Formal Grammar For A Good Writer

This is the second required general core course in college­level writing. Observing the conventions of

On the evening of Thursday July 23, 2015 I conducted an interview of Alex Benavides- a senior mechanical engineering major at Oklahoma State University. Benavides describes his experiences in his english courses as enjoyable, and notes that it helped him become a better writer. Benavides also states, that from personal experience during summer internships, that there are ineffective writers in positions where clean, flowing, and proper writing is a necessity. Proper grammar is essential in professional writing situations, according to Benavides, and is also often the first area critiqued by professors and teaching assistants. “You only get out what you put in when you write”, says Benavides, “be serious and grind, it makes the difference”.

On the one hand, my mind was filled with the creative material of an intellectually curious young adult. Yet, on the other, I was afraid of the criticism my grammar skills would impose on me. What I had not realized, and did not until sadly late in my undergraduate study, was what the words grammar and conventions truly meant. Moreover, I kept waiting for the day I would walk into one of my classes and have an English professor de-liver an impromptu grammar test while also seriously evaluating my papers for grammatical errors. What I came to realize, however, was that I had an ability to present my ideas clearly. Reflecting upon this chapter, I know recognize that I was following one of Trimble’s pieces of advice: I was writing to imitate how I would speak to my intended audience. And this is the one thing I want to achieve with my students. I want them to have a clarity in their writing and for their authentic voice to shine

Chin, Beverly Ann (2000). The role of grammar in improving student’s writing. Retrieved from http://www.uwplatt.edu/~ciesield/graminwriting.htm

The necessity of entering Class 307, for me specifically, was to improve upon my basic understanding of grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, and textual features, in order to improve my ability to maximise the impact that I could create within my writing. EDU307 would then cause a complete re-evaluation of my under-standing of the English Language, and learn to properly apply the knowledge absorbed from the lectures, tutorials, readings and MyWritingLab Global included. As my primary interest

In L. Lennie Irvin’s “What Is ‘Academic’ Writing?” Irvin presents the reader’s with the necessary skills to probably compose a colligate level paper. Doing this, Irvin exposes common myths of writing. These myths include that writing is simply a trait that cannot be improved. He explains by stating if one wishes to improve their writing skills they must think about the way they present an idea rather than fretting about the grammar. Irvin also clarifies terms such as analyze and argument. While these are just some of the major points, Irvin thoroughly explains to students new to college how to compose a collegiate level essay.

This year writing will be a major focus. It’s important to understand grammar rules; without them your writing is difficult to understand.

(1) Many if not most people grow up speaking a form of regional or social dialect. If you raise your comfort level with grammar, you’ll have more confidence that your speaking and writing won’t betray you among your more literate peers. (2) Many people who are confident that they know grammatical

Throughout the semester, I have gained skills necessary for understanding and utilizing logic while writing. I am now aware that for any writing to be scholarly, it must possess an introductory section, a body and a conclusion section. Further, I am now able to understand as well as utilize most of the basic techniques useful in pre-writing, revision and editing. Through writing the “downloading from torrents” paper, I acquired skills in word processing, sentence elements, and punctuation. Further, I developed some special skills in writing a website analysis which is a critical aspect in contemporary learning as argued by Flateby (p 182). As the semester folds, I believe that I have gained the prerequisite skills in writing and critical thinking. However, I need to improve much on some of the common problems in writing that seems to disturb me especially grammar.

William Strunk Jr., an English professor at Cornell University in 1919 required his students to have the textbook The Elements of Style, written by William Strunk Jr. himself. It was referred to as the “little” book and was a forty-three-page summary of the case for cleanliness, accuracy and brevity in the use of English (Strunk & White, 2000). These rules are in the form of sharp commands, shining light on Sergeant Strunk’s personality and approach to teaching. E.B. White, a former student of Strunk, revised the book he was given, years after his professor passed away. White does not soften the direct orders of the original book, but “preserves the flavor of his discontent while enlarging the scope of the discussion” (Strunk & White, 2000 xiv). The Elements of Style provides the readers with a convenient reference for grammar, while emphasizing the importance of omitting needless words, using concrete language and active voice all in a suitable design.

The pursuit of grammatical perfection is necessary for all English majors. Frivolous mistakes, such as incorrect verb tenses or sentence fragments, can easily make an English major appear unprofessional and unskilled. It is therefore vital to learn and relearn the rules of the English language to save oneself from embarrassment in a professional environment. A simple grammatical mistake, for example, may turn into habit. I identify with this group that requires a refreshment of the rules of grammar on occasion. Ultimately, throughout the duration of this eight-week course, I have become more conscious of my writing and the errors I had been making and my handle of grammatical elements in the English language has decidedly improved.

Grammar is a huge part when applying for colleges, jobs, and etc. Not only is it a set of rules and component parts that combine to form sentences, but it’s a criteria needed to succeed in life. We’re living in an era where every word is being shortened, abbreviated, or simply misused in a sentence, which isn’t good writing in the business or social world. Good grammar includes of great ideas with clarity, precision, and professionalism.

It is not uncommon to say that grammar instruction plays an important role in language teaching. Regarding the status and importance of grammar teaching, a variety of opinions have been made. Batstone (1994) states that “language without grammar would be chaotic: countless words without the indispensable guidelines for how they can be ordered and modified” (p. 4). More vividly, Wang (2010) makes two similes. She compares grammar to the frame of a house, which is a decisive factor to ensure the solidness of it. Additionally, she regards grammar as a walking stick, whose function is to help and support students to learn English. Thus, the nature of grammar instruction manifests its own significance as it helps students

English in the past has been greatly influenced by Latin grammar. Principles, facts and rules of Latin grammar contained a larger body than that of English grammar. In other words, Latin grammar is more standardized and precise, so as formal grammar. People who teach formal grammar hoped that this large impact of Latinized Material could be retained (McLaughlin,

Larsen-Freeman (2001) as cited in Mart (2013), describes grammar as a system of meaningful structures and patterns that are governed by particular pragmatic constraints. This clearly indicates that grammar plays a crucial role in learning the target language. Grammar instruction is one of the most difficult issues that people have encountered in language learning and teaching. Therefore, the best way to overcome this issue is by