What is your impression of the writer of this piece of discourse? From ljworld.com 4/24/08 I know this woman im not going to release her name til the family does, But she is one of the sweetest woman that i know! i just hope that she is happy where she is at know and she can rest in peace without any more stress's that this life brings and she is looking down on her children and grandchildren and giving them the blessings that they deserve and help them threw there time of need and there lose of her.

Facing Collegiate Writing

Tip #1 Do not write like you speak. Spoken language violates many rules of Standard English. It is usually INFORMAL in nature, which invites problems with clarity and precision because we know our listeners “know what we mean.”

Tip #2 Formal style is the baseline standard, but it exists in a range. Some writing can be less formal ; other writing must be extremely formal. Use the modes of discourse to help determine the formality appropriate to the writing situation.

Formal Academic Style The more formal the writing, the more RULES to follow.

Complete Sentences Always Academic writing is a SERIOUS writing CONTEXT, and the TONE of the DISCOURSE must reflect that. Fragments can be effective in INFORMAL writing; Run-ons NEVER cast a favorable impression on the writer.

No forms of YOU….EVER Formal writing demands a discreet distance from the reader. The use of ‘you’ either creates conversational discourse (You should do your homework before you go to the movie.) or it is too broad and vague (Everyone knows you have to pay a lot of money for college.). NEVER use any of the forms of ‘you’ in writing unless referencing a direction quotation.

No forms of “I” The use of “I” in writing creates a REDUNDANCY. The reader assumes that all ideas in the discourse originate from the writer unless so noted by a CITATION. THE SINGLE EXCEPTION: NARRATIVE WRITING

No contractions*, abbreviations, slang, or other e-speak All style manuals address the appropriate use of abbreviations. While some manuals encourage words like don’t, can’t, would’ve, or they’ve for economy’s sake, none of them includes words such, b/c, &, ‘cuz, y, ttyl, etc... Such informal expressions invite miscommunication in both CONNOTATION and DENOTATION.

NO-NO words thing a lot stuff good great very Formal writing demands precision and accuracy. These words are so overused that they lack any real meaning. Find better words.

always remember… If you want to be taken seriously, you must use language seriously. These are the BASELINE criteria for scholarly and professional standards. The more formal, the more criteria are imposed. Know the three kinds of typographical errors: typo, spelling, usage

Tip #3 All responses must be TEXT driven. Writing reveals what knowledge, skills, and understanding the student has secured through assigned readings. Strive to utilize Bloom in creating your responses.

Tip #4 Organizational patterns are the writer’s friend! All writing should have a beginning, middle, end. Create coherence by effectively using transitions and parallel structures ; create unity by creating effective thesis statements and topic sentences.

Tip #5 Never quit writing too soon. Once you master the rules of style, you must remember the most common complaints from writing evaluators are “lack of development” and “imprecise.” This means you did not write enough and/or what you did write is too vague to demonstrate any real mastery of the material.

Tip #6 Beware time limits and deadlines. You must generate, organize, and present your ideas in the allotted time, or risk losing points/credit.

most common types of collegiate writing

ESSAY TEST Common in the humanities & history classes and upper level social science classes; be prepared to write three – five WELL DEVELOPED essays in one class period. Remember, “Opinion” type questions are NOT freebies. You must demonstrate your grasp and application of the content as well as implement sound ARGUMENTATION.

RESEARCH PAPER The traditional 10 page paper – a thesis paper that shows your ability to locate, analyze, evaluate, and make use of knowledge ON YOUR OWN. (The 10 pages does not include a title page or the pages of the works cited or bibliography)

ARTICLE RESPONSE REPORT Common in upper level classes in many disciplines, the objective of this assignment is to acquaint the student with the most current research in the field. This usually has two components : a PARAPHRASED SUMMARY of the article and a personal response to the information. The reflection can NOT be pure opinion. It must exercise sound reasoning and demonstrate that you see the article in the CONTEXT of the discipline.

LAB REPORT Highly specialized report writing that will be field specific. Each discipline will prescribe the structure and form of this writing, but all disciplines will demand the use of FORMAL STANDARD ENGLISH.

electronic correspondence In today’s highly technical world, be prepared to be EXPECTED to use various types of electronic venues. This means you must take it upon yourself to stay abreast of latest technology used in the classes you take. ALWAYS REMEMBER: MURPHY’S LAW concerning technology will impact you at some time.