What are others saying?

I couldn’t agree with Sillisa more when she wrote “Commas have always been tricky for me, something that I haven’t always been quite so sure of.” I always have trouble with commas, sometimes I overuse them and sometimes I don’t use them when I should. They drive me absolutely crazy. Punctuation of any sort is probably my worse enemy. I am always getting the different marks mixed up and this probably confuses the reader even more than it confuses me. I can’t tell you how many times I have looked up the rules, but for some reason nothing ever sticks.

The next statement I could identify with was written by Christine:

It may seems obvious, but lots of people need things spelled out to them step by step before they fully understand. To build on existing knowledge one must have a firm foundation and to just say “It’s obvious” seems a little callous.

I am usually one of those people who need things to be spelled out. If I am asking a question, then “obviously” the answer isn’t clear to me. It always drives me crazy when a teacher repeats the exact same thing to a confused student or makes them feel stupid for asking the question. I had a Biochemistry teacher whom I believed strived to make it terrifying for students to ask questions. While she never belittled me – or any of her “good students” – I witnessed her blatantly embarrass kids and even other faculty members whom she thought were inferior to her. Plus, I believe that she didn’t know how or want to take the time to explain things differently: she would repeat the same thing over and over again. So, for all of you who intend on becoming a teacher, I beg you to learn how to communicate with students and guide them in their learning. Sometimes that might mean holding their hands and walking them through step by step, but that is what a teacher is for – helping students learn and understand things. (Sorry about my rant, but this particular teacher made me a strong believer that universities should separate those who want to teach from those who only want to do research.)

I also really liked what Jessica C. wrote:

Williams…provided readers with a nice section on concision (115). I found this chapter particularly helpful because it helped break down sentences, offer ways to shorten sentences, use different words that have a greater meaning, and form well developed and concise paragraphs. As a writer, it is easy for me to go on and on when I’m passionate about something, but reading Williams’ book has helped me to revise some of my work and find better ways to express what I’m trying to say.

I think it is important to be concise and I know it is definitely something I struggle with. For instance, I went back and pulled out the word “that” three times in the last sentence. I probably could have removed the phrases “I think” and “I know” and the word “definitely,” but I happen to like the sentence better with these needless words. So, sometimes I disagree with Williams and Strunk and White.