What did I learn in English 102? Well, I think that I actually learned quite a bit. I came into this class thinking that I was an okay writer and that I knew pretty much the basics of how to write an okay essay. After a few weeks of class, I found out that I really did not know as much as I thought and that there was a lot more to learn.
The best thing that I learned in this class was the TS/CD format. I think that this is amazing! It really helps and takes up a lot of space when writing papers. I used the TS/CD format for my research paper and I think that it turned out well. Using the TS/CD gave me a format right from the get go, so I did not have to worry about how I was going to format my paper. I knew that I wanted to start with a topic sentence, then a quote, then 2 of my own sentences describing or analyzing the quote, then another quote, two more of my own sentences, and then the concluding sentence. LOVE IT!!!
Another thing I learned in English 102 was when to quote. I had absolutely no idea that I had to quote everything from another person's work, even if I used other words or paraphrased. I always thought that I only had to cite when I took a direct quote. I also learned that when I cite more throughout my papers, it takes up space and makes my paper longer.
I also learned that I should not use the word you and I should not use contractions. I realized, after I learned that we should not use it, that I used the word you a lot. After knowing that I should not used it, I found it easy to avoid and found words that I could use in place of the word you (normally they would take up more space too!). When it came to contractions, I used them frequently as well. Grammar errors are common when contractions are being used. I now avoid using contractions in my writing (even when it is not school related!). Again, when I write out the words instead of using contractions, I use up more space in my paper.
Overall, I learned quite a bit in this class and I think this information will help me with my classes that I have in the future.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Blog #9
I have never been a huge fan of writing essays. I was really nervous when I found out that I had to take English 102, because I thought I was done taking English classes after 101. I never really understood how writing essays would help me in getting my RN. Once this class started and I saw the syllabus I was terrified, it seemed as if we were going to be writing essays nonstop! After a few weeks of class, I realized that it was not going to be so bad. With the informal and evaluative essay completed and graded, I felt pretty good about myself and my writing. Then came the Critical Analysis.
With the critical analysis I had a hard time not summarizing the movie and not quoting enough. After talking with my instructor, it came clear to me that I have to really think of my audience before I write. Thinking that my audience has already seen the movie and I do not have to tell my audience what the movie was about, made me realize how to avoid summarizing. I learned that I had to just analyze and dissect the movie, how I saw what was happening or being used in the movie, I had to use MY voice.
When it came to quoting enough in a paper, I was nowhere near where I am now when I started this class. I never thought that you had to quote anything but actual direct quotes from a person's work. I also learned that the more you quote, the more space you fill up in your paper.
While writing the research paper, I found that turning in parts of it at different times really helped make the writing process easier. I was terrified to write a research paper! Starting out with a topic, then a thesis, then finding sources, going through and cutting down those sources, making the annotated bibliography, working up an outline, writing a rough draft, having peer edits, and then creating my final copy made writing this paper not so difficult. I learned how to organize my thoughts and edit what I wanted to write so that it made sense to others.
I would never say that I am a perfect writer and I probably never will be, but I believe that I learned a lot in this class. I learned how to have my own voice in my papers, how to properly cite others, and how to effectively draft, revise and edit my paper to the final draft. Now that I understand how to do all of this, it will help me with papers I will be writing no matter what the class or topic may be.
With the critical analysis I had a hard time not summarizing the movie and not quoting enough. After talking with my instructor, it came clear to me that I have to really think of my audience before I write. Thinking that my audience has already seen the movie and I do not have to tell my audience what the movie was about, made me realize how to avoid summarizing. I learned that I had to just analyze and dissect the movie, how I saw what was happening or being used in the movie, I had to use MY voice.
When it came to quoting enough in a paper, I was nowhere near where I am now when I started this class. I never thought that you had to quote anything but actual direct quotes from a person's work. I also learned that the more you quote, the more space you fill up in your paper.
While writing the research paper, I found that turning in parts of it at different times really helped make the writing process easier. I was terrified to write a research paper! Starting out with a topic, then a thesis, then finding sources, going through and cutting down those sources, making the annotated bibliography, working up an outline, writing a rough draft, having peer edits, and then creating my final copy made writing this paper not so difficult. I learned how to organize my thoughts and edit what I wanted to write so that it made sense to others.
I would never say that I am a perfect writer and I probably never will be, but I believe that I learned a lot in this class. I learned how to have my own voice in my papers, how to properly cite others, and how to effectively draft, revise and edit my paper to the final draft. Now that I understand how to do all of this, it will help me with papers I will be writing no matter what the class or topic may be.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Blog #8
How is my research paper going? Well, I think that it is going very well. I actually believe that I am completely done with it and ready to turn it in! To me, this paper was pretty easy to write. At first, I did not really know if I liked my topic, but after doing my Annotated Bibliography and reading through a bunch of the references I found, I thought the topic was quite interesting.
When I first sat down to write the paper, I did not really know how I wanted to or was going to write 6-8 pages. I then decided to try out the TS/CD format that we were taught in class. I LOVE IT!!! This format worked for me and made my paper fairly easy to write. Going by this format also helped take up a lot of space. I could not believe that I have nearly 8 pages written by the time I was done! I really think that the TS/CD format should be used or at least tried by everyone writing a paper so that they can see how it makes writing a paper so much easier.
I do not think I would do anything differently. I am pleased with my paper and I believe I got my point across with the side that I chose to take on my topic. I am ready to turn my paper in to see if my instructor feels the same way!! ;)
When I first sat down to write the paper, I did not really know how I wanted to or was going to write 6-8 pages. I then decided to try out the TS/CD format that we were taught in class. I LOVE IT!!! This format worked for me and made my paper fairly easy to write. Going by this format also helped take up a lot of space. I could not believe that I have nearly 8 pages written by the time I was done! I really think that the TS/CD format should be used or at least tried by everyone writing a paper so that they can see how it makes writing a paper so much easier.
I do not think I would do anything differently. I am pleased with my paper and I believe I got my point across with the side that I chose to take on my topic. I am ready to turn my paper in to see if my instructor feels the same way!! ;)
Monday, November 15, 2010
Blog #7
What is humor? Well, I think there are a few different types of humor. First, there is the laugh out loud because something is hilarious humor. This is when maybe someone tells a funny joke or someone says something that is extremely funny. There is also the sympathetic but funny humor. When someone falls down the stairs is one example. Someone may be asking that person if they are hurt, but they may be laughing uncontrollably at the person as well because they fell. Also, there is the stupid funny humor. This is when someone says or does something so stupid that is not intentionally supposed to be funny, but makes a person laugh. A movie like Napoleon Dynamite, for example, is a stupid funny movie. Many people look at humor in different ways. I would say that the cocaine article is a stupid funny type of humor. The person did something so stupid that it is actually funny. Humor can be expressed and interpreted in so many different ways. The best thing about humor is that it keeps us all smiling!!!
What is style? The way that someone expresses them self is their style. It can be expressed through the type of clothing a person wears, the type of music they listen to, how they decorate their house, what type of car they drive, the words they speak, and even how they write an essay. These things all represent an expression of style that a person has.
What is style? The way that someone expresses them self is their style. It can be expressed through the type of clothing a person wears, the type of music they listen to, how they decorate their house, what type of car they drive, the words they speak, and even how they write an essay. These things all represent an expression of style that a person has.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Blog #6
The movie, Beautiful Girls, was on that I had never seen. I actually enjoyed the movie and would probably watch it again. When writing the critical analysis about this movie, I found it to be kind of hard. It was so easy to fall into summarizing the movie instead of analyzing it. I think that if I was to write my paper again, I would try even harder to not summarize. For some reason, while I was writing my paper I wanted to let people know about important parts of the movie before I analyzed them. I learned that I should assume that my "audience" has seen the movie and they do not want to be told what it was about again!
I also found that I did not cite enough throughout my paper. I did not realize that you have to cite so much, even when you use your own words!!! I missed a lot of places where I needed to cite, so that is something that I would fix as well.
I think that I would not change my stance on the movie and the flow that I used. I believe that my opinion is important and the way that I see the movie can be way different from the way someone else views it. This helps people see different perspectives and maybe even see or understand something in the movie that they did not notice before. Same with me, I would like to see other people's views on the movie just in case I missed something, or misinterpreted something to get a better understanding of how the movie was supposed to be displayed. I really liked the flow of my paper. I think that the way I wrote the paper flowed nicely. I started out by acknowledging the director and writer and the name of the movie. I then moved on to talk about the different characters and how I analyzed each of them. For my conclusion I summed up what I felt about the movie and what I thought the movie was portraying. I think this is a good flow because it is organized and written in a way that is easy for someone to follow and know where I am going.
All in all, I think that I wrote a good paper, but it could have been better. I think that if I correct my missed cites and take out some of the summaries that I had in there it would be a better paper. Oh, and I need to remember that "you" should not be used, especially in the title!!!!!! :)
I also found that I did not cite enough throughout my paper. I did not realize that you have to cite so much, even when you use your own words!!! I missed a lot of places where I needed to cite, so that is something that I would fix as well.
I think that I would not change my stance on the movie and the flow that I used. I believe that my opinion is important and the way that I see the movie can be way different from the way someone else views it. This helps people see different perspectives and maybe even see or understand something in the movie that they did not notice before. Same with me, I would like to see other people's views on the movie just in case I missed something, or misinterpreted something to get a better understanding of how the movie was supposed to be displayed. I really liked the flow of my paper. I think that the way I wrote the paper flowed nicely. I started out by acknowledging the director and writer and the name of the movie. I then moved on to talk about the different characters and how I analyzed each of them. For my conclusion I summed up what I felt about the movie and what I thought the movie was portraying. I think this is a good flow because it is organized and written in a way that is easy for someone to follow and know where I am going.
All in all, I think that I wrote a good paper, but it could have been better. I think that if I correct my missed cites and take out some of the summaries that I had in there it would be a better paper. Oh, and I need to remember that "you" should not be used, especially in the title!!!!!! :)
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Blog #5
For my evaluative summary I decided to use the article, "Don't Blame the Eater" by David Zinczenko. I feel that I wrote a pretty decent paper. I believe that I did discuss in my paper that the article was not successful. I showed how the author said himself that he became educated on how to live a healthier lifestyle and changed his ways. This showed that it is up to the "eater" to decide how they live their lives and what they put into their bodies.
I did state my opinion a couple of times in the paper. I said things that I agree with and/or do not agree with and then gave my opinion as to why I did or did not agree.
I do not think that I completely summarized the entire article, but I did summarize key points to get the idea of the article across in my paper so that my readers would understand what I was talking about and agreeing or disagreeing with.
I did notice that I used the words "is" and "are" quite a few times and I will have to think really hard as to what words I can use in their place for future papers.
At this point I do not think that my paper has to be rewritten, but I normally try to not turn in a paper that I would consider one that needs to be revised. I am sure that my teacher may have a different opinion about my paper, but that is why she is the teacher! Hopefully I will get some good feedback and recommendations to make my papers even better in the future.
I did state my opinion a couple of times in the paper. I said things that I agree with and/or do not agree with and then gave my opinion as to why I did or did not agree.
I do not think that I completely summarized the entire article, but I did summarize key points to get the idea of the article across in my paper so that my readers would understand what I was talking about and agreeing or disagreeing with.
I did notice that I used the words "is" and "are" quite a few times and I will have to think really hard as to what words I can use in their place for future papers.
At this point I do not think that my paper has to be rewritten, but I normally try to not turn in a paper that I would consider one that needs to be revised. I am sure that my teacher may have a different opinion about my paper, but that is why she is the teacher! Hopefully I will get some good feedback and recommendations to make my papers even better in the future.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Research Paper Free Write
What are my interests? Well, I love to hang out with friends and family. I really enjoy just being home playing games, cards, or watching television. My family gets together several times a year, not just holidays, and we just hang out talking, playing cards, eating, and drinking wine. My family pretty much all gets along so it is always a good time. Many times my friends end up joining in the fun with us too.
I love to watch reality TV. I will pretty much watch any reality show whether it be some type of game show or a show following the life of someone. For example, I like to watch The Amazing Race, Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Real World Road Rules Challenge, Teen Mom, and The Real Housewives. I do not exactly know why I enjoy these shows, but I guess it could be because I get to see inside the lives of other people and it is not scripted (for the most part). I like the excitement of the challenge or game shows. It is interesting to see how people interact and plot against or with one another to win something. Sometimes I feel like I want to try to be on one of those shows to see if I could actually win!
I also recently really got into a show on Showtime called Dexter. I am completely hooked. I actually went out and rented Seasons 1-3 and watched them all within a week and a half! I have another season to watch to be caught up, because season 5 is what is airing right now. Dexter is about a man that lives 2 separate lives. He is a Forensics blood splatter expert, has great rapport with his colleagues and sister, has a girlfriend and her 2 kids that love him, but he is also a serial killer. He kills people that murdered other people and got away with it. For example, someone that raped and killed little boys, but got away with it because there was not enough evidence to convict. Dexter feels as if he is helping out the world by getting rid of these bad people. He just has to try to avoid getting caught. It is very interesting!
Right now, I am also really into to Football. I like all sports, but I really enjoy watching NFL Football. Every Sunday football is on my TV all day. We make a bunch of food and sometimes have friends and family over to join us. I also joined my first fantasy football league this year, I am not doing so well, but it makes watching the games a lot more exciting because you want your players to do well. Picking the teams that you think are going to win and picking the players that you think are going to do the best that day for your team is both fun and exciting.
I love to watch reality TV. I will pretty much watch any reality show whether it be some type of game show or a show following the life of someone. For example, I like to watch The Amazing Race, Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Real World Road Rules Challenge, Teen Mom, and The Real Housewives. I do not exactly know why I enjoy these shows, but I guess it could be because I get to see inside the lives of other people and it is not scripted (for the most part). I like the excitement of the challenge or game shows. It is interesting to see how people interact and plot against or with one another to win something. Sometimes I feel like I want to try to be on one of those shows to see if I could actually win!
I also recently really got into a show on Showtime called Dexter. I am completely hooked. I actually went out and rented Seasons 1-3 and watched them all within a week and a half! I have another season to watch to be caught up, because season 5 is what is airing right now. Dexter is about a man that lives 2 separate lives. He is a Forensics blood splatter expert, has great rapport with his colleagues and sister, has a girlfriend and her 2 kids that love him, but he is also a serial killer. He kills people that murdered other people and got away with it. For example, someone that raped and killed little boys, but got away with it because there was not enough evidence to convict. Dexter feels as if he is helping out the world by getting rid of these bad people. He just has to try to avoid getting caught. It is very interesting!
Right now, I am also really into to Football. I like all sports, but I really enjoy watching NFL Football. Every Sunday football is on my TV all day. We make a bunch of food and sometimes have friends and family over to join us. I also joined my first fantasy football league this year, I am not doing so well, but it makes watching the games a lot more exciting because you want your players to do well. Picking the teams that you think are going to win and picking the players that you think are going to do the best that day for your team is both fun and exciting.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Blog #3
Writing in a group was something new to me. I do not really remember writing a group paper before this. I was interested to see how writing in a group would work out due to the different personalities and writing styles that people have.
I actually ended up really enjoying working in a group, or with my partner, on the informative summary. I guess that it was the luck of the draw when choosing my partner, but we got along very well. We worked very well together and had very similar writing styles. I think that we both took the reins and ended up writing a great paper.
I liked that we were able to share our opinions about the article we chose, because I was able to see another person's views. Instead of being by myself with only my take on the article or something in the article, I was able to hear her take as well. There were things that she picked out that I would have never seen or thought of, and I did the same. It was nice to have someone there to immediately begin proofreading, saying that something was great, and/or saying that something did not make any sense at all. I would definitely do the group thing again, as long as I get a partner like I had for this one!
When writing my evaluative summary I did not have too much trouble deciding on whether or not the author proved and backed up their points. I knew the stance I wanted to take and my thoughts came pretty quickly to me. I was able to find things in the article that I wanted to talk about and that I had an opinion on. This was made easier for me because I was able to see another person's way of doing this on the previous article I used for my group essay. I was able to put the two techniques together for my personal use. I believe that I did a good job of organizing and getting the point across.
I actually ended up really enjoying working in a group, or with my partner, on the informative summary. I guess that it was the luck of the draw when choosing my partner, but we got along very well. We worked very well together and had very similar writing styles. I think that we both took the reins and ended up writing a great paper.
I liked that we were able to share our opinions about the article we chose, because I was able to see another person's views. Instead of being by myself with only my take on the article or something in the article, I was able to hear her take as well. There were things that she picked out that I would have never seen or thought of, and I did the same. It was nice to have someone there to immediately begin proofreading, saying that something was great, and/or saying that something did not make any sense at all. I would definitely do the group thing again, as long as I get a partner like I had for this one!
When writing my evaluative summary I did not have too much trouble deciding on whether or not the author proved and backed up their points. I knew the stance I wanted to take and my thoughts came pretty quickly to me. I was able to find things in the article that I wanted to talk about and that I had an opinion on. This was made easier for me because I was able to see another person's way of doing this on the previous article I used for my group essay. I was able to put the two techniques together for my personal use. I believe that I did a good job of organizing and getting the point across.
Blog #2
When I found out that I had to write an essay in class, on the first day of class, I was shocked! I was not prepared for it at all. It had been almost two years since I had written an essay. I was very nervous about writing the diagnostic essay because of the time constraints. If I had to do it again, I would try to be more relaxed and take more time to get my thoughts together and organized.
I enjoy writing when I am able to take my time to proofread and revise, revise, revise! I also like to get my ideas written down, kind of like an outline, and then begin writing my paper. Once I have my ideas I can write an organized paper. I do not think that my diagnostic paper was very well organized. It was just a lot of information thrown together to complete two pages! If I would have had more than 45 minutes to write it, I would have gone back to make several changes. I would have been scribbling out sentences, moving sentences around and choosing better words to use. Time is something that I need to make a paper a great paper.
My strengths have to be that I am an organized writer.(When I have time!) Once I have decided what I want to write about, I can get to work and I can keep my thoughts coming. The tough part, is deciding what I want to write about! I have many opinions and I like to express them. One of my weaknesses in writing has to be second guessing myself. It is hard for me to want to sit down and start a paper. I second guess myself on whether or not something is going to be good enough to write about. It drives me crazy because I can spend hours going back and forth with myself about whether or not I should use something in my papers.
I enjoy writing when I am able to take my time to proofread and revise, revise, revise! I also like to get my ideas written down, kind of like an outline, and then begin writing my paper. Once I have my ideas I can write an organized paper. I do not think that my diagnostic paper was very well organized. It was just a lot of information thrown together to complete two pages! If I would have had more than 45 minutes to write it, I would have gone back to make several changes. I would have been scribbling out sentences, moving sentences around and choosing better words to use. Time is something that I need to make a paper a great paper.
My strengths have to be that I am an organized writer.(When I have time!) Once I have decided what I want to write about, I can get to work and I can keep my thoughts coming. The tough part, is deciding what I want to write about! I have many opinions and I like to express them. One of my weaknesses in writing has to be second guessing myself. It is hard for me to want to sit down and start a paper. I second guess myself on whether or not something is going to be good enough to write about. It drives me crazy because I can spend hours going back and forth with myself about whether or not I should use something in my papers.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Blog #1
While reading the Introduction and Chapter 1 of the book "They Say I Say" I found a lot of very helpful information. In the Introduction the author brings up the traditional five paragraph essay. This is the type of essay that I remember writing and learning about all the way through High School. I do agree with the author that you do need more than just evidence that supports your thesis; you also need conversation to argue effectively. Being able to incorporate the he said she said and being able to argue or agree with those statements helps readers understand more of what you are arguing, as opposed to just showing your point of view and the facts as to why you chose that point of view.
One of the questions that is in the book is, "Do Templates Stifle Creativity?" Templates are a good source to use when writing a paper. Templates can help a person get their thoughts in order and can help sort out ideas to be put into a logical way that makes sense in a paper. Papers would not be robotic, because the words and information that are used in each paper would be unique and creative in their own way.
Quotations are very important in showing why you agree or disagree with something. Quotations can be under and over used in papers. I agree that you need to quote, but you also need to make sure that you are incorporating a lot of your own ideas into your paper to get your views across to the readers.
All in all, I agree with most of the information that is offered in the book "They Say I Say." I think that the information given will be very helpful to me while writing any paper that is required this semester and in the future.
One of the questions that is in the book is, "Do Templates Stifle Creativity?" Templates are a good source to use when writing a paper. Templates can help a person get their thoughts in order and can help sort out ideas to be put into a logical way that makes sense in a paper. Papers would not be robotic, because the words and information that are used in each paper would be unique and creative in their own way.
Quotations are very important in showing why you agree or disagree with something. Quotations can be under and over used in papers. I agree that you need to quote, but you also need to make sure that you are incorporating a lot of your own ideas into your paper to get your views across to the readers.
All in all, I agree with most of the information that is offered in the book "They Say I Say." I think that the information given will be very helpful to me while writing any paper that is required this semester and in the future.
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