Monday, December 6, 2010

Blog #10

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. 

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