I'm a few days away from a chapter submission. It might seem a bit odd, but a common experience of mine is to feel a bit helpless at such times. Having made the changes that my supervisor recommended, I feel that my revision readings have descended into a synonym hunt! While I don't want to make substantial alterations at this stage (my supervisor advised against it), I feel like I should be doing something with the chapter.

This chapter is due to be read by two other faculty members. It is quite long (almost 30,000 words), so reading carefully from start to finish is extremely time-consuming.

I would like to know what other people do at such times.

@Sneaks and Joyce - thanks for taking the time to reply. I eventually managed to sort it out (well, my supervisor did!). Somehow, I inserted both line and page breaks - I have no idea how I managed to do that! I haven't been using Word 2007 for all that long, so I know very little about its range of options. Thanks once again to all who replied to this thread.

Thanks for the replies - your help is much appreciated. I followed the steps that both of you mentioned. Alas, still no change.

In a document that I'm working on at present there is a large amount of unwanted space between my second and third paragraphs (I have no idea how it got there). When I try to move the third paragraph back up, nothing happens other than the deletion of the period which ends my second paragraph. I've selected the "don't add space between paragraphs of the same style" option, but nothing changes. All the rest of my paragraphs are evenly-spaced. I have no idea how to fix this, but I would certainly appreciate any advice.

[quote]Quote From Cobweb:

I know that he thinks a lot of me, and loves me a lot - He tells me that every day.

I do not wish to seem callous, but that statement indicates just how trapped you are. His actions totally refute his words. His power over you is such that your very idea of love is questionable. It's extremely sad that you can believe that a lack of respect, together with a history of lies and at least one cheating incident is indicative of love. Whatever you choose, I wish you well.

Hi Cobweb,

This man has lied to you, cheated on you, and jeopardised your academic future. You will never be able to alter the first two issues, but I can only hope that you will do what is necessary to change the last. You can blame him as much as you wish and you have every reason to - his behaviour is despicable - but perhaps you should question your own tolerance. Your friends and family may well condemn him, but you have shown in the past that you are willing to accept his ways. In the not-too-distant past I was in a very similar situation. Initially I grew embittered towards the woman I was with, but in time the recognition that I had tolerated her betrayals and dishonesty grew. I managed to get myself out of that situation, but it had potentially ruinous consequences, specifically for my academic life. Your studies will almost certainly offer you more in the way of a promising future than he could. I cannot advise you on the potential financial difficulties facing you, should you leave him, but the emotional, psychological, and professional impact that staying with him will have is potentially far more worrying. This may not have helped you in any way, but please accept my goodwill and best wishes.

I replied to the other thread about this type of issue. From the outset I nipped the situation in the bud, realising as I did that I had too much to lose by letting my work slip. While none of us are robots, the importance of prioritising our academic work over any emotional ties (barring those of very close family or long-term friends) is crucial.

The man that you refer to is established in his career. Regardless of your actions, he will continue as an academic, making personal and professional progress. It is likely that he will attract the same sort of attentions from other students - in essence his personal and professional options will not be affected by your eventual decision.

Emotional entanglements, whether real or ideal, are the graveyard of academic ambitions. I use the word 'entanglements' knowingly, lest I be accused of dismissing the benefits that fruitful relationships can bring to scholarly work.

It is a very good idea. I use audiobooks quite frequently (they certainly spare my eyes). For large works such as Ulysses they can be very useful (the unabridged version consists of 32 CDs!).

Well done Lara. My viva seems light years away, but it is so encouraging to read about your experiences. Your words will continue to inspire many people here.

In much of my undergraduate and postgraduate work I read and wrote very much according to the clock. This involved a strict adherence to half-hour slots, followed by breaks of five minutes. The problem with this method is that it seems to preclude the sort of passionate absorption in texts that characterised my pre-university reading. I mostly found myself watching the clock to ensure I stayed within my timed limits, thereby reducing my concentration levels.

Now that I am a Ph.D. student working on authors who have been of the utmost personal significance to me, I do not wish to simply indulge in a formal academic exercise. I would like to know how other people approach their reading.