So Why Do I Have to Take This Class? English 050

“English, who needs that? I’m never going to England?” So once said Homer Simpson, the lovable symbol of ignorance and stupidity in U.S. society. Why learn proper English? You learn it because those who don’t use proper English make themselves look foolish and are not respected. Behold the following examples: “Potatoe”—Vice President Dan Quayle (a misspelled word) “Refudiate”—Sarah Palin (not a word) "They misunderestimated me.”---President George W. Bush (not even vaguely a word).

College Education = Higher Income Note here the chart listing average incomes according to education level. Having an associates degree vs. a high school degree increases your income by approximately 1/3.

College Education = Higher Income Those possessing a Bachelor’s Degree (average income of $52,200) make nearly double the income of those possessing only a high school degree ($30,400).

College Education = Higher Income Those possessing a Master’s Degree (average income of $62,200) make more than double the income of those possessing only a high school degree ($30,400).

So how does this relate? Would you take this seriously?

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What Good Grammar and Writing Does for You Proper grammar might help get you a job. We live in a time where the job market is increasingly competitive. With many more applicants vying for the same positions, job seekers need to work harder to make themselves stand out in the crowd. A person who knows how to speak and write well will have a clear advantage over someone whose grammar skills are less than stellar. It has been noted in countless articles about job hunting that typos on a resume, or spelling mistakes on an application, ensure that you are NOT called in for an interview.

What Good Grammar and Writing Does for You Proper grammar makes you look more intelligent. The ability to speak and write properly makes a person appear to be more intelligent and better educated. This gives you an advantage at the workplace. Sending a memo filled with errors only makes you look bad. Proof your work! Those few extra minutes you take to ensure any communication you send is error-free can make a big difference in the workplace, no matter what your job.

What Good Grammar and Writing Does for You Proper grammar helps you get your point across. Sometimes a small grammatical error can change the entire meaning of a sentence. If you wish to be understood, it is essential to have a good working knowledge of English grammar rules. How can a small grammatical error change the meaning of a sentence? Here’s an example: The exhibit contained Asian, black and white images. What does this mean exactly? Are the Asian images black and white? Or are there three different types of images—Asian, black, and white. Changing the placement of the comma changes the meaning of the sentence.

What Good Grammar and Writing Does for You Proper grammar gives you credibility. If you are writing a paper or speaking to someone about your area of expertise, but your speech is fraught with grammatical errors, it will make you appear ignorant, even if you are, in fact, quite knowledgeable. Is this entirely fair? No, it isn’t. But it is reality.

A Bad Image Dan Quayle, just before making the gaffe that he himself described as “a defining moment of the worst kind imaginable.”

Take it Seriously! As college students, you’re going to be doing a lot of reading and writing. Some classes will require more writing than others, but the higher your skill level, the more success you will have in school. So take it seriously! And let’s also try to enjoy it. English doesn’t have to be “your thing,” but it doesn’t need to be a subject that you dread, either.

Most Common Mistakes Misspelled words. Avoid misspellings at all costs! We’re all human, and misspellings are going to happen, but make them less likely by using a dictionary. And use spell check wisely. It can detect misspellings, but not poor word choices. Misused apostrophes. We’ll be going over in detail how to use an apostrophe, because they can cause problems for even the most seasoned students. The most common apostrophe error is using one to indicate a plural. For example: “Where did I put my shoe’s?” is incorrect. Note: It’s okay to not know something. If you are not sure of something, look it up!

Most Common Mistakes Affect vs. effect. Speaking of words used incorrectly….Affect and effect are examples of homonyms, which are words that sound alike but are spelled differently. The difference is simple: affect is a verb, while effect is a noun. You can affect something or you can have an effect on something—but you can’t do it the other way around. It’s vs. its. “Its” is used to show ownership—for example, the dog scratched its leg. “It’s” is a contraction for “it is.” For example, “It’s raining outside.”

Most Common Mistakes Their, There, and They’re “Their” indicates ownership by a group of people: The students left their books in the classroom. “There” refers to a place a relative distance away; as in over there or I left my paper there They’re” is a contraction of “they” and “are”: They’re going into town later. Your vs You’re Your indicates ownership by the person you are talking to. For example, “Your breakfast is ready.” You’re” is a contraction of “you” and “are.” For example, “You’re a strong swimmer.”

Great Resources Here’s some great online resources if you need extra help. Owl at Purdue website (great references site) Chomp Chomp website (references as well as exercises) Guide to Grammar and Writing Grammarly.com website Bartleby.com (contains a number of different reference sites)

Great Resources Here’s some great print resources if you need extra help. Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing (Quick & Dirty Tips) by Mignon Fogarty The Only Grammar Book You'll Ever Need: A One-Stop Source for Every Writing Assignment by Susan Thurman and Larry Shea (May 1, 2003) Adios, Strunk and White: A Handbook for the New Academic Essay, 4th edition. by Gary and Glynis Hoffman Strunk and White’s Elements of Style by William Strunk and E.B. White 100 Words Almost Everyone Confuses and Misuses (The 100 Words) by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries And of course, the Webster’s Dictionary (or any dictionary really) And a thesaurus