Posts Tagged ‘misused words’

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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Transitional Words and Phrases

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

For those of you who are not enthralled by the nuances of the English language, linking sentences must be a real drag.  Actually, I know you find it a real drag because I’ve been told so time after time.  Your teachers/professors must also know it because they hand you photocopied lists of transitional words.

Transitional words are good.  So are transitional phrases.  But each word and phrase has it’s particular use, and should not be thrown in haphazardly.

For those who are drawing a blank, here’s a reasonable list of transitional words and phrases for connecting sentences and paragraphs.  Try to learn when and where to use each word properly.

For those who have a basic grasp of the concept, the OWL at Purdue has some excellent suggestions for transition methods and devices.

There are some transitions which don’t belong in formal essays:

  • references to the essay or the paragraph (e.g.  “In this essay…” or “This paragraph will explain…”)
  • personal references (e.g. “I’m going to tell you about…”)
  • creative adverbs such as “firstly”, “secondly” and “thirdly”

There are also some transitions which are just… common (and I use the word in the derogatory sense).  For instance, next is boring; try to use something more exciting.

Most of the time, I read literary essays.  One thing that bothers me is the use of first, second and third, etc., in writing which has nothing to do with numbers or sequences.  If one is discussing the steps of a process then - by all means - use first, second and third.  However, if the subjects being discussed do not need to be in any particular order, there is no need to number them; words such as next, following this, and at the same time would be appropriate.

If you do a simple search for “transition words”, you’ll find numerous sites which offer ample suggestion.  Just remember that transitional words are as important as every other word in your writing, and should be treated with the same reverence.

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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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Common Errors In English Usage by Paul Brians

Monday, September 28th, 2009

More than once I have had a student say to me, “It… just… doesn’t… make… sense,” while punctuating each word by banging their head on the table. I do understand their frustration: I feel much the same way about mathematics.

Eventually, English does start to make sense. The problem which then arises is the fear of making mistakes. While one may be brave enough to write a masters’ thesis, is one brave enough to use a semi-colon?

Paul Brians’ Common Errors In English Usage is a great resource to have beside you when trepidation starts to set in. Do you remember when to use “accept” and when to use “except”? Do you understand the difference between “baited breath” and “bated breath”? If not, this is the book for you.  Whenever you are feeling brave enough to venture into the depths of the English language, this book will provide reassurance.

This book covers such things as commonly misspelled words, misused expressions, grammar and spelling, and what to do with those annoying accents on French words when you’re writing them in English.

An excerpt of the book is available here, on Google Books, and there is an online version, but I highly recommend heading over to the library or to the bookstore, as this is a most useful resource.

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