Writing & Grammar

Posts about writing and grammar.

Research before Writing

Posted on by Sheri Dean Parmelee

Hi everyone:

It’s amazing. Students think that they can sit down and write an assignment without doing any research. Folks, that’s a good way to end up with writer’s block. If you haven’t seen what scholars have said about your topic, you can only write so much, especially if you don’t know anything about the topic.

Please don’t “fake it till you make it.” This is especially important if you are writing about something that your professor is an expert on. Whoa, that’s a bad idea and I have seen it done. Things do not go well when you try that. Even today, if I were writing about Aristotle, I would start by looking at what one of my former professors wrote about it. He is an expert on Aristotle and literally wrote a book about it (and countless articles that completely fill his desktop). Note: Do not misquote the author at any time, especially if you are citing the professor.

So how do you do decent research? Start with your school library, if you have a hint of what’s available in the way of topics. If, and only if, I knew absolutely nothing about something, I would google it. (Before your jaw drops too completely, this is only a start.) I would look over what google said and then immediately move to scholarly articles on whatever I found.

The challenge is when students stop at google. Then they think that google is “common knowledge” and they don’t cite anything they find there. That’s still plagiarism, even if the sources aren’t too reliable. I can find a googled source in seconds, and that’s the end of your paper.

Do not consider that you have done research if you check out paper mills, where you are guaranteed a certain grade if you pay a certain price. That’s not research. It’s cheating. I can find those papers, as well. That’s the end of your reputation, depending on which college you are attending.

Many colleges offer classes (or at least part of a course) on how to navigate their library system. Take the class. Immediately. It will save you hours and improve your grades if you know how to find things in their library. Use the library often, and your papers will have good foundations.

Best,

Dr. Sheri

Accepting Feedback is a Good Thing

Posted on by Sheri Dean Parmelee

Hi everyone:

Every semester, I offer free feedback to students. They can come into my office and sit down with a hard copy of their assignment and I will look at it, prior to the day it is due.

I will mark it up for format, grammar, punctuation, spelling, and quality. They can then take the paper back and fix it before submission.

Amazingly enough, most students don’t use this wonderful feature of my classes. To me, this is tantamount to ignoring your spell check or grammar check on your computer. Who needs those pesky little underlines, anyway? Right?

Yes, this is humble pie time. Yes, my comments can make your paper look like it is hemorrhaging. But, if you take my advice, you can make a HUGE difference in the grade you will receive AND you can learn something that will make your future grades better in every writing-intensive class you take.

What do you have to lose? This past week, my classes had papers to turn in. Out of those classes, how many students came into my office to chat about their essays? Three. From my online classes, how many students posted a rough draft for me to look over? Half the class. (This class has mandatory rough drafts and half the class still didn’t so it. Amazing.)

So, your take-away for today is this: If you are offered free feedback, take it. When you get it, take it to heart.

Best,

Dr. Sheri

Too Many Introductory Phrases Spoil the Essay

Posted on by Sheri Dean Parmelee

Hello everyone:

There seems to be an over abundance of introductory phrases these days. Whether you are a first semester freshman or a graduate student, they are omnipresent in essays. (I just wrote one in the last sentence; this proves my point, I would argue herein.) I almost wrote a second one in three sentences. That would have spelled disaster in the world of academic writing.

So how did I avoid writing more than one? I flipped my sentences around. You can do it, too. Let me show you what I mean. I was tempted, very tempted dear friends, to write the following:

Having just written one in my previous sentence, I just proved my point. [The introductory phrase is all the words before the word “sentence.”] This can be easily flipped to say:

I just proved my point, having just written one in my last sentence.

Do you see the difference? The introductory phrase is now at the end of the sentence, which keeps the essay from becoming boring.

Let’s try another one:

If I had written a second one in three sentences, it would have spelled disaster in the world of academic writing. [The introductory phrase is all of the words before the comma in the sentence right before this one.] I chose, instead, to write the sentence as two sentences. I also prevented another introductory phrase with the word “instead” by placing it after the subject and the verb (I chose), turning it into a parenthetic word. [There would have been an introductory word if I had put the word “instead” first in the sentence.]

Parenthetic words and phrases are those words and phrases that you stick into the middle of the sentence, rather than placing them at the end. Some folks argue that they don’t need any commas, which would make the sentence read as follows:

I chose instead to write the sentence as two sentences.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with the lack of commas there, but I argue that the clarity of the sentence is enhanced by the presence of the two commas. Please note that, if you use one comma, you must use the second one. Like I just did for the parenthetic expression in the previous sentence.

I hope this helps. Remember, if you have any questions about writing, just post a comment on one of my blog postings and I will get back to you.

Best,

Dr. Sheri

There is an “our” in group, if you don’t mind mixing the letters up

Posted on by Sheri Dean Parmelee

Hi Everyone:

I just finished working with a few classes that were all about teamwork. Happily, some of the teams were superb. Everyone participated fully and contributed as equally as possible. They got a very high grades on their project and they deserved their stellar grades.

Sadly, not all the teams worked out well. Some of the team members were MIA, no-show, no-loads who posted the group project in their own assignment folders, knowing full well that they hadn’t contributed a lick. (I worked on  a team once where one of our members contributed “great job, folks” and “my name is spelled with a ‘ph’ instead of a ‘v’ to a 42-page paper. I won’t be forgetting Stephen very soon, that’s for sure, since he also got an A on the assignment.)

So what’s a student to do???? Stay in touch with your instructor, for one thing.  When someone tells me after the fact that one teammate didn’t do a thing, there’s not much I can do about it. If you tell me this a few weeks into the project, I can try to reach out to the student and get him or her moving. Or not.

The important issue here is to let the instructor know! I ‘fire’ nonproductive group members and stick them on a team by themselves. That way, you can work unhindered by an albatross and the person who is sticking it to you is now stuck on his or her own.

Stay in touch! Let the professor know what’s happening and we will help. Do not suffer in silence, and don’t let a freeloader get away with submitting your work! The word “our” is in “group,” you just have to move the letters around a bit!

Best,

Dr. Sheri

The devil is in the details or paying attention to the little things

Posted on by Sheri Dean Parmelee

Hello everyone:

Students love to get good grades. I love to give them. But I only give them if the student deserves to be rewarded for his or her effort.

Oftentimes, students have the right idea but they get bogged down in the details. Or they forget that the small things really do matter. Things like making sure you have the right formatting on the assignment, especially if the professor has given you an example.

Here’s the deal: If I take the time to post an example, don’t say, “Oh, I’ve got it” and only look at the top of the page. Go ahead, while you’re there anyway, and look over the whole document. Taking a few extra minutes can make the difference between your truly understanding how to write a modified block business letter and writing a block memo/letter hybrid. Guess which one gets the good grade and which one doesn’t?

Take the time to re=read your document one more time before you submit it. Otherwise, it will look like ewe didn’t take the thyme to prove reed your essy and that ewe jus didn’t car. Why do all that work and mess up in the end?

Even better, read it out loud. It’s amazing what mistakes you will find if you do that. The devil really is in the details.

Best,

Dr. Sheri

An apostrophe is not a comma or vice versa

Posted on by Sheri Dean Parmelee

Hello everyone:

Believe it or not, some students mistake a possessive apostrophe (students’ confusion) for a comma (students, confusion). Oh, my, let’s set the record straight.

You have students who possess something. Therefore, you use a possessive apostrophe like this:

One student has something: Let’s overcome the student’s confusion in completing a task.

Two or more students have something: The two students’ confusion was palatable.

Neither of those examples needed a comma. Anywhere.

Do not use a comma between a subject and a verb. For example, I saw something like this today:

The students, confusion was palatable.

No, it wasn’t. (Well, perhaps it was but this is not the way to write it.)

The groups, formation…. Nope, that doesn’t cut it, either. Instead try the following:

The group’s formation was spurred on by Jim. (Actually, this is passive voice construction. To make it active voice, write it as follows: Jim spurred on the group’s formation.)

Hope this helps!

Best,

Dr. Sheri

When do I use a semi-colon?

Posted on by Sheri Dean Parmelee

Hello everyone:

Oh, those semi-colons! I’ve seen students who wrote one word (However; this is not a good thing) and dumped a semi-colon into the sentence immediately. That’s not the way to go, folks.

Others students use them to connect partial sentences with other partial sentences (A dog; came down the road; to fetch.) Nope. No matter how tempting it is to fill in the blanks in your sentence with the charming semi-colon, please resist.

So where in the world DO they belong? For starters, they make a great addition to a situation where you have two perfectly good, but short, related sentences. That is, the two sentences are about the same topic and are right next to one another, but they look a bit lonesome. Here’s an example:

My parents are both living in Florida; they like the year-round warm weather.

By themselves, the sentences are fine and dandy but together they are much stronger. Their structure is less choppy; they take your writing to a higher level.

They also belong where you have a bunch of things in the same sentence but there are commas in the bunches. Here’s an example of that:

The deceased is survived by Sarah Jennings, of New York City; John Jennings, of Nashville, Tennessee; and Paul Jennings, of Baltimore, Maryland.

Yes, that is an obituary example. I thought you were dying to see it. (Just kidding here.)

Here’s a less morbid example:

I am taking several things to the gym, including my red, white, and blue running shoes; my purple, blue, and gold T-shirt; and my aqua, yellow, and white shorts. (Please note that you would clash with yourself, but I digress.)

I hope this helps you see semi-colons in a different light; they really are wonderful punctuation markers.

Best,

Dr. Sheri

Buying research papers

Posted on by Sheri Dean Parmelee

Hello everyone:

Sometimes, if you are really busy, it might seem like a good idea to buy a research paper. It isn’t.

Perhaps you don’t really care about the course and you think purchasing a paper is a great way to move on quickly. Don’t do it.

Do you really want to sully your reputation, get a zero for the assignment, and have a permanent ‘”Failure due to cheating” on your transcript? Once the designation is there, you will be known as a cheat and a fraud. That is not a good way to move ahead in life.

Maybe you figure you won’t get caught. Professors have their own ways of finding out if a paper was bought from a disreputable company (all companies who sell papers are crooks, in my opinion, as are the students who buy them). One thing’s for sure: your writing for the rest of the term better match the quality of the writing in the paper you just turned in, or you’re in big trouble. The Honor Board is not a fun place to visit. I know: I’ve won 100% of the cases I have brought before them.

So, what do you do? Be honest. Talk to the professor if you’re running late and need an extension. I talk with students frequently who need a little grace. Sometimes, they actually get it, without penalty. Other times (like if they have asked for grace on a weekly basis), they don’t. It’s better than buying a paper and losing your integrity.

Best,

Dr. Sheri

Writing an article review

Posted on by Sheri Dean Parmelee

Hello everyone:

Perhaps your instructor has assigned an article review for your next assignment. Before you head for the hills, asking what in the world that is, let me tell you and share how to write it.

First, you are probably writing about an article the the professor either assigned or which you have to find. In any case, find the article and read it. Don’t try to write a word until you have read the article in question. The idea here is that you are going to tell me what you thought of the article, much like a movie reviewer will talk about a movie, except that you will add scholarly information.

Next, set up your essay. What components did the professor ask for? If you are writing in APA format, that starts with a cover page. Tell the professor who you are (I’ve seen cover pages that did not have the author’s name!), the name of the course, the name  of the assignment, and the date. Good news- you are no longer staring at a blank page.

Next, write the abstract. This is a 120-word description of the article. Don’t put any quotes in it, just tell the reader (in your own words) what the article is about and what the author of the article learned. Do not copy and paste the abstract from the article. I am grading your writing, not someone else’s. You will also add keywords under your abstract. These are words that the article mentions, such as (for example) space flight, first moon landing, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins- for an article on Apollo 11.

I just want you to summarize what you thought was important about the article. To  that end, write and introduction that says what you are writing about (the article’s name belongs here) and how you will compare/contrast it to the reading your have done in class.

Next, you absolutely must tell me your analysis of the article. Don’t leave that out! Please write more than one paragraph. Don’t write one over-long paragraph; that’s very hard to read. Pick three major things you would like to discuss about the article, add your textbook’s comments on that subject, and the tell me your own opinion. That information should be at least three paragraphs in length. AT LEAST, especially if you are in graduate school.

The final thing in your review will be the conclusion. Where does this type of study go from here? What are the other opportunities for research, in your opinion?

There have been students who wrote beautifully about seven or eight other authors’ take on the article but they did not tell me what they thought of it. You are showing the professor your ability to take information, study it, and analyze it. That’s the purpose of this assignment. You can do this! Go for it!

Best,

Dr. Sheri

How many directions does your sentence go in?

Posted on by Sheri Dean Parmelee

Hello everyone:

Occasionally, I run into students who don’t seem to realize that sentences end.

They talk about one topic and then head off in a completely different direction. Sometimes they return to the original topic before gracing the sentence with a period. The longest sentence I’ve ever seen was 267 words. No kidding. Did the person simply forget the periods? I wish.

So how do you know if your sentence is too long-winded? Read it out loud. If you need to come up for air, the sentence is longer than it should be.

This is not a marathon, folks. You should not be trying to outlast your reader. The person who stays in the sentence the longest is not the winner! Do not try to confuse the reader or obfuscate the topic at hand. Emulating a politician who is muddying the rhetorical waters should not be your goal. (Please note that the previous sentence was a passive voice construction, in case you are looking for an example. To write that in active voice, I would write “It should not be your goal to emulate a politician who is muddying the rhetorical waters.” I included it as written for your reading enjoyment.)

Instead, write sentences that make sense, clearly explain whatever it is that you are talking about, and stick to the topic at hand. This is also not a sprint, where you write choppy sentences that only hang together by the smallest of threads. Make your point, do it well, and get on to the next topic at hand.

Best,

Dr. Sheri