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Manhattan Beach Writing Tutor

November 28th, 2016

Are you looking for a Manhattan Beach writing tutor?  Look no further!  Writing essays is one of the hardest tasks for students. They wonder: where do I put the thesis? What’s the purpose of a topic sentence? What goes in my conclusion? Why do I need a hook? Why can’t my hook be a rhetorical question? (E.g., Have you ever been stranded on a desert island?) What’s an anchor? If you struggle with these simple questions, perhaps a Study Hut Tutoring session in writing is the solution.

Most students don’t hesitate to get help with their math or science homework, but writing is often overlooked. Having an expert Manhattan Beach writing tutor on the team helps immensely.  Writing is one of the most important academic skills. Study Hut provides a great space for students to improve their writing. In a typical session, we start by reviewing the prompt in detail. We also look at the rubric (how students will be assessed) and all supplementary materials (e.g., outline, text, handouts). It’s important to bring your book and class handouts for our study session!

One of the problems students face is that English teachers teach writing differently. One teacher may be a huge fan of quotation hooks, while another teacher may hate them with a passion. Tutors encourage students to carefully consider their teacher’s writing preferences. We ask questions about what students have learned, and how they will be graded. Study Hut tutors tailor each session to the needs of the student as well as the expectations of the teacher.

The thesis statement is usually the most important part of our tutoring sessions, and it’s the heart of the essay. We help students develop a solid argument for their essay that clearly maps out the rest of the paragraphs. The part of the thesis that most students ignore is the theme. Even though theme isn’t a requirement of the thesis, it often relates to the deeper meaning. Themes can be tricky. But once we point them out, students are able to understand the prompt in a much deeper way.

It’s easy to put the focus on grammatical errors, but it’s the ideas that often need the most attention. We’ve all been on the other side of the dreaded red pen. However, the items that typically need the most attention include: organization, flow, sequence of arguments, and clarity of ideas. Most students struggle with what to write in each part of the essay. Once we demystify the structure, writing becomes a much more logical process. Writing tutoring is a great opportunity for students to improve their writing skills.

Getting extra help with writing gives students a leg up in high school, college, and beyond. Many teachers, professors, and employers complain that their students and employees don’t know how to write. Writing is a powerful skill that can make your son or daughter stand out.

Redondo Beach College Application and Essay Tutors

June 6th, 2016

The modern-day college application and essay tutoring process can be rather overwhelming. With transcripts, letters of recommendation, resumes, SAT and/or ACT scores, supplemental writing questions, essays, etc., it can be a lot to handle.  But do not fear, Study Hut is here to help you execute properly and efficiently.

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Our college applications & essays tutors will guide you through the entire process. First, they will assist you with conducting an in-depth college search based on your major choice and interests. Then, they will help you to create a varied list of schools and stay organized to ensure all submission deadlines are met. Our tutors will also aid in building a resume as well as requesting transcripts and letters of recommendation.

 

Most importantly, our tutors have a special set of skills and will help you masterfully write all the essays required in order to paint you in the best light for prospective universities.  An original essay is all you need to set yourself apart from other applicants.  Taking the time to create a well written essay before you’re bogged down with work in the Fall will not only increase your odds of getting into your dream schools, but will also make you more confident during the application process.  Our tutors know how to help you bring out your inner writing genius and will help you write an essay that makes you shine.

 

Finally, once all of your applications have been submitted, we will help you apply for scholarships that are tailored to your skills and interests.  There’s nothing better than finding schools that will pay you to attend their campus in the fall!

 

Study Hut offers three College Application Tutoring packages:

Skimboard: three universities;

Shortboard: six universities;

Longboard: ten universities;

 

Eliminate your worries by starting early! Dedicating a small amount of time to your college applications during your summer vacation will save you endless amounts of stress during fall semester, so you can just focus on your classes and enjoying your senior year!

A Newport English Tutor’s Grammar Guide

November 10th, 2015

Having trouble with common grammar rules? Come see a Newport English Tutor for help today! While it is easy to rely on spell check for corrections on papers and emails (we’re all guilty of it!), you will look very silly if you make these common mistakes. Spell check won’t catch them for you because they ‘look’ right to spell check. 

  1. Using I and me in the wrong places.
    It’s as simple as this: I is a subject, me is the object of a prepositional phrase. What’s a prepositional phrase? Glad you asked. This Newport English tutor loves a good prepositional phrase. A prepositional phrase starts with a preposition and gives descriptive information like location: under, over, within, outside of, by, about, etc. Here’s a good website for more information about prepositions. 
           I am the subject of this sentence.
           This sentence is about me.

  2. Confusing there, their, and they’re.
    This is something learned in the third grade, so you should be very embarrassed if you make this mistake in a high school paper. There refers to place (it has the word here in it!!) They’re is a contraction meaning they are (the apostrophe ‘replaces’ the a!). Their is the possessive.
         The best Newport English tutors are found there.
         They’re going to eat all the turkey without me!
         Their mom really knows how to fill their bellies on Thanksgiving.
    *You’re (contraction for you are) and your (possessive) fall prey to this same mistake.

  3. Using ‘could of’, ‘should of,’ or ‘would of’ instead of ‘could have,’ ‘should have,’ or ‘would have’
    This actually comes from lazy speech patterns. When someone says ‘could’ve’ (the contraction for ‘could have’) many people hear ‘could of’. THAT’S NOT WHAT THEY’RE SAYING–or if it is, they’ve fallen into the trap as well. Don’t be lazy, people.
        “I wish that we could have gone to the World Series this year.”-a grammatically correct (and sad) Mike Trout

  4. Mixing up its and it’s.
    One is possessive and one is a contraction. It’s means it is, its means belonging to it.
        It’s the number one mistake!
        The cat scratched its nose.

  5. Using commas willy nilly.
    Commas are a part of grammar and not to used on a whim. They are not for separating ideas (that’s a period), or just to show a pause in thought. They go between independent clauses, or as part of a list, or in a number of other grammatically correct places. Refer to this awesome comma guide for direction!
          After the movie tonight, the soccer star will get eight hours of sleep.

Newport English Tutor's Fave Comic

Spring Break Essays

April 20th, 2015

Spring break is supposed to be a time for students to relax and enjoy a week or two off from the monotony and stress of school.  Unfortunately, some teachers do not see it that way and choose to assign homework anyway.  One student, Ken, came in for help on a monstrous essay that his teacher had assigned him over his spring break.  

 

Not only was this paper assigned over spring break, but the prompt was difficult and vague.  On top of that, Ken’s teacher told him that the grade for this paper would be put into the grade book forty times.  This caused Ken a lot of stress.  Ken and his tutors Charlsey and Laura brainstormed ideas for his thesis and concepts he could use for his supporting arguments.  The group session was very helpful because the three were able to bounce ideas off each other.  After Ken had a clear plan for his essay, he was able to draft an outline and have it looked over before he went home to find concrete details and develop his arguments.  



After taking a few days to flesh out his essay, Ken brought it back to revise and fine tune it with his tutor Richard.  They worked through the complicated topic to ensure that Ken did not have any logical fallacies in his arguments.  Richard read through the essay to make sure that Ken did not make any grammatical mistakes.  After hours slaving over his essay, Ken finally had a finished product he was very happy with, and could enjoy the rest of his now stress-free spring break.