Why do we universally appreciate cartoons? Because they are visual — the humor unfolds right before our eyes. As writers, we have a unique challenge to craft worlds, including humorous ones, using only words.

At first glance, writers and cartoonists have vastly different toolboxes and skill sets. But if you look closely, you will notice similar devices, such as simplification, exaggeration (夸张), and contrast.

In many literary forms, decoration enriches a piece. That’s not true for humor writing — humor can get lost with too many details. Adding a bit of shading will give depth to an illustration, yet there’s usually no need to detail every feature. There’s a thin line between plain and funny, and the difference often lies in whether a writer adheres to the universal comedic principle, “less is funnier.” By simplifying complex situations, characters, plots, and reactions, your work becomes more digestible and humorous.

Exaggeration is one of the most straightforward and effective comedic tools. As a humor writer, don’t shy away from every chance to stretch the truth, whether by understatement or overstatement. However, effective humor is truth based. The relationship between exaggeration and realism in humor is like stretching a rubber band (橡皮筋). A little stretching, even repeated stretching, is no problem. However, overstretching the band will cause it to break, as well as the humor and the reader’s trust.

Contrasting is the juxtaposition (并列) of elements not usually coupled, a technique that cartoonists use to create humorous mismatches by placing significantly different elements side by side. As writers, we can use juxtaposition to brainstorm new humor angles and create funny mismatches.

Humor is at its funniest when it’s visual, and writers can craft more humorous material by employing the same techniques used by cartoonists. By thinking and writing visually, you can show the funny to readers.

The art of academic writing is not easy to master. 【小题1】 Academic writing is the skilful exposition and explanation of an argument, which the writer has carefully researched and developed over a sustained period of time. 【小题2】 But the joy of reading and sharing with others, one’s succinctly composed piece of argument, is incomparable.

Before beginning to write, the writer must ask himself a few questions – Why am I writing? What is it that I intend to share with others? What purpose will my writing serve? Have I read enough about the topic or theme about which I am going to write? 【小题3】 Because academic writing is a serious activity – it makes one part of a shared community of readers and writers who wish to disseminate and learn from well-argued pieces of writing.

The structure of an argumentative essay should take the form of – Introduction (which should be around ten percent of the entire essay), Body (it should constitute eighty percent of the piece) and the Conclusion (again, ten per cent of the essay). 【小题4】 The body should include cogent and coherently linked paragraphs and the conclusion should re-state the argument and offer a substantial ending to the piece.

Attracting Children to Museums

When you were young did your parents ever take you to a museum? Do you remember what it was like or if it was an exciting experience for you? Very often parents do things like going to museums with their young children because they think it is something they must do.【小题1】.

Museums understand that it is important to attract children and get them interested in going frequently to museums. They want them to start going as children and continue to go as adults.【小题2】.

The first thing to remember is that children are active and learn better by doing, not just by passively looking.【小题3】. So some museums are building separate section just for children where they can learn by doing. The biggest museum in Canada has a large area called the Children's Discovery Centre. There children can touch and feel and smell and play. They can build things, and paint, and solve puzzles. Everything is arranged to attract the interest of children and to keep them there for as long as possible.

【小题4】. It is always interesting to see a father sitting on the floor with his child putting pieces of a puzzle together. It quickly becomes obvious that the adults are having just as much fun as their children. And that is exactly what the museum wants to happen because they know that both the parents and the children will want to come back if they have fun on their first visit.

【小题5】. Children from elementary schools and high schools come with their teachers in buses to visit the museum and receive a special tour of displays in the museum that they know will interest the children. For example, they love to see the nature exhibits and the dinosaurs and the snakes.