Week 1 assignment's redraft:
The changes I made to my previous post's punctuation can be seen in red.
I added a few commas, and one full stop to the original post. In general, I believe that the shorter the sentence, the easier it is for the reader to understand it.
Also, I interrupted myself a couple of times during a sentence to write something in brackets and did not put any commas before or after the brackets. In some cases, the content of the brackets can make the reader lose track of the author's original idea. And sometimes, can force him to read the entire sentence again. So, I think commas were needed in those situations to make the sentences a bit more clear to the reader.
Week 2's assignment:
What do you consider to be your strengths and weaknesses as a writer? What do you hope to gain from attending the Writing Skills class?
I do not think I have any real strength as a writer besides, maybe, the fact that my mind functions in a pretty logic and rational way. But sometimes, I find it hard to clearly express my ideas on paper. In some cases, a sentence, or even a paragraph, will make sense to me but not to the person who reads me. And I often unconsciously assume that the reader is in my head, and that he/she already knows what I want to say. So expressing ideas with clarity and method is probably my biggest challenge.
Furthermore, English is not my first language. So adding to my already existing weaknesses, is the fact that I have to write in a language that is not my own.
I think writing is becoming somewhat of a "lost art" in today's world. It seems to me that people, in our everyday lives, do not value writing as much as they used to. But I don't think you can consider a professional career without solid writing skills.
What I hope to gain from attending this class, is a skill that will be vital throughout my studies and beyond. The subject that I am currently studying requires a lot of reading and writing. And learning the correct use of grammar, syntax, and punctuation, amongst other things, will help me a lot within my own field of study.
I believe writing is a skill that cannot be taught elsewhere. And I should take advantage of this opportunity.
Regardless of any weaknesses you think you have, Alex, you've certainly succeeded in publishing a reflective blog post. Your honest analysis of the way you write should be very helpful. If you can listen to your own advice and apply this enthusiasm for the art of writing, I'm sure you'll be fine.
ReplyDeleteYou mention that English is not your first language, although I would imagine that many people you speak to on campus might not realise this. Did you learn English at home? I guess that your parents must have a good level of English if they spent as long as they did in California.
Thank you for your comment Mark. Sorry I reply so late!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, people on campus always seem surprised when I tell them I'm from France.
To be honest, I don't really know where I learned English. We never speak English at home. My mother and I always went to California for summer vacation for at least 1 month and half so that obviously helped a lot. And I think just watching TV in English without any subtitles is really helpful.