Follow–up on Introduction to Academic Writing
Workshop Tutor: Dr Emma Smith
Heres a summary of how I've been getting on with my action points
Thank you for your last blog comments and i hope this blog will meet your requirements on reflective writing.
It took me quite a while to figure out where i used to go wrong. I looked up at all my past assignments and literature reviews and after having read the feedback and having analysed some common mistakes as far as my writing is concerned, are highlighted below.
One of the most common mistakes i make is while using the apostrophes. I have a habit of being impatient which leads to these errors. One of the common mistakes that i have made in the past is writing it is as its wherein it should have been it's, and writing does'nt as doesnt in a hurry.
Secondly, flat writing and big sentences in certain cases have been highlighted by my reviewers. I will have to learn to give my sentences a proper depth and texture to make it interesting for the reader. Basically, the sentences i put up convey the same meaning but since they are huge sentences the interest of the reader in reading them decreases.Thus this is another aspect of my writing which i will have to take great care of in my disseration.
Thirdly, where to put in commas is a big thinker for me. I specially make a lot of mistakes in this regard which i can clearly see in my past work. Sometimes i forget putting in a single comma and on the other hand sometimes i put loads of them into my text which is wrong. I need to learn how to properly phrase my sentences and put the commas in appropriate places so as to make the text interesting and give a better impact on the reader with properly defined pauses.
Lastly, i have a habit of exaggerating things. Since i am a science student i cannot afford excessive exaggeration of things and provide greater detailed facts for that matter, but i am very prone to exaggeration which leads to big sentences.
These are some of the common writing errors that i have noticed with some of my past work which i believe can be sorted out and overcome provided i read my work atlease twice or thrice before submitting. Since i have my thesis and disseration due soon i will definately have a deadline of getting rid of most of these mistakes as soon as i can, so as to improvise and get better marks for my literary work in the future.
Thanks for your follow-up post, Fahad. You’ve included some thoughtful reflections on the areas of your writing that you need to develop, which should really help you to focus on improving these aspects for your dissertation. There are lots of grammar books in the library which can help you, and you might like to start with the academic writing website: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/scs/skills/awp/online/knowledge/5/
Make sure you check for the mistakes you’ve listed above when reading through each draft of your writing (and leave plenty of time for editing!).
Good luck, and I look forward to your final post.
08 Jul 2014, 17:18
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