<p>Hi everyone,</p>
<p>When I'm reading some SAT essays in this forum, apparently I see some suggestion about the rule: "Show, don't tell". I understand it means to necessary to elaborate the example and point of view, rather than listing it. However, I haven't found a formal definition and clear examples of this rule. Could anyone give me a help?</p>
<p>What you’re asking about is more than a “rule”: it’s the basic purpose of an essay – any essay. That purpose is to articulate and then “prove” a point of view. A common flaw in essays is excessive description and the absence of connection to the thesis.</p>
<p>So, for example, if your thesis is “practice make perfect”, and your example is a sport – let’s say soccer – then an example that focuses on the history of the Liverpool football team and its recent successes will not serve to prove your thesis. You can easily fill pages with information regarding the team – i.e. “tell”. However an example based on your own growth as a soccer player, as for example the major errors you made when you first started, your focus on daily practice, the soccer camp you attended, and so on, followed by the results of all your efforts – i.e. a successful player. All this is “show”. The specifics of your growth as a player serves to prove the thesis.</p>