Hello everyone:

There are times when I simply do not have a clue what someone is writing about. Let me give you a few examples. Now, stay local and stay with me here. This is gonna get messy.

Here is a sentence from an assignment I read today:

This detail would have given lucidity as to why their project was victorious.

Come again? Huh? What in the world do you mean by that? Are you saying that, if someone had included some tidbit of information, they would have succeeded in what they were trying to do? It seems that is your point but I am really not too sure.

Here’s another one: The authors accentuated the purpose of the congealed report. Do say! Or, should I say, I have no idea what you are talking about. I first thought you said “accented the purpose,” but, no, that was definitely an “accentuated” there.

Or another line: Like most social phenomena the nucleus of some conflicts is at the intersection of various perspectives, beliefs, and encounters. Could you please help me out by including a comma with the introductory phrase “like most social phenomena??

If you have the slightest idea of what these students were trying to elucidate through this completely obtuse language, please let me know. Do people really talk (or, in this case, write) like this? Apparently so.

Best,

Dr. Sheri