Adding more specific details to your writing R.E.N.N.S. Adding more specific details to your writing

R.E.N.N.S. REASONS: Why? What specific reasons support your main idea? EXAMPLES: Think of specific examples from your own life or a friend’s life. Personal examples can provide strong support to your main idea. NAMES: Instead of writing general terms like “stores,” be specific and name specific stores (e.g. “Best Buy,” “Acme,” “Lowes”) NUMBERS: Include specific numbers whenever possible. For instance, instead of writing, “My low G.P.A.” be specific and write, “My 1.5 G.P.A.” SENSES: Try to appeal to your readers’ senses by describing in detail how something looks, feels, smells like or sounds like. For example, “My messy room has so many clothes scattered on the floor that I can’t even see my carpet and it smells of three-day old sweat socks.” R.E.N.N.S.

General vs. Specific EXAMPLES General: I like all types of soda. Specific: I like Pepsi, Coke and Mountain Dew. General: I had problems in that course. Specific: I couldn’t understand my math instructor’s accent and I fell behind on my homework assignments. General: My friends like to hang out on the weekends. Specific: My friends Tony and John like to get together on Friday and Saturday nights to play X-Box games like “Call of Duty.” General vs. Specific

B.S. Be Specific! Try to avoid really vague terms like: Stuff Things Types Problems B.S. Be Specific!