In groups, tear apart
the following as a publication quality exposition from
a research journal editor to an article author. List as many items as
possible in your critique:
Adapted from
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Difference-Between-Formal-and-Informal-Writing&id=594208
What is good writing?
logical, organized manner that demonstrates consideration of context, audience and purpose.
Pearson, the American-based parent company of Edexcel, is to use
computers to "read" and assess essays for international English tests
in a move that has fueled speculation that GCSEs and A-levels will be
next... Pearson claims this will be more accurate than human
marking. Can computers now understand all the subtle nuances of
language, or are people going to have to learn an especially bland
form of English to pass exams? (Slashdot, September, 26, 2009)
Adapted from Marc H. Raibert:
Good Writing is Bad Writing That Was Rewritten
Almost all good writing starts out bad. Rather than leave it bad, the good writer rewrites and refines it until it is good, or even very good. This process may take several passes over the same words, sentences, and paragraphs.
My formula for good writing is simple: once you decide that you want
to produce good writing then all that remains is to write badly,
and to revise the writing until it is good.
Write a draft
Revise
Continue revising with help from others [peer review, writing center in
the library, me]
1) Active voice and logical matching of subject and verb
[The author states (not the book);
avoid using words like get, thing... - they are often empty filler words]
2)Do not use contractions [will not instead of won't]
or misuse apostrophe's [sic]
writing center,
my office hours