Posts Tagged ‘communication’

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Reverse Psychology

Monday, July 12th, 2010

I occasionally teach creative writing; last week’s class involved an exercise where we took the “World’s Worst Poem” (according to Google) and fixed it.  One of the people noted that she was able to see many faux pas in the author’s style of which she, herself, was guilty.  We all had a look at the poem and, regretfully, each one of us could find at least one problem which was evident in our own writing.

This made me think: have you ever checked out some really bad academic writing?  If you do a quick search for “world’s worst essay”, you’ll get some prime examples.  (Caveat: the first link Google comes up with is an essay which has an extraordinary amount of inappropriate language, so don’t click on it if that sort of thing bothers you… no, I’m not giving you the link to it. )

This essay comes up in several places on the internet.  It looks like it was written by a 7-year-old who drank too much Red Bull.  It’s a good essay to read if you’re at all inclined to rambling, though; you’ll never want to ramble again.

Here is a college admission essay which is the epitome of pretentiousness and inappropriate vocabulary.  You’ll have to scroll down and click on “read more of this essay”.

It would be a good exercise to print out these two paragraphs and mark them up with a big red pen, as they break just about every rule of academic writing.

Have a look at some of these.  You may find some things which strike you as disturbingly familiar.

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Comma Enigma

Monday, June 21st, 2010

If you want to get some linguists all tied up in a knot, just say the word “comma”.  If you want a really big brouhaha, make sure half of those linguists are American and the other half British.

Good times all around.

Nadine Gordimer, a Nobel Prize-winning author, wrote this beautiful sentences in a short story called Loot (2003):

He has a lot of - things - some of which his eye falls upon often, so he must be fond of, some of which he doesn’t notice, deliberately, that he probably shouldn’t have acquired but cannot cast off, there’s an art nouveau lamp he reads by, and above his bed-head a Japanese print, a Hokusai, ‘The Great Wave’, he doesn’t really collect oriental stuff, although if it had been on the wall facing him it might have been more than part of the furnishings, it’s been out of sight behind his head for years.

Marvelous sentence.  Drives any writer to their knees in awe.  Drives the average linguist around the bend.

If you wrote such a sentence in a formal essay, you’d fail; creative writing demands the re-reading of sentences for pleasure, and formal writing demands clear, straight-forward communication.

Comma usage is - and probably always will be - up for debate.  The Americans have a fairly mathematical approach to commas (they’re notorious for serial commas and FANBOYS, and putting commas inside the quotes) while the British are more logical about it: commas go outside the quotes, and are used where necessary to make things easy for the reader.  Even within a particular English usage, people will argue whether or not a comma is appropriate.

The bottom line is, you’ll never find the “right” answer, just a handful of logical ones.  The OWL at Purdue has a really good PowerPoint slide on commas which you can download from here.  You can also look at their Comma Quick Rules page.

If you’re writing for a particular employer or professor, read some of their writing and see how they use commas (serial commas?  is “as” included in the list of FANBOYS?  do they like Nadine Gordimer’s writing?)  If you can’t get your hands on some of their writing, ask them specifically about their comma preferences; this way, you won’t fail.

Commas may drive you batty, but they’re also very interesting.  Here’s a lovely little video which covers the basics - with a smile!  There’s a website which gives a short history of punctuation, including commas.  For those of you who spend your summer on Facebook, there’s a page in favour of the Oxford comma.

Like the mud-puddles you examined as a child, commas are intriguing once you get knee-deep in them.

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To Footnote or Not to Footnote…

Monday, June 14th, 2010

…that is the question.

There is no one answer.

Footnotes are those little blurbs at the bottom of the page, usually marked with superscript numbers (but sometimes with asterisks and other cool shapes).  If you randomly take any three academic books from the library shelf, you’ll find each one of them uses footnotes differently.  Some authors uses them solely for citing quotations, some use them to explain archaic words or ideas, and some use them to write a second book within the first.

I think citation is the only use of footnotes which is universally agreed upon.  Some people may want you to write the citations in parentheses or as endnotes, but the final result is the same thing.  Either way, the little foray to the bottom of the page or the back of the book isn’t going to throw your reader off that much; they can look at them after they’ve finished reading, too.

If you look at a Shakespeare play, you’ll see that half the page is footnotes.  This is necessary for modern readers as we don’t teach Elizabethan English classes before we make you read Romeo and Juliet.  If you’re ever going to understand what the heck Mercutio is going on about, you’ll need explanations in modern English.  We also don’t teach classical literature very much, anymore, so you’ll need the Greek and Roman allusions explained, too.  Footnotes are good for these explanations because you’d lose your train of thought entirely if we put all the explanations in parentheses, or if you had to flip to the back of the book.  Short footnotes can also be used to show additional sources of information or alternative translations of words.

Unless the goal is to teach you to write without footnotes, most people don’t object to short explanations decorating the bottom of the page.

Now, writing another book on the bottom half of the page… this drives readers right off the deep end.  When I see this in a book, I generally put the book back down and walk away.  When I see it in an essay, I hand it right back to the student.  It’s a sign of inept writing.

If you have a clear thesis and understand the points you’ll be using to support said thesis, there should be no need for extensive footnotes.  If every point you make has an additional interpretation or opinion, then you should work that into your essay.  If every paragraph has a classical allusion or an archaic word, you need to work these into your essay, too.  If the information absolutely cannot be written into the main part of the essay and is not desperately important to the understanding of the thesis, consider using an appendix instead of footnotes; this will be less distracting to the reader.

The term itself should identify the footnote’s position: if it’s taking up anything more than the foot of the page, it’s no longer a footnote.  (If in doubt, draw a person on the page; you have up to the ankle to write footnotes.)

Here’s the OWL at Purdue’s page on footnotes, etc.

If you must follow a specific format, MLA and APA formats both discourage the use of footnotes; Chicago recommends them for citation.   Make sure you know what’s expected from each format.

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Awesome Vocabulary

Monday, March 1st, 2010

When my children were small, I didn’t think I’d ever use a multi-syllabic word again.  All those years of education were a complete waste of time, effort and money, I thought.  When my infant son was given a toy tiger, I named it “Robespierre” because I figured it would be the only time I’d ever get to say such a big word, much less contemplate French politics.

I was visiting with my parents this past weekend, and my father and I were talking about writing.  He said he used to look forward to writing reports for lawyers and judges - rather than for his co-workers - because he was not limited to readers with a Grade 8 comprehension level.  I concur: while I absolutely enjoy all of my students, reading the work of certain students is always more pleasurable than reading the work of others.  It has something to do with subject matter, of course, and sentence structure, but mainly I like their vocabulary.  Not the vocabulary to required to discuss their particular topic, but the vocabulary which is used to explain it all to me.  I like to be kept thinking.

As a student who is making an effort to improve their writing (I know you are or you wouldn’t be reading this), it behooves you to constantly increase your vocabulary.  You will never know every word there is in the English language.  At some point, it may be a word like apologia or progenitor (used properly, of course) which makes or breaks your reader’s opinion of your writing.

So, how does one go about increasing one’s vocabulary?  A dictionary, obviously; choose one scintillating word per week and incorporate it into your writing whenever possible.  A thesaurus is also a good thing; stop using nice and use genial instead.  You can also waste hour after hour on addictive games like Free Rice.  SAT preparation quizzes like this or this are also good.

This doesn’t mean you have to start sounding like a walking reference book.  The point would be to have a wide vocabulary at your disposal so that you are able to communicate with your reader at their level, whatever that level may be.

Have fun on Free Rice. :)

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I Don’t Think I Need A Thesis

Monday, January 4th, 2010

Of late, I’m seeing a lot of assignments from educators who don’t want full essays.  They are asking their students to write just the outline of the essay, or perhaps only one body paragraph.  One local science professor wants to see all the experiment results in point form, for now (and the students will have to write up 5 of the experiments at the end of the semester).

As a teacher, I can see the purpose to these assignments: it’s a matter of breaking the writing down into small parts to ensure the student understands the basics.  It’s like those hockey drills where the players skate back and forth across the rink, spraying snow as they stop; by the end of the drill, it’s automatic and they don’t even need to think about how to stop.  If you’ve written a body paragraph a hundred times, you’re not likely to mess up the body paragraphs on your final exam.

Sometimes, these exercises backfire.  Yesterday, I had a student tell me that he didn’t think he needed a thesis because he was only working on an outline.

Aie, aie… aie. You always need a thesis.  The minute you pick up a writing implement and begin looking for a piece of paper, you need a thesis.  If you’re writing a grocery list, you need a thesis (I need to buy these things at the grocery store).  If you’re writing a thank you letter to your grandmother, you need a thesis (The lovely fuchsia sweater with the fluffy kittens on it is beautiful).

A thesis is a subject, the matter about which you are writing.  If you don’t have a thesis, you don’t know what you’re writing about.  Perhaps you won’t need to write your thesis down for a particular assignment, but you will always need to have one.  It’s best to write it down somewhere, so you remember what you’re writing about  (put it on a sticky note and stick it to your forehead, or write it on the back of your hand in glittery green ink).

It’s not necessary to come up with the perfect thesis before you actually begin writing.  Particularly when taking on a subjective argument, it may be easier to find your supporting points first.  I will often scribble over several pieces of paper, looking at a topic from several view points, before I choose the ones I want to write about.  Once I have three or four points which work well together, I can write a thesis which connects them.

Should you need a refresher course on the parts of writing, check out this website on how to write a thesis statement.

Remember that the individual parts are as important as the whole: the forest could not exist without the trees.

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Being Politically Correct

Monday, December 21st, 2009

The ability to name is a daunting power; individuals should play a role in selecting words to describe themselves.

- How To Be Politically Correct


One of my students is studying to become a police officer.  All of her papers - law, culture, psychology - have to do with people.  When it comes to writing about people, language is of infinite importance.  Terminology which was (perhaps barely) acceptable in high school is suddenly offensive, and the proper vocabulary requires time and patience to research.  She is finding out about this the hard way….  Books and websites which are 10 or even 5 years old may use terminology which is no longer appropriate, and she often has to go beyond the required reading to ensure she has the proper information.

All formal writing has to do with people.  Even if you’re writing about the most inanimate object on Earth (no clue as to what that might actually be…), your writing will be read by people.  In communicating with these people, you must use language which is acceptable to them.  It follows that you must clearly understand the terms which are used by your readers, and how they are used.

There are a few basics which apply across the board.  Leonora Billings-Harris has listed some of them here.  Her best point, I think, is:  If you think this is too much work, ask yourself, “If I were in the group being referred to, would I still feel this is too much work?” It’s very much worth your effort to research the words your readers would use themselves.  You may find some of the words are offensive to you but the reader is, in this case, more important than the author.

Gender-sensitivity has become quite the issue for debate in recent years.  It’s a good idea to know where your readers stand.  For instance, some people use the ambivalent pronoun they to refer to someone who is not clearly denoted as being a man or a woman.  There’s a good website about it here.  Please do your research on this one.  If one of my students uses they in an attempt to be inoffensive, I have no problem with that; if one of them uses the term womyn -just because they know I’m female - I mark them wrong (the sanctity of the English language is much more important to me than my gender).  However, if you’re writing for a group of people who believe the term woman to be offensive, you’d best know that.

Cultural definition, physical definition, religious definition - all these things are important to research before you even begin writing.

While I’m a little skeptical about directing you to a Wiki-page, this one has some good points.  It also makes one point which really appeals to me: being overly-cautious can have the opposite effect (see #5).  There is such a thing as going too far.  I believe political-correctness, itself, has gone too far.  In attempt to be all-inclusive, we often over-describe.  Before you put yourself in a position where your language might be castigated, make sure you actually need to use such description.  For instance, the famous writer Neil Gaiman was born in England and now lives in the United States, has white skin and dark hair, and is of Jewish heritage; is it truly necessary to note all these things about him?  I think not.  All one has to do is say his name, and people will gush, “Oh, I loved his book ______!”  Defining a person by their own name is always a safe bet.

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Breaking All The Rules

Monday, December 14th, 2009

One of the reasons I appreciate Sentenceworks is because it teaches the rules of the English language rather than just pointing out the errors and having a computer automatically fix it.  If you’ve been using Sentenceworks regularly since the beginning of the school year, by now you should have learned to correct at least three or four major problems without the use of a grammar checker.  (If you’ve learned to correct more than that, we’re very proud of you. :) )

Learning to follow the rules is important; learning to break them is just as important because it gives purpose to following those rules.  Breaking the rules is not just a random act of disobedience, but a means of broadening one’s learning.  For instance, a baby will often fall down when it’s learning to walk.  In falling, the baby will learn to avoid falling, perhaps how to fall properly so that it doesn’t get hurt, and also how to bend its knees, how to use its arms for protection, and how to roll.   Perhaps the baby also has an older sibling, and learning to fall on purpose will teach the baby how to manipulate the parent. (Billy, did you push your little sister again?  Into the Thinking Chair you go!)

The same concepts can be applied to English rules.  If I ! deliberately ,use punctuation incorrectly? it will only serve to make “a” point My readers :will spend a lot of time ‘focusing on how vitally\ important punctuation, is to writing.

On Language; Breaking the Rules is an old-but-good article on how some of the rules came to be.  By understanding the origins of the rules, a writer can understand when the rules must be followed, and when they can/should  be broken.

For those who are truly enthralled by such exploration, there is an excellent book called Miss Thistlebottom’s Hobgoblins which explores the rules in depth.

Formal writing is not just about following grammar rules.  It’s about using the elements of a language to effectively communicate your thoughts and ideas; the more weapons you have at your disposal, the greater the attack.  Have fun building your arsenal!

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Do You Really Mean That?

Monday, November 30th, 2009

This is a great website: Tips For Formal Writing.  Dr. James A. Bednar has compiled this thorough list of things which will weaken your writing style, and possibly annoy your reader to the point where they are distracted.

Rather than re-invent the wheel, I’ll just quote my favourite part of the website:

Write what you mean, mean what you write

Speakers use many informal, colloquial phrases in casual conversation, usually intending to convey meanings other than what the words literally indicate. For instance, we often speak informally of “going the extra mile”, “at the end of the day”, “hard facts”, things being “crystal clear” or “pretty” convincing, someone “sticking to” a topic, readers being “turned off”, something “really” being the case, etc. Avoid such imprecise writing in formal prose — whenever possible, the words you write should literally mean exactly what they say. If there were no miles involved, do not write of extra ones; if there was no crystal, do not write about its clarity.

Among other benefits, avoiding such informal language will ensure that your meaning is obvious even to those who have not learned the currently popular idioms, such as those for whom English is a second language and those who might read your writing years from now or in another part of the world. Formal writing should be clear to as many people as possible, and its meaning should not depend on the whims of your local dialect of English. It is a permanent and public record of your ideas, and should mean precisely what you have written. - Dr. James A. Bednar

I truly appreciate the second paragraph of the quote. We’re still reading things which were written 3000 years ago.  Would Aristotle have had the audacity to write everything down if he had known we’d still be reading his texts in this day and age?  Perhaps you have no plans for your essay to ever see the light of day again, but you may not have such control. Take pity on the students who, 2000 years from now, may believe you to be an ancient expert on Edward Cullen. :)

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George Orwell’s Politics and the English Language

Monday, November 16th, 2009

georgeorwell1

Politics and the English Language is an essay by George Orwell (well-known author of 1984); in it, he discusses the decline of the English language.

This essay provides a good read.  Orwell gives examples of the changes in English and puts the examples in context - by translating a verse of the Bible - to show how ludicrous the evolution of language can be.  He lists staleness of imagery and lack of precision as symptoms of the decline of English.  These two faults are further divided into dying metaphors, operators, pretentious diction and meaningless words.

Orwell gives the following solutions to the problem of corrupt language:

1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
2. Never use a long word where a short one will do.
3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
4. Never use the passive where you can use the active.
5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
6. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

I believe the 6th rule is the most important. :)  This essay should be read by students, academic writers and politicians alike.

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Academic Writing Module

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

An Academic Writing Module: Paragraphs

A neat little website from New Zealand for those who have forgotten the nitty-gritties of writing a paragraph.   It’s a set of exercises which help you identify the parts of an essay based on the language.  You can identify topic sentences and paragraphs, arrange a group of sentences to form a proper paragraph, and learn to incorporate sources.

Instructions are found in the top left corner (sometimes you have to click on the “instructions” button), and the top right corner has optional readings about the subject.  At the end of the exercises is a sample essay, complete with analysis (click on the “analysis” button).

Even though you may be halfway through the semester by now, this is a good refresher course on how language works in formal writing.

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