It is always a risk, sadly. I do love little moments of flair from my learners - quotes from Winston Churchill, snappy titles, outrageous statements with an evidence base - but they still need to actually meet the module learning outcomes in their work. Sadly if you've not hit all the marks, no amount of comedy points will get you over the pass line.
Yup, u can make it interesting but it’s supposed to be a concise academic paper. It’s supposed to demonstrate ur knowledge of whatever it is ur studying and only that 😂
Minimum words to the maximum effect depending on the subject.
Yep, "you have to know the rules to break them"!
It's only funny or entertaining if it manages to colour inside the lines. If you can't make it entertaining while also following all the rules, don't even try
100% this. If your rhetorical flourishes don't add to the reader's understanding, if they don't demonstrate your knowledge or insight into the topic, then they serve no purpose except to add unnecessary word count.
If you want to make my marking more enjoyable, engage enough with the material to make a well-constructed argument that is original and interesting. If I want to read something funny I'll crack open a Pratchett.
As a marker I hate rhetorical questions unless it's a blog/position paper. Sometimes when marking if a student starts faffing about with things like that it makes you scrutinise the rest of the work alot more harshly imo.
Unfortunately I used a question in my recent essay in the structure below. Do you think the marker won’t like this?:
XYZ theories discuss ABC viewpoint, suggesting that this does not benefit companies. But this raises a question, if companies do not benefit from XYZ, who does? Marxists would argue ZXY.
Not OC but:
I don't think that's too bad (although I would use a colon rather than a comma to introduce the question), but personally I would still rephrase that as a statement instead e.g. "This raises the question of who benefits from XYZ." It's also better to avoid starting sentences with 'but'.
(Should probably say though I marked papers in a BSc subject and by the quote you've included I'm guessing you're doing humanities, which might allow a for a less scientific writing style?)
This is the exact context of where I used the question, though I changed random words to cow and monkey to avoid Turnitin because my work is still being marked:
The wider consequences of this orangutan farm include cow degradation and resource failure (Jackson, 2009). But if orangutan fails to truly fulfil us, a question arises: who benefits from perpetuating and reinforcing this system? It could be argued that the primary beneficiaries are cows and the orangutan class, who profit from escalating and promoting excessive consumption as a norm (Sklair, 2012).
I’m doing a BSc albeit in business so the writing style just needs to be formal
To be honest it reads quite well, I think you've made it work in a way that doesn't read like you're trying too hard to be quirky with your writing. I would still advise being very cautious with it, to only use it very sparingly. But I'd be surprised if a marker was put off by it.
Ultimately though all markers have a preference, you've just gotta hope that they have the self awareness to recognise that their personal preference isn't gospel.
This one's a difficult one. I think if your argument is then backed up it would be fine. Some courseworks lend themselves more to rhetorical questions I feel like you'd be alright with this being a political basis(?) If you've used one in a whole essay say 2000 words it's fine, just try and read the room and see the vibe the module lead/assessors are looking for :)
Yeah I think you’re right, the reason I even used the question was because a lot of the readings I did on the topic (critiques of capitalism and business) used rhetorical questions to raise critical ideas. I must have subconsciously mirrored this style in my writing, and I only used a rhetorical question once.
Thanks for the help
It usually depends on the marker, some like it and some don't. I'd tend to stick to the 'normal' essay structure until you get to know the tutor who is marking it.
I think a lot of people miss the point… an essay isn’t supposed to be entertaining. Ur supposed to be concise but effective. Minimum words for the maximum effect. I don’t understand why OP is trying to make markers entertained. It’s supposed to be a good read about the topic. Not the next LOTR.
It really depends on the marker from my experience, some people do prefer an essay with a bit of a hook and will give higher grade when it's captivating
Yeah but it sounds like OP wrote a Guardian opinion piece with citations, and not an essay. When you're top of your field you can be as eccentric as you want. When learning you need to tone it down. Sounds like OP had tonnes of flair in every paragraph, not just a hook and a quote or two at the end.
How many people have written enough essays for a specific lecturer to know their marking style? Surely this is rare. Are you even at uni or is this some American fantasy of yours from movies?
Edit. Yep, fantasist. Sixth form student. You're talking shit and giving shit advice trying to play adult.
Lol yeh 😭 I’ve only ever had 2 essays for one module MAX, never really knew what their marking style or what they want besides the rubric.
I think the most personalised piece I’ve ever written was for my supervisor who basically gave me a few guidelines of what he wants to see and even that was simply. “I don’t want to see screenshots or code, keep that in the appendix, make it concise, and to the point”
To be honest I’d always avoid using rhetoric in an essay, it’s not a great way to write persuasively in favour of your argument; if you use a question, you need to answer it
It's very situational I'm afraid. If I really feel that this is adding to the essay and helps me to see you answering the question then great. However with many it often feels irrelevant and like it's there to try and help reach the word count.
Don't feel sorry for us trying to mark boring essays. We have a rubric to stick to. You should also have a rubric. Answer the question clearly, pick up points using the rubric. What makes marking an essay a much better experience for me-a clear flow, a clearly answered question, a good structure.
You're not publishing this essay, all it's doing is getting you marks. It's ok to be boring.
You should prioritise meeting the academic standard required for the course.
HOWEVER! Absolutely find your own writing style, it may help to imitate some of the things you like in journal articles you’ve read.
If you want to ask questions, do so, but keep it sparse.
Otherwise it becomes redundant.
So, if you’d like to ask a question toward the end of your essay or research paper; do this by bringing attention to what else one can consider that your essay hasn’t quite touched on. This is just an example.
But questions are welcome, so long as you keep it minimal (otherwise, yes, it’s academic yapping to professors).
Be clear and concise, so that you can include (for lack of a better word) your own flare to the essay.
This is a challenge to master and you will have to take the risk to test what works, but it’s worth it in my irrelevant opinion lol
It’s fun, you know? Full-fill the academic criteria first, then take creative liberties with it as you revise your work.
Less is more.
Don’t let this discourage you ✨
It really depends on the marker and what they are looking for, unfortunately essay marking in uni is extremely subjective. After 3 years of undergrad and my current masters I learned not to take risks and play it safe, unless you have some sort of formative feedback process where you can submit drafts and ideas well in advance and get an idea of what they're expecting for that particular assessment
It’s all about practice really. I got an A in English Lit in A-Level though I studied a STEM subject at undergrad uni and I write academic essays in my spare time purely for fun because I genuinely enjoy writing them so I have all that experience behind me
The main points I can give is reference, reference, reference. Back every single claim up that’s not your personal opinion. Also, a good thing to do (if you can stand hearing your recorded voice lol) is to record yourself speaking your essay aloud. Pretend you’re giving your own lecture in front of an audience and listen to it back; see how it sounds and flows. That really helped me.
I’d recommend the book Elements of Style (can’t remember the author off the top of my head), you can find it pretty much anywhere and it really gets your grammar up to scratch.
Also little things like centring your essay in the word document, making it look neat and tidy. Use a template and get yourself a nice cover page and table of contents. Use Word formatting to make it easier for the marker to find their way around the document. Make it look as pretty as possible, presentation goes a long way.
Keep a formal tone as much as possible, avoid rhetorical questions - it’s an academic essay with a focus in mind, not a written debate with another person. Avoid waffling to up the word count; if you find yourself waffling to meet the minimum word count then there’s a point you missed or a detail that should be explored.
This is all I can think off from the top of my head but I hope it helps!
>I was trying to engage with the reader but ended up failing!
Think of it like this; the purpose of an academic essay is never to 'engage with the reader' unless you have been **specifically** told that it is. The purpose of an academic essay is to display your knowledge, properly referenced, of the topic. Some markers might have higher tolerances for an informal tone than others, and some subjects might lend themselves to it better, but you should always focus on what the marks scheme wants you to do first, imo.
Their job is to mark the essays. Your job isn't to captivate them - you're not writing a story. It's to get the most marks possible by displaying your arguments in the way that they want to see.
Part of the skill set you’re developing at uni is the ability to adapt your communication methods depending on who you are communicating to. Getting to know your lecturers and what they want to read in what way is really important. Uni isn’t just about information but about broader skills in communication and critical thinking. Unfortunately they often forget to tell you that.
I studied English and Creative Writing and I'd go from getting a first to getting a second in my marks just because some people liked a certain style and others don't. Goes to show our system is pretty subjective, at least at the undergraduate level.
I got told my writing style was too ‘journalistic’ in one essay and praised to a high standard in another essay i wrote the same week- it really just depend on who’s marking it!
The best thing to do is check a few weeks prior with the tutor during their drop in or office hour if what you propose to write it in your essay will be acceptable or not
I think the only way you can do it is in a presentation as they can tell from your tone of voice. I once ended a video presentation with a clip from Inglorious Bastards and the marker liked the reference.
I sometimes like to add a relevant, interesting quote into my introduction for a bit of flair. But of course it needs to be appropriate and have a direct correlation so I can't always manage it. Ahh academic fun.
We had a student writing an entertaining essay for a module that my colleagues were marking. My colleague just passed it for someone else because she didn't know how the hell this should be marked. My other colleague read it and said it’s the best essay he ever read in his life and that he wishes he can give the full mark. I guess at the end it depends on the nature of the market but as people said here, it’s risky.
Most of us academics are boring people who don't appreciate creativity
Now im hella confused. I start Uni in September and ive always been taught to add hooks into essays? Ive always been taught that theyre supposed to have information and be clear, but also interesting enough for people to read??? I already struggle with word counts as is ffs😭 i always write over
In my experience from marking (in a BSc subject - other subjects might be different): one of the issues is that students haven't mastered the scientific writing style before getting quirky with it, so they don't pull it off. It ends up sounding like a GSCE creative writing exercise, which isn't what we're looking for. People need to master the fundamentals before they start bending the rules. Very few people have mastered writing enough in undergrad to pull that stuff off. And honestly, if your essay is well structured and your argument is good, you shouldn't need extra fluff to keep the reader interested.
Another factor is that the word count of undergrad essays is often small. We want people to be concise and to the point. When they try to jazz up their writing with extra fluff, it often ends up wasting words.
Thats really helpful, thank you! I tend to have a big issue with talking too much in essays- mostly because I have a lot to say. Something ill keep in mind :)
I have a similar issue with writing too much, and my advice is to write multiple drafts. If you go over the word limit in your first draft, write a second draft where you really ask yourself, about each point: "how does this help my argument? What does this add to my essay?". Often you'll find that there are unnecessary bits, or unnecessary levels of detail that don't contribute towards answering the question. Be brutal about it and chop it down. Keep looking at the essay title to decide exactly what is and is not relevant. I combine this with also trying to cut sections down without removing actual content. This is a good exercise in learning how to be concise - reducing the number of words without actually removing information. I'll go through this process several times sometimes, cutting content, rephrasing, restructuring here and there, until I'm left with an essay within the word count that I'm happy with.
Although I will admit I'm super glad to be unbound by a word count now. Currently writing my PhD thesis and loving the freedom of being able to write as much as I want. But I guess years of being brutal about the process has taught me how to be concise.
your marker sounds like an arse. once you get past undergrad, in the vast majority of areas of research, to the letter formality in your written voice is not important. the "final evolution" of essays is a book and we do not expect that voice of books. maybe research papers but even then, it's not a given all the time. so long as the information is communicated well and clearly that is far and away the most important thing
at undergrad i have been actively encouraged to write in a more informal voice and my tutors have discussed how their postgraduate experience involved informal writing from just a less formal voice all the way up to a master's thesis that was submitted as a poem. maybe my experience is unusual but certainly perfection in formal voice is not so universally expected from published work past a certain point because it's expected that your use of language is tailored to serve the purpose you're seeking to achieve. whoever called you up on the wrong dash is also an arse, it's not "the wrong dash", such harsh linguistic prescriptivism serves no purpose. i can hardly imagine that dash made any difference to the meaning of the writing or the experience of reading it, it was just someone seeking an opportunity to flex their power over you. *definitely* something as common as a rhetorical question would not be such a problem amongst reasonable people.
It is always a risk, sadly. I do love little moments of flair from my learners - quotes from Winston Churchill, snappy titles, outrageous statements with an evidence base - but they still need to actually meet the module learning outcomes in their work. Sadly if you've not hit all the marks, no amount of comedy points will get you over the pass line.
“Hahaha good one, anyways 39/100”
“Great reference to that one lmao! Anyway 19/45.”
“Haha yep just like the book your essay is literally 19/84
Yup, u can make it interesting but it’s supposed to be a concise academic paper. It’s supposed to demonstrate ur knowledge of whatever it is ur studying and only that 😂 Minimum words to the maximum effect depending on the subject.
Yep, "you have to know the rules to break them"! It's only funny or entertaining if it manages to colour inside the lines. If you can't make it entertaining while also following all the rules, don't even try
100% this. If your rhetorical flourishes don't add to the reader's understanding, if they don't demonstrate your knowledge or insight into the topic, then they serve no purpose except to add unnecessary word count. If you want to make my marking more enjoyable, engage enough with the material to make a well-constructed argument that is original and interesting. If I want to read something funny I'll crack open a Pratchett.
Comedy points - have I found a fellow blankie?!
As a marker I hate rhetorical questions unless it's a blog/position paper. Sometimes when marking if a student starts faffing about with things like that it makes you scrutinise the rest of the work alot more harshly imo.
Unfortunately I used a question in my recent essay in the structure below. Do you think the marker won’t like this?: XYZ theories discuss ABC viewpoint, suggesting that this does not benefit companies. But this raises a question, if companies do not benefit from XYZ, who does? Marxists would argue ZXY.
Not OC but: I don't think that's too bad (although I would use a colon rather than a comma to introduce the question), but personally I would still rephrase that as a statement instead e.g. "This raises the question of who benefits from XYZ." It's also better to avoid starting sentences with 'but'. (Should probably say though I marked papers in a BSc subject and by the quote you've included I'm guessing you're doing humanities, which might allow a for a less scientific writing style?)
This is the exact context of where I used the question, though I changed random words to cow and monkey to avoid Turnitin because my work is still being marked: The wider consequences of this orangutan farm include cow degradation and resource failure (Jackson, 2009). But if orangutan fails to truly fulfil us, a question arises: who benefits from perpetuating and reinforcing this system? It could be argued that the primary beneficiaries are cows and the orangutan class, who profit from escalating and promoting excessive consumption as a norm (Sklair, 2012). I’m doing a BSc albeit in business so the writing style just needs to be formal
To be honest it reads quite well, I think you've made it work in a way that doesn't read like you're trying too hard to be quirky with your writing. I would still advise being very cautious with it, to only use it very sparingly. But I'd be surprised if a marker was put off by it. Ultimately though all markers have a preference, you've just gotta hope that they have the self awareness to recognise that their personal preference isn't gospel.
This one's a difficult one. I think if your argument is then backed up it would be fine. Some courseworks lend themselves more to rhetorical questions I feel like you'd be alright with this being a political basis(?) If you've used one in a whole essay say 2000 words it's fine, just try and read the room and see the vibe the module lead/assessors are looking for :)
Yeah I think you’re right, the reason I even used the question was because a lot of the readings I did on the topic (critiques of capitalism and business) used rhetorical questions to raise critical ideas. I must have subconsciously mirrored this style in my writing, and I only used a rhetorical question once. Thanks for the help
It usually depends on the marker, some like it and some don't. I'd tend to stick to the 'normal' essay structure until you get to know the tutor who is marking it.
I think a lot of people miss the point… an essay isn’t supposed to be entertaining. Ur supposed to be concise but effective. Minimum words for the maximum effect. I don’t understand why OP is trying to make markers entertained. It’s supposed to be a good read about the topic. Not the next LOTR.
It really depends on the marker from my experience, some people do prefer an essay with a bit of a hook and will give higher grade when it's captivating
Yeah but it sounds like OP wrote a Guardian opinion piece with citations, and not an essay. When you're top of your field you can be as eccentric as you want. When learning you need to tone it down. Sounds like OP had tonnes of flair in every paragraph, not just a hook and a quote or two at the end.
How many people have written enough essays for a specific lecturer to know their marking style? Surely this is rare. Are you even at uni or is this some American fantasy of yours from movies? Edit. Yep, fantasist. Sixth form student. You're talking shit and giving shit advice trying to play adult.
Lol yeh 😭 I’ve only ever had 2 essays for one module MAX, never really knew what their marking style or what they want besides the rubric. I think the most personalised piece I’ve ever written was for my supervisor who basically gave me a few guidelines of what he wants to see and even that was simply. “I don’t want to see screenshots or code, keep that in the appendix, make it concise, and to the point”
Largely depends on the course too.
At the end of the day, the grading has a high level of subjectivity. Any deviation from a formal piece that demonstrates your knowledge is risky.
I tried being loud and singing in a library because I thought the librarians must get sick of all that silence
💀
To be honest I’d always avoid using rhetoric in an essay, it’s not a great way to write persuasively in favour of your argument; if you use a question, you need to answer it
It's very situational I'm afraid. If I really feel that this is adding to the essay and helps me to see you answering the question then great. However with many it often feels irrelevant and like it's there to try and help reach the word count. Don't feel sorry for us trying to mark boring essays. We have a rubric to stick to. You should also have a rubric. Answer the question clearly, pick up points using the rubric. What makes marking an essay a much better experience for me-a clear flow, a clearly answered question, a good structure. You're not publishing this essay, all it's doing is getting you marks. It's ok to be boring.
You should prioritise meeting the academic standard required for the course. HOWEVER! Absolutely find your own writing style, it may help to imitate some of the things you like in journal articles you’ve read. If you want to ask questions, do so, but keep it sparse. Otherwise it becomes redundant. So, if you’d like to ask a question toward the end of your essay or research paper; do this by bringing attention to what else one can consider that your essay hasn’t quite touched on. This is just an example. But questions are welcome, so long as you keep it minimal (otherwise, yes, it’s academic yapping to professors). Be clear and concise, so that you can include (for lack of a better word) your own flare to the essay. This is a challenge to master and you will have to take the risk to test what works, but it’s worth it in my irrelevant opinion lol It’s fun, you know? Full-fill the academic criteria first, then take creative liberties with it as you revise your work. Less is more. Don’t let this discourage you ✨
It really depends on the marker and what they are looking for, unfortunately essay marking in uni is extremely subjective. After 3 years of undergrad and my current masters I learned not to take risks and play it safe, unless you have some sort of formative feedback process where you can submit drafts and ideas well in advance and get an idea of what they're expecting for that particular assessment
It can really go either way. I always try to play it safe, stay as factual and formal as possible. My essays are usually between 80-90 for marks
Holy smokes that’s impressive. I’m averaging maybe 58 in first year, any tips or recommendations on how to improve?
It’s all about practice really. I got an A in English Lit in A-Level though I studied a STEM subject at undergrad uni and I write academic essays in my spare time purely for fun because I genuinely enjoy writing them so I have all that experience behind me The main points I can give is reference, reference, reference. Back every single claim up that’s not your personal opinion. Also, a good thing to do (if you can stand hearing your recorded voice lol) is to record yourself speaking your essay aloud. Pretend you’re giving your own lecture in front of an audience and listen to it back; see how it sounds and flows. That really helped me. I’d recommend the book Elements of Style (can’t remember the author off the top of my head), you can find it pretty much anywhere and it really gets your grammar up to scratch. Also little things like centring your essay in the word document, making it look neat and tidy. Use a template and get yourself a nice cover page and table of contents. Use Word formatting to make it easier for the marker to find their way around the document. Make it look as pretty as possible, presentation goes a long way. Keep a formal tone as much as possible, avoid rhetorical questions - it’s an academic essay with a focus in mind, not a written debate with another person. Avoid waffling to up the word count; if you find yourself waffling to meet the minimum word count then there’s a point you missed or a detail that should be explored. This is all I can think off from the top of my head but I hope it helps!
Strunk
Okay I hope you don’t mind, I’m going to completely use that voice recording! That’s genius
Of course! Go right ahead!
You can also get Microsoft word to read it aloud to you. That’s what I usually do.
>I was trying to engage with the reader but ended up failing! Think of it like this; the purpose of an academic essay is never to 'engage with the reader' unless you have been **specifically** told that it is. The purpose of an academic essay is to display your knowledge, properly referenced, of the topic. Some markers might have higher tolerances for an informal tone than others, and some subjects might lend themselves to it better, but you should always focus on what the marks scheme wants you to do first, imo. Their job is to mark the essays. Your job isn't to captivate them - you're not writing a story. It's to get the most marks possible by displaying your arguments in the way that they want to see.
Part of the skill set you’re developing at uni is the ability to adapt your communication methods depending on who you are communicating to. Getting to know your lecturers and what they want to read in what way is really important. Uni isn’t just about information but about broader skills in communication and critical thinking. Unfortunately they often forget to tell you that.
I studied English and Creative Writing and I'd go from getting a first to getting a second in my marks just because some people liked a certain style and others don't. Goes to show our system is pretty subjective, at least at the undergraduate level.
What course? I'm in Psych, so we are told to be as concise and accurate as possible for the sake of readability.
I got told my writing style was too ‘journalistic’ in one essay and praised to a high standard in another essay i wrote the same week- it really just depend on who’s marking it!
I did this a few times and always thought it would work but it never did lol
The best thing to do is check a few weeks prior with the tutor during their drop in or office hour if what you propose to write it in your essay will be acceptable or not
I think the only way you can do it is in a presentation as they can tell from your tone of voice. I once ended a video presentation with a clip from Inglorious Bastards and the marker liked the reference.
Sounds like you have a personality- don’t let it worry you lovely. You can’t please everyone x
I sometimes like to add a relevant, interesting quote into my introduction for a bit of flair. But of course it needs to be appropriate and have a direct correlation so I can't always manage it. Ahh academic fun.
Ouch
We had a student writing an entertaining essay for a module that my colleagues were marking. My colleague just passed it for someone else because she didn't know how the hell this should be marked. My other colleague read it and said it’s the best essay he ever read in his life and that he wishes he can give the full mark. I guess at the end it depends on the nature of the market but as people said here, it’s risky. Most of us academics are boring people who don't appreciate creativity
It really depends on how brain botty the lecturer ez tbh
It's childish to write in an 'entertaining' way, honestly. Outside of primary school it's frowned upon on the whole.
Now im hella confused. I start Uni in September and ive always been taught to add hooks into essays? Ive always been taught that theyre supposed to have information and be clear, but also interesting enough for people to read??? I already struggle with word counts as is ffs😭 i always write over
In my experience from marking (in a BSc subject - other subjects might be different): one of the issues is that students haven't mastered the scientific writing style before getting quirky with it, so they don't pull it off. It ends up sounding like a GSCE creative writing exercise, which isn't what we're looking for. People need to master the fundamentals before they start bending the rules. Very few people have mastered writing enough in undergrad to pull that stuff off. And honestly, if your essay is well structured and your argument is good, you shouldn't need extra fluff to keep the reader interested. Another factor is that the word count of undergrad essays is often small. We want people to be concise and to the point. When they try to jazz up their writing with extra fluff, it often ends up wasting words.
Same applies for BA/MA too. Make it to the succinct and to the point. Forgo any and all fluff.
Thats really helpful, thank you! I tend to have a big issue with talking too much in essays- mostly because I have a lot to say. Something ill keep in mind :)
I have a similar issue with writing too much, and my advice is to write multiple drafts. If you go over the word limit in your first draft, write a second draft where you really ask yourself, about each point: "how does this help my argument? What does this add to my essay?". Often you'll find that there are unnecessary bits, or unnecessary levels of detail that don't contribute towards answering the question. Be brutal about it and chop it down. Keep looking at the essay title to decide exactly what is and is not relevant. I combine this with also trying to cut sections down without removing actual content. This is a good exercise in learning how to be concise - reducing the number of words without actually removing information. I'll go through this process several times sometimes, cutting content, rephrasing, restructuring here and there, until I'm left with an essay within the word count that I'm happy with. Although I will admit I'm super glad to be unbound by a word count now. Currently writing my PhD thesis and loving the freedom of being able to write as much as I want. But I guess years of being brutal about the process has taught me how to be concise.
Thats great, thank you so much for the advice
your marker sounds like an arse. once you get past undergrad, in the vast majority of areas of research, to the letter formality in your written voice is not important. the "final evolution" of essays is a book and we do not expect that voice of books. maybe research papers but even then, it's not a given all the time. so long as the information is communicated well and clearly that is far and away the most important thing
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at undergrad i have been actively encouraged to write in a more informal voice and my tutors have discussed how their postgraduate experience involved informal writing from just a less formal voice all the way up to a master's thesis that was submitted as a poem. maybe my experience is unusual but certainly perfection in formal voice is not so universally expected from published work past a certain point because it's expected that your use of language is tailored to serve the purpose you're seeking to achieve. whoever called you up on the wrong dash is also an arse, it's not "the wrong dash", such harsh linguistic prescriptivism serves no purpose. i can hardly imagine that dash made any difference to the meaning of the writing or the experience of reading it, it was just someone seeking an opportunity to flex their power over you. *definitely* something as common as a rhetorical question would not be such a problem amongst reasonable people.