1) Write your comments in paragraphs, particularly if your comments are longer than 3-4 lines. You want people to read your ideas. With the kind of screens your classmates (and you) most likely use, reading is much easier if copy is broken down into chunks.
2) For the same reason: don't ramble on. Focus on one idea BEFORE you start writing. This is not the place for stream of consciousness. To the contrary.
You want your messages to be clear and crisp. Short sentences (+ paragraph organization) help.
3) In your COMMENTS, do not address me (your prof.) directly. More brutally, don't talk to me. Talk to your classmates.
4) When you explain something AVOID at all cost using the impersonal YOU. (You don't know what "impersonal you" means? Hmmm, where could you find the answer?)
[Here is a REAL example:
"When you read this book and you compare your life to his, you realize
how fortunate you are to live in these times."]
4) When you write, start always from inside yourself. How did you react? What aspect of the text did you notice the most? Talk about yourself and what the text did to you, even if it bored you to death.
COMMENT
Which of the suggestions above hit the spot with you? How are you going to change your approach to writing?
REPLY to a comment that can help you improve your clarity.
2) For the same reason: don't ramble on. Focus on one idea BEFORE you start writing. This is not the place for stream of consciousness. To the contrary.
You want your messages to be clear and crisp. Short sentences (+ paragraph organization) help.
3) In your COMMENTS, do not address me (your prof.) directly. More brutally, don't talk to me. Talk to your classmates.
4) When you explain something AVOID at all cost using the impersonal YOU. (You don't know what "impersonal you" means? Hmmm, where could you find the answer?)
[Here is a REAL example:
"When you read this book and you compare your life to his, you realize
how fortunate you are to live in these times."]
4) When you write, start always from inside yourself. How did you react? What aspect of the text did you notice the most? Talk about yourself and what the text did to you, even if it bored you to death.
COMMENT
Which of the suggestions above hit the spot with you? How are you going to change your approach to writing?
REPLY to a comment that can help you improve your clarity.
One thing that i would change is that "i write the way i talk". Meaning that i do have a lot of error in my writing.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Khadijat, I encountered the same issue, I write this way also. As you know verbal communication is very unstructured while written is more structured so I try to keep that in mind when writing to get my point across clearly.
DeleteI agree that it is sometimes hard to not write the way we talk and something that I should also keep in mind. It is easy to assume that the person reading understands what we mean, when really we have to be clear in order for them to understand.
DeleteI agree with you as well for writing the way you talk is significantly different. You can't put a comma while speaking but you got to put in your grammar when yo write. Also when writing it's all about talking in a professional sense.
DeleteKhadijat i do the same thing all i come across too informal. i am doing my best to change that ,but its really hard to.Do not get me started about grammar its so bad sometimes i can not even proofread my work without stopping every second.
DeleteThe suggestion that hit the spot for me is #2. I usually find myself rambling about multiple ideas as apposed to focusing on one. This causes many run-on sentences. This tip will be very beneficial for me.
ReplyDeletei do agree with you, because i am using that Technic now and it is very helpful.
DeleteI totally agree with you, and that is the one that hit me too. This is helping me focus on only one idea.
DeleteI agree. I use this method and I also started writing my ideas out before typing. That way i can adjust sentences before typing it in.
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DeleteShameza i have the same problem i just keep jumping from one topic to the next without a pause. its hard to continue on one subject when you have so much to say.
Suggestion number 2 hit the spot for me. Sometimes when I am typing out my ideas I have a lot that I want to say and have trouble focusing on one specific topic and it ultimately leads to rambling. This tip will be very helpful going forward.
ReplyDeleteThe one that hit me the most was #2- rambling on. I tend to do that when I'm writing because I have so many ideas in my head and I just want to get them all down. This will help me become more concise with my writing and help me to answer questions more clearly.
ReplyDeleteI tend to fall for suggestion #4. Sometimes impersonal you is the way for me to explain my thoughts.
ReplyDeleteThe suggestion that I relate the most to is #4. I'm guilty of constantly using "you" as a way to describe something. I have to find better ways to explain what I want to say.
ReplyDelete#4 hits to me the most for I usually refer every situation to myself. I want to stray away from doing so, but personally I kind it quite difficult especially when it comes to my writing. Because I am a film specific. I usually use the word you as a means to describe the positive and negatives of a movie towards whoever is reading.
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ReplyDeleteFor me personally stopping between ideas in-order to have just one continuous flow seems to be one of my biggest issues. Along with proofreading no matter how many times i re- read something i always miss little mistakes small things that make my paper look really bad.
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