ESL

At the ESL panel, we had many speakers guide us through their struggles learning English. One of the speakers, Ellen Eunhee Seo, was very kind and sent her notes for her presentation to us, so we could add some detail to what we discussed in our October 8th workshop. To begin with, Ellen Eunhee Seo discussed both external and internal motivations behind learning a second language. She discussed the importanc of learning sentence structure and grammar concepts, as they will help writers and readers understand each other more clearly. She did discuss something that was particularily interesting: the different situation which could make learning a second language easier. Some of her ideas include: 

• Email communication
• Fluency development: Free writing focusing on the content, not the grammatical forms
• Extensive and intensive (close) reading
• Working with an editor
• Reflective learning attitude and consistent effort
• Native language support

For any more information about her specific presentation, please check out the ESL panel section under “Fall 2009 Handouts.” Anyways, a special thanks goes out to Ellen Eunhee Seo, as well as our other speakers,  Kang Sun and Khalid R Alrajeh, for sharing their struggles and offering such great tips for success for learning to write in a 2nd language.

We hope to see you at the rest of the October workshops! For more details about the upcoming workshops, please see the post about the most recent workshop, Punctuation Pointers.

Punctuation Pointers

At this week’s workshop, we learned some great tips from Sam Herrington about puncuation and how we can use it effectively. To begin with, we discussed some common problems writers have with grammar, specifically problems like: comma splices, inappropriate or unnecessary commas, fragments and inappropriate use of semicolons or colons. In order to identify and avoid these common problems, it is helpful first to have some understand of sentence structure. In Sam Herrington’s presentation, he introduced the idea of independent clauses and the relationship with a dependent clause if one happens to exist. Remembering that some forms of punctuation, like the semicolon, have far fewer uses than a comma so learning how it works can be effective. Overall, proofreading is your best friend when it comes to punctuation; reading aloud can help you identify sentences that could use some extra examination for punctuation problems.

Another great tool Sam Herrington provided were some basic rules for how to use commas and semicolons effectively. For a comma, using a comma before a conjuction (*think FANBOYS- for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) as well as after most introductory sentences are two rules that might prove useful. Of course, there are many others; if you are looking for further guidance on this, I have posted the document under handouts. In addition to these great comma rules, we also learned rules about semicolons. Consider reviewing those rules as well. Again, a special thanks goes out to Sam Herrington for providing us with this great information!

Don’t forget to check out the rest of our October selections! On October 22nd, we will be hosting “Who and What Should I Believe? Credibility of Sources.” This workshop could be particularily useful if you are struggling with identifying good academic sources, as we will offer some great tips about how to determine both credibility and bias.

Also, on October 29th, we will be offering “Common Documentation Styles: MLA and APA Strategies.” If you are struggling with the mechanics of MLA or APA or just need to better understand these two styles, check out this website for helpful information on how to use them correctly and effectively.

Don’t forget that all workshops are on Thursdays, in Moseley Hall Room 400, from 2:30-3:30. Please stay posted for November options, and we hope to see you soon!

“I’m not a very good writer, but I’m an excellent rewriter.” -James Michener

I hope we saw all of you at last week’s workshop about Revision. We learned a lot of great tips from Angela Garner, on how to revise effectively. First, we learned that to make the revision process easier, it is important to have written multiple drafts and do some adequate research on our subjects. Next, we discussed how to evaluate teacher comments carefully, and learned to identify some common comments, such as “develop,” “clarify,” “include conclusion sentences,” and “need sentence variety”- and discussed what those terms actually mean. While you are revising, it is important to double check documentation, as well as grammar concerns to make sure that your draft is as effective as possible. As a group, we went over a questionnaire, discussing what the hardest parts of revision were and any questions writers may have about revision. However, the most important things to remember about revision are time management and breaking it down. By starting to revise early (not the morning that it is due, my fellow procrastinators!), it becomes easier to work through it. Also, breaking the paper down into “chunks” makes the process less intimidating. Read the paper out loud to help yourself become familiar with the paper again. From there, look first at your thesis statement- does it accurately describe what your paper is about? Have someone else read your draft- can they find your thesis? If not, then consider making it stronger. Some other areas to consider revising would be organization (do your paragraphs make sense in the order they are placed in?), individual paragraphs (does each paragraph have a strong topic sentence, a developed argument, and a focused concluding sentence?), and transitions (can a reader easily move from one idea to the next?). Remember that grammar is important, but not as important as some of the other elements like development and clarity, so try to prioritize.

Once again, we would like to thank Angela Garner for delivering such helpful hints for us to really understand what it means to revise. Another thanks goes out to Kate Spike, for preparing such great notes and ideas for our workshop as well.

As promised, here are the upcoming October workshops that we hope you can make it to:

On October 8th (yes, tomorrow already!), we will be hosting a very special workshop. “Panel Discussion: Strategies for Learning to Write in a 2nd Language” will be a helpful tool for writers struggling to write in a 2nd language. Experienced writers from all over the world will be here, and will share with us how they learned to develop English writing skills for an American academic audience. This workshop could be particularily helpful for a great deal of our ESL friends, who are struggling with English, as this workshop will offer some great advice.

On October 15th, we will be discussing one of the most common grammar mistakes- do I put a comma or a period here? In “Punctuation Pointers,” we will be discussing the many different methods of punctuation, and how to use them effectively. If writers have ever received comments that they are using “comma splices,” “run-on sentences,” or “too many commas,” this workshop is definitely for them!

On October 22nd,  “Who and What Should I Believe? Credibility of Sources” will help us learn how to determine credibility and bias. With so many internet resources available, sometimes it is hard to know which ones are truly appropriate for an academic audience. But in this workshop, writers will learn some helpful tips on how to evaluate sources and use only academic sources to support their arguments.

On October 29th, we will be disucssing the struggle that many writers are going through- how to cite sources correctly. In “Common Documentation Styles: MLA and APA Citation Strategies,” we will offering strategies on how to use these both MLA and APA effectively. So if you are writer struggling to figure out how to use MLA or APA, check out this workshop and get some answers!

Remember, all workshops are on Thursdays, in Moseley Hall Room 400, from 2:30-3:30. We hope to see you soon!

*Don’t forget to stay tuned for November selections! *