing which goes from a generality to an abstract statement, to a concrete example.
Get Rid of Obvious Padding is the fourth section. Roberts points out that most students
writing a papers have a goal of reaching a certain word count, and in order to do that they hoover
around the same point over and over again the whole essay. Instead Roberts says to dig up real
content, explore the subject, and illustrate your feelings/emotions on the topic. Asking questions,
and further investigating the subject will make it very easy to meet the required length.

Schilla 3

Section five, Call a Fool a Fool expands on how important it is for a writer to be
decisive in what he or she says, and then say it as vigorously as possible. Roberts explains how
some terms and phrases are a less harsh way to say something, when in reality saying the word
or phrase just the way it is can be more precise and carry over a stronger message.
Section six is titled Beware of Pat Expressions. Pat expressions are hard to avoid, and
easily unnoticeable. These expressions are often unnecessary to an essay, and add unneeded
words to it. For example, this great land of ours, or our national heritage are pat expressions.
Although these phrases can display ones patriotism, they do not add any value to the essay.
Roberts concludes this section with the fact that all writers are eventually going to use pat
expressions in their writing but, good writers can keep them to a minimum.
Section seven, eight and nine are, Colorful words, Colored words, and Colorless
words. Colorful words are used in writing to produce a picture or an emotion in the reader's
head. A writer's goal should be to put the correct word in the right place in order to convey his or
her message. A specific example of the difference between a colorful word and a regular word
would be, her heart beat, and instead a writer could replace this bland statement by saying,
her heart pounded, throbbed, fluttered, and danced. Roberts then goes on to explain Colored
words. Colored words are different from colorful words because they can convey a either good
or bad message to the reader. Colored words are usually loaded with associations good or bad.
For example, they sat around the fireside, and they sat around the stove can both have
different interpretations, and ways that the reader feels about the statement. Fireside can be
considered a colored word because it suggests leisure, quiet tradition, and congenital company,
whereas the word stove does not deliver these images. Finally, colorless words are words that

Schilla 4

have such a general meaning a sentence that they are no longer capable of adding description.
Words like cool, and nice are very over used and have no place in successful writing.
Overall Roberts thoroughly discusses the dos and dontss of good writing clearly. With
his messages of avoiding the obvious content, taking the less usual side, slipping out of
abstraction, getting rid of obvious padding, calling a fool a fool, avoiding Pat expressions, and
using colorful words. Roberts essay does encourage the reader to become more concrete, and
use words colorfully.