[General] Difference between a blog and an essay

[iambozdar]

Hello, Teachers.

Could you please highlight what are the differences among a blog, a general essay, and an academic essay?

Thank you very much.

 

[teechar]

Take a look at the following.

http://www.onelook.com/?w=blog&ls=a

http://www.onelook.com/?w=essay&ls=a

 

[iambozdar]

Take a look at the following.

http://www.onelook.com/?w=blog&ls=a

http://www.onelook.com/?w=essay&ls=a

I think an essay written in class and an essay published on a wordpress weblog have different grammar. How do I differentiate both of them?

Thanks.

 

[teechar]

What exactly are you trying to do/accomplish?

 

[iambozdar]

I think I am confused with blogging and academic essay writing. An academic essay wants me to write complex sentences with difficult words whereas a blog needs to be easier to reader containing almost no adverb and passive voice.

 

[teechar]

An academic essay is a formal and highly structured text. It needn't be overly complicated or use complex sentences. A blog (the word is derived from "Web" + "log") is an online version of a diary/journal. Blogs are, typically, not as formal as essays, and may be focused on a particular topic or point of interest.

Take a look at my response in the thread below for some useful info on essay structure.

https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/231730-University-Education

 

[andrewg927]

It all depends on who you are writing to. If you are writing on your blog to a group of academics, of course you need to be accurate with your spellings and grammatical structures. If you are writing to your friends, a mistake here and there won't likely hinder their ability to understand your blogs. The same goes with writing an essay. Though you usually write an essay in the context of academia. But if you write an essay just to express your opinion in the school newspapers, you don't need to be overly formal. You can use slang and idioms more frequently.

 

[iambozdar]

This is indeed very helpful, andrewg927. You clearly separated the main differences.

 

[Tdol]

Blogs are often much closer to spoken language, like the language on a forum. People use contractions, etc, and are often typing in what they would say. This wouldn't work in an academic context.

 

[Rover_KE]

Could you please highlight [STRIKE]what are[/STRIKE] the differences [STRIKE]among[/STRIKE] between a blog, a general essay, and an academic essay?

`

 

[iambozdar]

among and between

I have learnt that to compare three entities one has to use "among" whereas for two entities "between" is used.

 

[Tdol]

It's not always that simple.

 

[emsr2d2]

Rules always have exceptions. Why don't you give us some example sentences using "among" and "between"?

 

[Rover_KE]

I have learnt that to compare three entities one has to use "among" whereas for two entities "between" is used.

• AMONG expresses a relationship when more than two persons or things are involved:
• Distrust spread among even his strongest supporters.
• BETWEEN is used when only two persons or things are involved:
• between you and me; to decide between tea and coffee.
• BETWEEN also continues to be used, as it has been throughout its entire history, to express a relationship of persons or things considered individually, no matter how many:
• Tossing up coins between three people always takes a little working out. Between holding public office, teaching, and writing, she has little free time.

(Collins)

 

[emsr2d2]

You'll frequently hear someone say "Talk amongst yourselves" when the person is going to go off and do something else for a few moments and is suggesting that the other people should spend the time having a chat, even when there are only two other people.