other name for assignment

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Synonyms and antonyms of assignment in English

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be chasing your tail

to be busy doing a lot of things but achieving very little

Binding, nailing, and gluing: talking about fastening things together

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verb as in select and give a responsibility

Strongest matches

Strong matches

Weak matches

• hold responsible

verb as in set apart for a reason

• appropriate

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Example sentences.

It is designed to listen to meetings with multiple participants and will parse discussion patterns to produce informative synopses and assign post-meeting action items.

Such randomized, double-blinded controlled trials randomly assign patients to receive a drug or a placebo, and don’t reveal to participants or doctors who is getting which.

That AI could pore over an astronaut’s symptoms and then recommend medical tests, make diagnoses and assign treatments.

So I rose beyond cleaning, to working as an operational dispatcher for cabin services in the American Airlines traffic control center, assign cleaning crews to each incoming aircraft.

Ideally, the Mars spaceship would be equipped with artificial intelligence that could consider an astronaut’s symptoms, recommend medical tests, make diagnoses and assign treatments.

Now the Kremlin will assign more loyal people to rule the region, mostly military leaders.

When we assign a primitive “not me” status to another individual or social group, it can—and does—take us down a destructive path.

Other folks can debate and assign blame for “who lost Iraq.”

Renee Richardson knows she'll likely never be able to assign blame for her son's death—she's done fighting for that.

Girls are directed through several pages of this until they are asked to assign the guy a series of pre-decided adjectives.

The designs of Russia have long been proverbial; but the exercise of the new art of printing may assign them new features.

With what honest pride did John Smith, the best farmer of them all, step to the fore and assign to each man his place!

If the lessee die, his executor or administrator can assign the remainder of his term.

As the lessee may assign or sublet unless forbidden, so may the lessor part with his interest in the leased premises.

If offered any dish of which you do not wish to partake, decline it, but do not assign any reason.

Related Words

Words related to assign are not direct synonyms, but are associated with the word assign . Browse related words to learn more about word associations.

verb as in attribute responsibility or achievement

verb as in assign; give portion

• cut the pie

verb as in set aside

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On this page you'll find 166 synonyms, antonyms, and words related to assign, such as: accredit, allow, appoint, attach, authorize, and charge.

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.

Synonyms of assign

• as in to task
• as in to allot
• as in to cede
• as in to appoint
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Thesaurus Definition of assign

Synonyms & Similar Words

• share (out)
• parcel (out)
• redistribute
• reapportion

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• deprive (of)
• appropriate
• pass (down)
• expropriate
• single (out)

Synonym Chooser

How is the word assign different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of assign are ascribe , attribute , credit , and impute . While all these words mean "to lay something to the account of a person or thing," assign implies ascribing with certainty or after deliberation.

In what contexts can ascribe take the place of assign ?

The synonyms ascribe and assign are sometimes interchangeable, but ascribe suggests an inferring or conjecturing of cause, quality, authorship.

How is attribute related to other words for assign ?

Attribute suggests less tentativeness than ascribe , less definiteness than assign .

Where would credit be a reasonable alternative to assign ?

In some situations, the words credit and assign are roughly equivalent. However, credit implies ascribing a thing or especially an action to a person or other thing as its agent, source, or explanation.

When is it sensible to use impute instead of assign ?

While in some cases nearly identical to assign , impute suggests ascribing something that brings discredit by way of accusation or blame.

Thesaurus Entries Near assign

assiduousness

assignation

Cite this Entry

“Assign.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assign. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on assign

Nglish: Translation of assign for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of assign for Arabic Speakers

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What is another word for Assignment ?

Synonyms for assignment əˈsaɪn mənt as·sign·ment, this thesaurus page includes all potential synonyms, words with the same meaning and similar terms for the word assignment ., princeton's wordnet rate these synonyms: 0.0 / 0 votes.

assignment, duty assignment noun

a duty that you are assigned to perform (especially in the armed forces)

"hazardous duty"

Synonyms: appointment , assigning , duty assignment , assignment , designation , grant , naming

assignment noun

the instrument by which a claim or right or interest or property is transferred from one person to another

Synonyms: appointment , assigning , duty assignment , designation , grant , naming

assignment, assigning noun

the act of distributing something to designated places or persons

"the first task is the assignment of an address to each datum"

grant, assignment noun

(law) a transfer of property by deed of conveyance

Synonyms: duty assignment , appointment , subsidisation , assigning , designation , naming , assignment , grant , concession , subsidization

an undertaking that you have been assigned to do (as by an instructor)

appointment, assignment, designation, naming noun

the act of putting a person into a non-elective position

"the appointment had to be approved by the whole committee"

Synonyms: duty assignment , appellation , appointment , date , appellative , assigning , designation , appointee , identification , assignment , naming , grant , fitting , engagement , denomination

Matched Categories

• Legal Document
• Transferred Property
• Undertaking

Editors Contribution Rate these synonyms: 0.0 / 0 votes

duty, homework, job, responsibility, task, chore, schoolwork

1. a piece of work that needs to be done regularly 2. something assigned to be read or studied

1. his first newspaper assignment was writing obituaries 2. have you found essay writer to write an assignment for tomorrow?

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pieces of work

because a assignment/task is an piece of work.

we need to finish our work: we need to finish our assignment.

Dictionary of English Synonymes Rate these synonyms: 0.0 / 0 votes

Synonyms: appointment , allotment , apportionment

Synonyms: ( Law. ) transfer , conveyance

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated Words Rate these synonyms: 0.0 / 0 votes

Synonyms: transfer , conveyance , apportionment , appointment , allotment , allocation , emplacement , determination specification , adducing

PPDB, the paraphrase database Rate these paraphrases: 0.0 / 0 votes

List of paraphrases for "assignment":

allocation , developmental , assignments , assigning , divestiture , transfer , cession , mapping , development , allocations , posting , mission , relinquishment , conveyance , stations , attribution , mappings , allotment , allocating , assign , surrender , placement , subpoena , task , earmarking , award , transfers , appointment , disposal , dispatch , postings

Suggested Resources

Song lyrics by assignment -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by assignment on the Lyrics.com website.

How to pronounce Assignment?

How to say assignment in sign language, words popularity by usage frequency, how to use assignment in a sentence.

Jenny Yip :

If something doesn’t sit well with you, rather than being passive aggressive about it, acknowledge what is or isn’t working and then have a conversation with whoever is giving you this assignment, defiers usually don’t feel equipped to have these conversations with who they see as authority figures, or they don’t believe that having the conversations would give them any benefit or positive outcome. … That’s not necessarily true.

Robert Mueller :

My staff and I carried out this assignment with that critical objective in mind : to work quietly, thoroughly, and with integrity so that the public would have full confidence in the outcome.

Education Services Ondrea Reed :

The opinion essay … was used an in-class assignment where the article was read together as a class, the teacher's purpose for introducing this essay was to introduce students to opinion writing while drawing correlations with 'The Watsons Go to Birmingham' as a secondary source to help support the context and events in the book.

Starter Mike Fiers :

Nobody is surprised to see Hendriks helping out. Everything he does is with a passion and care known well for his thoughtful work off the field as much as his intensity on it. Hendriks reliability in the ninth inning has earned him a solid reputation, too. But you wont hear Hendriks say it. He plans to earn the job again. I dont want to be complacent, he said. Going out there and making sure I put everything on the line every night is a big thing for me. The Oakland closer received a nice raise when he signed a $ 5.3 million, one-year contract last month to avoid salary arbitration. The 31-year-old Hendriks is approaching this season as if he has everything to prove once again. He plans to take the mound each opportunity he gets exhibiting the confidence that he can and will repeat what he did last season. The right-hander, a former opener for the As, went 4-4 with a 1.80 ERA and 25 saves over a career-high 75 appearances spanning 85 innings. I dont want to dwell too much on last year because I dont want to rest on my laurels. I dont want to go out there and be like, Oh, I had my good year, I can ride that wave as long as I can, Hendriks said. I want to go out there and prove that it wasnt a fluke. I want to go out there and prove that no matter what happened last year I still need to win the job this year. I dont want to be gifted anything. I dont want to be given anything, I want to go out there and make sure that in spring training I prove that I want this role, I want this job and Im going to run away with it and prove to everybody why I want it. Hendriks became a key piece for As manager Bob Melvin late in games last season as The Oakland earned the ALs top wild card before losing to Tampa Bay. Considering his topsy-turvy history, Melvin is hardly surprised by Hendriks focus. He got designated for assignment on June 25, 2018 and has been through that almost a half-dozen times now before starting The Oakland 7-2 wild-card loss at Yankee Stadium just more than three months later. You would expect that from somebody thats been through the trials and tribulations that hes been over his career, so I think it is more about him not relaxing at all, Melvin said. He wants to be pushed, he wants to earn everything that he gets. Hes come a long way. He had as dominant a year really as anybody in baseball. He has learned from other times when he thought things were going smoothly, saying, I dont like feeling like Ive got it in the bag because as soon as I do somethings always going to pop up, Hendriks said. I dealt with certain things very poorly in the past and my mindset to get over that was expect the worst and hope for the best, he said. Expect the worst and if something good happens youre able to handle it, rather than expecting things and if they didnt come to fruition, falling out a rabbit hole and being kind of self-deprecating and all that. Starter Mike Fiers appreciates Hendriks determination and focus to again show why he is fit to be the ninth-inning option. Everyone has their ups and downs, and thats similar to how I am. I dont want to just sit back and be like Listen, Ive got the job.

Baltasar Gracian :

Great ability develops and reveals itself increasingly with every new assignment.

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Are we missing a good synonym for Assignment ?

Image credit, the web's largest resource for, synonyms & antonyms, a member of the stands4 network, free, no signup required :, add to chrome, add to firefox, browse synonyms.com, are you a human thesaurus, a word similar to "limited", nearby & related entries:.

• assignation noun
• assigned adj
• assignee noun
• assigning noun
• Assignment noun
• assignments
• assignmnets
• assignor noun

Alternative searches for Assignment :

• Search for Assignment on Amazon

Assignment synonyms

What is another word for assignment .

• appointment responsibility, position
• job task, work
• designation address, giving
• duty task, work
• task work, duty
• chore task, work
• mission task, address
• distribution giving, collect
• allocation giving, collect
• commission task, responsibility
• grant giving, allocation
• charge responsibility, duty
• transfer law, shift
• nomination designation, selection
• allotment allocation, giving
• post responsibility, position
• exercise event
• homework responsibility, duty
• apportionment allocation, collect
• naming participle, designation
• office work, position
• responsibility duty
• consignment transfer, selecting or setting apart
• delegation selection, entrustment
• giving transfer, selecting or setting apart
• selection distribution, selecting or setting apart
• attribution give, selecting or setting apart
• ascription give, attribution

Synonyms of 'assignment' in American English

Synonyms of 'assignment' in british english, additional synonyms, video: pronunciation of assignment.

Browse alphabetically assignment

• assignation
• assimilated
• assimilation
• All ENGLISH synonyms that begin with 'A'

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1. assignment

Rhymes with assignment.

• Pronounce Assignment
• Assignment in a sentence
• Quotes about Assignment

2. assignment

3. assignment, 4. assignment, 5. assignment, 6. assignment.

noun. ['əˈsaɪnmənt'] a duty that you are assigned to perform (especially in the armed forces).

• service abroad
• duty assignment
• shipboard duty
• reassignment
• fatigue duty
• assignement (Old French (842-ca. 1400))
• realignment
• consignment
• confinement

How do you pronounce assignment?

Pronounce assignment as əˈsaɪnmənt.

US - How to pronounce assignment in American English

UK - How to pronounce assignment in British English

Sentences with assignment

1. Noun, singular or mass She needs to sign off on the assignment of title.

Quotes about assignment

1. When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment , and I told them they didn’t understand life. - John Lennon 2. CALVIN:When I grow up I want to be an inventor. First I will invent a time machine. Then I'll come back to yesterday and take myself to tomorrow and skip this dumb assignment . - Bill Watterson 3. Don't take this next undercover assignment . Stay with me instead."Nick's eyes pierced hers, refusing to let her off that easily. "Tell me why.""Because... I love you."She exhaled. No take-backs. The words were out there forever.And it felt great. - Julie James, A Lot like Love

noun. ['əˈsaɪnmənt'] the instrument by which a claim or right or interest or property is transferred from one person to another.

• official document
• legal instrument
• irresoluteness

noun. ['əˈsaɪnmənt'] the act of distributing something to designated places or persons.

• distribution
• negative charge
• positive charge

noun. ['əˈsaɪnmənt'] an undertaking that you have been assigned to do (as by an instructor).

• written assignment
• school assignment
• writing assignment
• undertaking
• continuance
• continuation
• monetization

noun. ['əˈsaɪnmənt'] (law) a transfer of property by deed of conveyance.

• transferred possession
• transferred property
• acknowledged
• unacknowledged
• connotative

noun. ['əˈsaɪnmənt'] the act of putting a person into a non-elective position.

• appointment
• co-optation
• determination
• recognition
• designation

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Definition of assignment noun from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

Join our community to access the latest language learning and assessment tips from Oxford University Press!

• 2 [ uncountable ] the act of giving something to someone; the act of giving someone a particular task his assignment to other duties in the same company

Nearby words

Understanding Assignments

What this handout is about.

The first step in any successful college writing venture is reading the assignment. While this sounds like a simple task, it can be a tough one. This handout will help you unravel your assignment and begin to craft an effective response. Much of the following advice will involve translating typical assignment terms and practices into meaningful clues to the type of writing your instructor expects. See our short video for more tips.

Basic beginnings

Regardless of the assignment, department, or instructor, adopting these two habits will serve you well :

• Read the assignment carefully as soon as you receive it. Do not put this task off—reading the assignment at the beginning will save you time, stress, and problems later. An assignment can look pretty straightforward at first, particularly if the instructor has provided lots of information. That does not mean it will not take time and effort to complete; you may even have to learn a new skill to complete the assignment.
• Ask the instructor about anything you do not understand. Do not hesitate to approach your instructor. Instructors would prefer to set you straight before you hand the paper in. That’s also when you will find their feedback most useful.

Assignment formats

Many assignments follow a basic format. Assignments often begin with an overview of the topic, include a central verb or verbs that describe the task, and offer some additional suggestions, questions, or prompts to get you started.

An Overview of Some Kind

The instructor might set the stage with some general discussion of the subject of the assignment, introduce the topic, or remind you of something pertinent that you have discussed in class. For example:

“Throughout history, gerbils have played a key role in politics,” or “In the last few weeks of class, we have focused on the evening wear of the housefly …”

The Task of the Assignment

Pay attention; this part tells you what to do when you write the paper. Look for the key verb or verbs in the sentence. Words like analyze, summarize, or compare direct you to think about your topic in a certain way. Also pay attention to words such as how, what, when, where, and why; these words guide your attention toward specific information. (See the section in this handout titled “Key Terms” for more information.)

“Analyze the effect that gerbils had on the Russian Revolution”, or “Suggest an interpretation of housefly undergarments that differs from Darwin’s.”

Additional Material to Think about

Here you will find some questions to use as springboards as you begin to think about the topic. Instructors usually include these questions as suggestions rather than requirements. Do not feel compelled to answer every question unless the instructor asks you to do so. Pay attention to the order of the questions. Sometimes they suggest the thinking process your instructor imagines you will need to follow to begin thinking about the topic.

“You may wish to consider the differing views held by Communist gerbils vs. Monarchist gerbils, or Can there be such a thing as ‘the housefly garment industry’ or is it just a home-based craft?”

These are the instructor’s comments about writing expectations:

“Be concise”, “Write effectively”, or “Argue furiously.”

Technical Details

These instructions usually indicate format rules or guidelines.

“Your paper must be typed in Palatino font on gray paper and must not exceed 600 pages. It is due on the anniversary of Mao Tse-tung’s death.”

The assignment’s parts may not appear in exactly this order, and each part may be very long or really short. Nonetheless, being aware of this standard pattern can help you understand what your instructor wants you to do.

Interpreting the assignment

Ask yourself a few basic questions as you read and jot down the answers on the assignment sheet:

Why did your instructor ask you to do this particular task?

Who is your audience.

• What kind of evidence do you need to support your ideas?

What kind of writing style is acceptable?

• What are the absolute rules of the paper?

Try to look at the question from the point of view of the instructor. Recognize that your instructor has a reason for giving you this assignment and for giving it to you at a particular point in the semester. In every assignment, the instructor has a challenge for you. This challenge could be anything from demonstrating an ability to think clearly to demonstrating an ability to use the library. See the assignment not as a vague suggestion of what to do but as an opportunity to show that you can handle the course material as directed. Paper assignments give you more than a topic to discuss—they ask you to do something with the topic. Keep reminding yourself of that. Be careful to avoid the other extreme as well: do not read more into the assignment than what is there.

Of course, your instructor has given you an assignment so that he or she will be able to assess your understanding of the course material and give you an appropriate grade. But there is more to it than that. Your instructor has tried to design a learning experience of some kind. Your instructor wants you to think about something in a particular way for a particular reason. If you read the course description at the beginning of your syllabus, review the assigned readings, and consider the assignment itself, you may begin to see the plan, purpose, or approach to the subject matter that your instructor has created for you. If you still aren’t sure of the assignment’s goals, try asking the instructor. For help with this, see our handout on getting feedback .

Given your instructor’s efforts, it helps to answer the question: What is my purpose in completing this assignment? Is it to gather research from a variety of outside sources and present a coherent picture? Is it to take material I have been learning in class and apply it to a new situation? Is it to prove a point one way or another? Key words from the assignment can help you figure this out. Look for key terms in the form of active verbs that tell you what to do.

Key Terms: Finding Those Active Verbs

Here are some common key words and definitions to help you think about assignment terms:

Information words Ask you to demonstrate what you know about the subject, such as who, what, when, where, how, and why.

• define —give the subject’s meaning (according to someone or something). Sometimes you have to give more than one view on the subject’s meaning
• describe —provide details about the subject by answering question words (such as who, what, when, where, how, and why); you might also give details related to the five senses (what you see, hear, feel, taste, and smell)
• explain —give reasons why or examples of how something happened
• illustrate —give descriptive examples of the subject and show how each is connected with the subject
• summarize —briefly list the important ideas you learned about the subject
• trace —outline how something has changed or developed from an earlier time to its current form
• research —gather material from outside sources about the subject, often with the implication or requirement that you will analyze what you have found

Relation words Ask you to demonstrate how things are connected.

• compare —show how two or more things are similar (and, sometimes, different)
• contrast —show how two or more things are dissimilar
• apply—use details that you’ve been given to demonstrate how an idea, theory, or concept works in a particular situation
• cause —show how one event or series of events made something else happen
• relate —show or describe the connections between things

Interpretation words Ask you to defend ideas of your own about the subject. Do not see these words as requesting opinion alone (unless the assignment specifically says so), but as requiring opinion that is supported by concrete evidence. Remember examples, principles, definitions, or concepts from class or research and use them in your interpretation.

• assess —summarize your opinion of the subject and measure it against something
• prove, justify —give reasons or examples to demonstrate how or why something is the truth
• evaluate, respond —state your opinion of the subject as good, bad, or some combination of the two, with examples and reasons
• support —give reasons or evidence for something you believe (be sure to state clearly what it is that you believe)
• synthesize —put two or more things together that have not been put together in class or in your readings before; do not just summarize one and then the other and say that they are similar or different—you must provide a reason for putting them together that runs all the way through the paper
• analyze —determine how individual parts create or relate to the whole, figure out how something works, what it might mean, or why it is important
• argue —take a side and defend it with evidence against the other side

More Clues to Your Purpose As you read the assignment, think about what the teacher does in class:

• What kinds of textbooks or coursepack did your instructor choose for the course—ones that provide background information, explain theories or perspectives, or argue a point of view?
• In lecture, does your instructor ask your opinion, try to prove her point of view, or use keywords that show up again in the assignment?
• What kinds of assignments are typical in this discipline? Social science classes often expect more research. Humanities classes thrive on interpretation and analysis.
• How do the assignments, readings, and lectures work together in the course? Instructors spend time designing courses, sometimes even arguing with their peers about the most effective course materials. Figuring out the overall design to the course will help you understand what each assignment is meant to achieve.

Now, what about your reader? Most undergraduates think of their audience as the instructor. True, your instructor is a good person to keep in mind as you write. But for the purposes of a good paper, think of your audience as someone like your roommate: smart enough to understand a clear, logical argument, but not someone who already knows exactly what is going on in your particular paper. Remember, even if the instructor knows everything there is to know about your paper topic, he or she still has to read your paper and assess your understanding. In other words, teach the material to your reader.

Aiming a paper at your audience happens in two ways: you make decisions about the tone and the level of information you want to convey.

• Tone means the “voice” of your paper. Should you be chatty, formal, or objective? Usually you will find some happy medium—you do not want to alienate your reader by sounding condescending or superior, but you do not want to, um, like, totally wig on the man, you know? Eschew ostentatious erudition: some students think the way to sound academic is to use big words. Be careful—you can sound ridiculous, especially if you use the wrong big words.
• The level of information you use depends on who you think your audience is. If you imagine your audience as your instructor and she already knows everything you have to say, you may find yourself leaving out key information that can cause your argument to be unconvincing and illogical. But you do not have to explain every single word or issue. If you are telling your roommate what happened on your favorite science fiction TV show last night, you do not say, “First a dark-haired white man of average height, wearing a suit and carrying a flashlight, walked into the room. Then a purple alien with fifteen arms and at least three eyes turned around. Then the man smiled slightly. In the background, you could hear a clock ticking. The room was fairly dark and had at least two windows that I saw.” You also do not say, “This guy found some aliens. The end.” Find some balance of useful details that support your main point.

You’ll find a much more detailed discussion of these concepts in our handout on audience .

The Grim Truth

With a few exceptions (including some lab and ethnography reports), you are probably being asked to make an argument. You must convince your audience. It is easy to forget this aim when you are researching and writing; as you become involved in your subject matter, you may become enmeshed in the details and focus on learning or simply telling the information you have found. You need to do more than just repeat what you have read. Your writing should have a point, and you should be able to say it in a sentence. Sometimes instructors call this sentence a “thesis” or a “claim.”

So, if your instructor tells you to write about some aspect of oral hygiene, you do not want to just list: “First, you brush your teeth with a soft brush and some peanut butter. Then, you floss with unwaxed, bologna-flavored string. Finally, gargle with bourbon.” Instead, you could say, “Of all the oral cleaning methods, sandblasting removes the most plaque. Therefore it should be recommended by the American Dental Association.” Or, “From an aesthetic perspective, moldy teeth can be quite charming. However, their joys are short-lived.”

Convincing the reader of your argument is the goal of academic writing. It doesn’t have to say “argument” anywhere in the assignment for you to need one. Look at the assignment and think about what kind of argument you could make about it instead of just seeing it as a checklist of information you have to present. For help with understanding the role of argument in academic writing, see our handout on argument .

What kind of evidence do you need?

There are many kinds of evidence, and what type of evidence will work for your assignment can depend on several factors–the discipline, the parameters of the assignment, and your instructor’s preference. Should you use statistics? Historical examples? Do you need to conduct your own experiment? Can you rely on personal experience? See our handout on evidence for suggestions on how to use evidence appropriately.

Make sure you are clear about this part of the assignment, because your use of evidence will be crucial in writing a successful paper. You are not just learning how to argue; you are learning how to argue with specific types of materials and ideas. Ask your instructor what counts as acceptable evidence. You can also ask a librarian for help. No matter what kind of evidence you use, be sure to cite it correctly—see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial .

You cannot always tell from the assignment just what sort of writing style your instructor expects. The instructor may be really laid back in class but still expect you to sound formal in writing. Or the instructor may be fairly formal in class and ask you to write a reflection paper where you need to use “I” and speak from your own experience.

Try to avoid false associations of a particular field with a style (“art historians like wacky creativity,” or “political scientists are boring and just give facts”) and look instead to the types of readings you have been given in class. No one expects you to write like Plato—just use the readings as a guide for what is standard or preferable to your instructor. When in doubt, ask your instructor about the level of formality she or he expects.

No matter what field you are writing for or what facts you are including, if you do not write so that your reader can understand your main idea, you have wasted your time. So make clarity your main goal. For specific help with style, see our handout on style .

Technical details about the assignment

The technical information you are given in an assignment always seems like the easy part. This section can actually give you lots of little hints about approaching the task. Find out if elements such as page length and citation format (see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial ) are negotiable. Some professors do not have strong preferences as long as you are consistent and fully answer the assignment. Some professors are very specific and will deduct big points for deviations.

Usually, the page length tells you something important: The instructor thinks the size of the paper is appropriate to the assignment’s parameters. In plain English, your instructor is telling you how many pages it should take for you to answer the question as fully as you are expected to. So if an assignment is two pages long, you cannot pad your paper with examples or reword your main idea several times. Hit your one point early, defend it with the clearest example, and finish quickly. If an assignment is ten pages long, you can be more complex in your main points and examples—and if you can only produce five pages for that assignment, you need to see someone for help—as soon as possible.

Tricks that don’t work

Your instructors are not fooled when you:

• spend more time on the cover page than the essay —graphics, cool binders, and cute titles are no replacement for a well-written paper.
• use huge fonts, wide margins, or extra spacing to pad the page length —these tricks are immediately obvious to the eye. Most instructors use the same word processor you do. They know what’s possible. Such tactics are especially damning when the instructor has a stack of 60 papers to grade and yours is the only one that low-flying airplane pilots could read.
• use a paper from another class that covered “sort of similar” material . Again, the instructor has a particular task for you to fulfill in the assignment that usually relates to course material and lectures. Your other paper may not cover this material, and turning in the same paper for more than one course may constitute an Honor Code violation . Ask the instructor—it can’t hurt.
• get all wacky and “creative” before you answer the question . Showing that you are able to think beyond the boundaries of a simple assignment can be good, but you must do what the assignment calls for first. Again, check with your instructor. A humorous tone can be refreshing for someone grading a stack of papers, but it will not get you a good grade if you have not fulfilled the task.

Critical reading of assignments leads to skills in other types of reading and writing. If you get good at figuring out what the real goals of assignments are, you are going to be better at understanding the goals of all of your classes and fields of study.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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