A question: Why would anyone submit written work without following the basic, elementary-level rules of conventions?
I find myself asking this question almost every time I grade an assignment. I just can't rationalize how my students would turn in anything where they didn't capitalize the first word of a new sentence (for example). Some of you may be giggling, but it's true. It's not just one student either. It's many.
I just don't get.
Is it laziness? No pride? Do you expect to earn good grades regardless?
can u emagine if i posted this blog without any concern to the basic rules of grammer wat would u think of your teacher that jsut refused to proofread edit or put any thought into writeing can you imagine? u may think im exagerrateing but just look at some of the coments posted and u will see that im not.
What does the writing (any type: assignments, emails, comments, even texts and status updates) you publish say about you? Are you proud of the way your writing represents you?
Read this article published in The New York Times Not the ‘Hook’ the Admissions Office Had in Mind . The article isn't the only part with interesting information; read the comments, too. Some of them are especially insightful.
Also check out: About.com Top Ten Proofreading Tips . I love the quote by Mark Twain,
You think you are reading proof, whereas you are merely reading your own mind; your statement of the thing is full of holes & vacancies but you don't know it, because you are filling them from your mind as you go along. Sometimes--but not often enough--the printer's proof-reader saves you--& offends you--with this cold sign in the margin: (?) & you search the passage & find that the insulter is right--it doesn't say what you thought it did: the gas-fixtures are there, but you didn't light the jets.
Are there any tips you can begin to apply on a regular basis?
*Note: Commenting on this blog post is optional. However, check your Gmail, for required homework response to the NY Times article.
I know that the only reason students do not proof read their essays is that they are lazy. Even I admit that I have turned in an essay or two without proof reading it, I think it has something to do with the fact that I have English sixth period and I'm about to fall asleep when Mrs. Powers tells us that we are writing an essay. But I also think that if you check the essays from the students that turn the paper in after 25 minutes and the students who turn it in after 40 minutes, then the students that took more time will have less grammatical errors than the student who turned it in after 25 minutes. Long story short: it is not the student, it's the habits of the student.
ReplyDeleteTyler Levinson Pr.6
Hi Mrs. Powers,
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Tyler/Craig or whatever his real name is was saying. When people turn in their essays extremely early, they probably have not proofread. Also, some kids who turn in their essays late are just stalling so they don't get yelled at for not proofreading. I don't proofread every single essay but now I have been making a stronger effort to proofread regularly. I catch a lot of really dumb errors that I shouldn't have made when I proofread.
Kevin Scott Period 5
Hi Mrs. Powers,
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that the reason students don't proofread is because they are too lazy. Students think their essays are spotless and they just wait until the end to turn it in so it seems like they've proofread. Last year, I would never proofread my essays but I realized how many silly mistakes I make and I've started to proofread. Obviously, not proofreading can ruin an essay.
Yumi Rivas
Period 2
Hi Mrs Powers,
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that after writing an essay, I do not feel like proofreading it. I proofread after I finish each paragraph and then move on. I really should be proofreading, and am going to start to. I always feel that I did the bets I could have, and that there is no reason to go over it again. I now have a different view of this. I take into consideration, now, that not proofreading can greatly affect the grade of my essay, and I can help to prevent it. Thank you for sharing this article with me!
Taylor Fellman P. 3
Hi Mrs. Powers,
ReplyDeleteI cannot imagine anybody writing with so many spelling and grammatical errors. Every Language Arts teacher that I know says that proofreading an essay after you finish it is a very important step in writing a good essay, yet most of us do not proofread. I think that many students will do better in writing assignments if they just go over and correct the assignment.
Yuval S.
Period 3
Hi Mrs. Powers,
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty positive that all students make dumb errors that could have easily been prevented by proofreading. Many students are just lazy, but those who care believe their essay is perfect and simply turn it in. Although I admit to not proofreading some essays in the past, now I make sure my grammar and essay as a whole is spotless! Clearly, stupid mistakes can be prevented my proofreading.
Taylor Ward
Period 5
Proofreading is extremely important. Almost always, everyone makes a mistake and forgets to look over their writing to correct all of their incorrect punctuation and spelling. Especially, when writing an essay. When students are under time pressure and forget to proofread their work, it doesn't complete the essay. If grammar was disregarded the essay might have been a 6, but with carless mistakes with conventions and not proofreading, will definitely effect the score. Also, I admit to not proofreading occasionally. Now, after reading this, I will make sure to proofread everything!
ReplyDeleteMeredith Sheldon
Period 3
Hi Mrs. Powers,
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that students often skip the proofreading step because they are either too lazy, forget, or don't have enough time. However, those aren't valid excuses for making simple mistakes such as not capitalizing at the beginning of a sentence, for example. Moreover, I don't understand how college applicants could forget to or just decide not to proofread their essays when their future basically depends on it. Despite the fact that students should be proofreading everything they write, sometimes it's hard because, as the article mentioned, we don't catch our own mistakes. Our brain automatically reads a corrected version of what we wrote and we don't notice our errors. On my essays, I proofread the majority of the time, but I will try to proofread several times so that my brain doesn't trick me with its automatic grammar/spell check.
Little things about you can say who you are.
ReplyDeleteIf you have little mistakes on grammar such as a missing period or not capitalizing a certain proper noun, that says that you don't care about what you're writing, and that you just want to get the writing over with, because I'm sure by now anyone in eighth grade can successsfully incorporate simple grammar concepts.
Now, it happens to all of us. I'm running my mouth right now ranting about grammar mistakes, but I'm probably sure that mistakes in conventions are one of the main reasons why I used to have mediocre scores on compositions in language arts.
It's similar in many situations in basketball. Miami Heat center Joel Anthony can't shoot for his life, he has no hands, and he's a liability on offense. But the reason why he's getting sufficient playing time in such a talented team are for his hustle and his effort, the little things, that are keeping him a career.
-Rodolfo H. Period 4
Hi Mrs. Powers,
ReplyDeleteAlthough many students don't proofread, I feel that it is vital to check over your work and make sure everything came out correctly and properly. Writings shows a lot about people. How much they care, their personal style, intelligence, and more. You should be proud of what you write and I know I certainly wouldn't be proud of my work if it was full of errors. From now on, I will be even more conscious of checking my work for spelling/grammar problems to make sure my work represents me the way I want it to.
Lauren White
Period 5
It is important to proofread because students can make silly mistakes which can cost them a good grade, their dignity, and other things. I personally proofread as I am writing an essay. It's just the way I write. Since I can remember, I have always done that. I usually realize when I make a mistake, and I always go back to change it. As a result, I tend to finish my essay just a little while before the bell rings. However, my essays are generally devoid of mistakes. If I have time, I will read over the essay to make sure I didn't make any silly errors. I do find it rather ridiculous, though, that students can make so many grammatical errors on a college application. Surely, it doesn't take too long to just read over the paper. I also wonder if the student who attached a hook to the application did it because they did not realize that the "hook" was figurative, or if they just thought it would be humorous.
ReplyDeleteLawrence X.
ReplyDeletePeriod 3
Sorry, I forgot to proofread. :)
I think that new technology that is coming out is just enhancing the laziness. In the new Word 07 there is no need to remember to capitalize many words. Also, while using spellchecked because two word look the same doesn’t mean that they are. With many important paper that need to be typed and turned in something small such as a lowercase 'I' would discourage a good grade or getting important things such as a job or getting in to a college.
ReplyDeleteEvan Harber
Period 5
Allison Blake
ReplyDeletePeriod 3
After reading this article and doing the assignment, I realized the importance of proofreading. Those college kids sound really uneducated and I'm almost positive had a not so good chance of getting into the college they wanted to. To be specific, spelling errors are by far the worse mistakes a student should make especially easy words. Now I realize the importance of proofreading and will make a better effort to catch my mistakes.
I have to agree that proof reading is very important. I also have to admit that I don't proof read after writing an essay and I usually make sure everything is correct after each sentence. I also find it crazy that students didn't proof read their college application, knowing that the rest of their life might depend on it. From now on I will proof read knowing that the way I write shows the way I am and how much I care about my writing. I will make sure I proof read on my essays, as a matter of fact, I will proof read on everything I write because it makes a difference.
ReplyDeleteHaydee F.
Period 5
It is astounding that some students have the nerve to admit their work without considering how many words they spell wrong, their punctuation mistakes, and the use of shorthand texting. As stated in the homework assignment, shorthand texting and spelling mistakes make bad impressions on a student. This is especially unforgivable when turning in work that is going to be graded by your teacher. I agree; Proofreading is extremely important.
ReplyDeleteLindsey Spring
Period 5
I agree that proofreading is very important. Even thoough many of us don't feel like doing so after writing an essay. If someone doesn't proofread and everything they wrote looks stupid and like garbage,that shows a lot about that person. It makes it look like they are lazy and do not care about what they do. I do agree that proofreading is very important.
ReplyDeleteEmily Knapik
Period 5
I personally believe that proofreading is an EXTREMELY important part of writing. If you use bad punctuation, grammar or spelling, then it will give the impression that the writer is not interested in this writing and that they could just care less.
ReplyDeleteMany times after I write an essay, I'm so bored of writing that I don't proofread. But after reading this article, I'm now realizing that proofreading is very beneficial and it is a good idea to start doing it now.
Mira Merchant
Period 3
I think that people, especially people older than us, should proofread. It is extremely important to proofread, so you can be sure to have the correct words and sentences you want. Some little mistakes can completely change the meaning of the sentence.
ReplyDeleteSam Leiman P.5
I think that proofreading is essential after an essay because if someone put too many pronouns like "you" they can go back and fix it which probably could move that person from a 4 to a 5. Proofreading is also really important for adults like journalists because their jobs depend on those articles which means that they need to correct themselves if the make mistakes on their work. proofreading is really important. Emily Friefeld p.6
ReplyDeleteWhen completing an essay in is the least you can do for yourself by proofreading your work. Not only is proofreading great but it also ensures that your work is to you standards and is well including vocabulary and much much more. Sam Friefeld
ReplyDeleteI was very surprised when I read how students applying to a college didn't even proofread their work. I do admit that I don't proofread much. Many students sometimes can feel confident about their work and not proofread, while others don't care enough to. However, after reading this article I now realize how important it is to proofread.
ReplyDeletePeriod 5
Nicolette Sam
I think proofreading is essentialy the key to getting a high essay score because the writer could have used too many personal pronouns such as I or me. Also if the writer did not proofread then they could have used "you" in an essay which could have easily lowered thier score. The majority of people who proofread thier essays have higher scores than those who don't most of the time. Also, like Emily Friefeld said, Proofreading is important not only in essays but in real world jobs such as people in the marketing buisness or a journalist, where proofreading could mean the diffrence between getting a raise, or getting fired. Obviously, proofreading is a critical step to succeding in school and in life.
ReplyDeleteNicholas Fermin Period 4
Justin Krumper
ReplyDeletePeriod 4
Many students don't proofread their essays, because they are lazy. After reading this, it is obviously apparent that it is important. To get into a great college, proofreading and good grammar is a must. Students need to proofread, and now I know that I definitely will.
So many students do not proofread anything they turn in, especially essays. I admit that I haven't proofread a lot of my essays in the past, mostly because of laziness. Most students think that proofreading won't make a difference because they believe they have not made any mistakes. However, it is very important that students make that last effort for their essays. In fact, it's an essential part of writing. Even adults make mistakes in their writing because it is inevitable. I definitely am going to start proofreading everything that I turn in so that these mistakes don't slip into my work.
ReplyDeleteAndrea Kastner, period 4
I've noticed that a lot of people don't proofread. I have not personally SEEN them finish writing and turn the essays in without reading, but since they finish in 20 minutes I can assume that no way in Hades that they can proofread and correct that little time. I am very lazy and don’t really proofread, unless you count skimming through the paragraphs, but I have made an honest effort to change that nasty habit. In the last two essays I have proofread and really noticed a difference. And while I did not get to perfect my essay, I believe that it changed the essay as a whole. There are just some things I might not have done right when I was writing, and if I had not gone back to check then there would be very obvious mistakes and flaws in my arguments. We all make mistakes, it’s we do to correct them that matters, and in this case, it is to go back and proofread.
ReplyDeleteCamilo B.
Period 3
When people don't proofread or submit work without checking for mistakes, it actually bothers me a little bit. Checking for spelling and grammar mistakes has become a habit for me whenever I'm writing something. When I see someone's writing and it's clear that they haven't proofread, I can't help but think to myself "how does that not bother them?" With texting, I guess it's kind of a different story. It's not good, though, if someone gets a little to used to writing in text language.
ReplyDelete~Jen Schonberger period 3
I personally found the college admissions article to be pretty funny. I mean, I'm still not sure if the student who submitted the hook essay was trying to be funny or if he/she just takes things waaaaay to literally.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I thought the Mark Twain article was pretty spot-on. I actually follow three of those rules quite regularly. I've got to say, I can vouch for the effectiveness of reading what you've written out loud to proof-read it. I personally do it all the time, ESPECIALLY with material that I will have to read aloud. Plus, having someone read what you've written always works. Most moms are dying to have their child share something about their life with them, even if it's just homework. They will be more than glad to point out mistakes (moms enjoy doing that).
If there's one thing I've learned though, it is that spell-check is not enough. Spell-check only checks if something is a word, so if you write something that is a word but makes absolutely no sense, spell-check will still say that everything is fine and dandy. Some spell-checks don't even count some words as words because they have old dictionaries programmed into them.
Spell-check is evil.
That is why you can't just click "check spelling" and print out papers; you are bound to have some mistakes in there. Also, since when do most spell-checks proof-read grammar? Some do, but even those are pretty horrible at doing so. (Intentional fragments, anyone?)
Again, spell-check is evil.
~Caterina G.
Period 2
I thought this article was pretty funny! Especially the part about the college students that dress up in Civil War re-enactment costumes. Also, wouldn't you think to at least check over your college application? Even if you do spell-check, it only checks the spelling of the word, but it doesn't check if the sentences are grammatically correct. Is it too hard to just read what you're writing over?
ReplyDeleteEmily Llewellyn Period 3
Mrs. Powers
ReplyDeleteI agree with most of the comments on the fact that students do not proofread because they are lazy! They don't want to read over something because they think that it is already perfect. The thing is, it isn't!
Ryan Greenberg Period 6
aina rivas p.2
ReplyDeleteI think that the reason people don't proofread is because they are lazy or just don't care. also when proofreading and essay many people run out of time. proofreading, I think, is a big part of language arts and all that we are suppose to learn this year. many people choose not to proof read because they think it is not necessary or they think they did an amazing job. proofreading gets people better grade. many people miss silly mistakes in essays or homework when they first write it, proofreading takes care of that
I agree that it is extremely important to proofread. It is mainly done out of laziness, but it is a crucial step in writing. If someone writes something without proofreading it, they could have many spelling or punctuation errors. It is essential to do this in essays because we write very fast, which causes us to have many mistakes. Proofreading gives us the chance to correct those errors.
ReplyDeleteNoa Saint-Marc
Period 5
I just wanted to comment:
ReplyDeleteCat: Haha, you have a point there! ;)
Lisa B.
ReplyDeletePeriod 4
Miscreant that I am, I get lazy and turn in a second-rate (or sometimes third-rate) assignment to a less-than-pleased teacher. Mrs. Powers is left to decipher the toilet paper I call an essay, and my grades are directly ratioed by my effort in the work. Newsflash: Laziness is craziness. Yeah, this comment had to be cheesed up with that.
As Cat pointed out, spell check sometimes may be smoke and mirrors. The assumption that the lack of those obnoxious squiggly red lines immediately brands a work as "A+" worthy is ludicrous. We're a tad bit too dependent on the computer to catch our mistakes.
Revision? "Bah, don't need it. I'm perfect. I would never put two periods or misstype 'success.' Pssht. No, not impeccable little me." That's a peek of what went through my head during the Literary Elements assignment(I'll leave it to your imagination how that turned out).
So, to shove a cork in by babbling and put it laconically, proofreading is vital for giving a reader- whether a teacher or an application officer- the impression of a writer who cared. After all, why should they put any effort in reading the work when you didn't put effort in writing it?
Great, now to practice what I preach, I have to go back and read what I wrote so far. Yay.
Mrs.Powers, I don't know what to conclude about why students don't proofread some times. Maybe it does show that the student is lazy, or maybe they did proofread but didn't catch one thing, making it an honest mistake. I know that personally I proofread so that I get everything right, but sometimes I don't catch everything, so I don't think that makes me seem like I don't care about my work, I just say it was an honest mistake. Also, typing incorrectly has become a habit for many facebook users and text-aholics. Not saying that is a bad thing, but you should definitely proofread so your grammar is correct in certain situations.
ReplyDelete-Kalie M.
Period 2
Although proofreading is extremely important, many students skip proofreading because they are lazy. Personally, I do not usually proofread my essays because I either finish as the bell rings, or I am just too lazy. After reading this article, I have decided that it is definitely worth it to proofread my work because it can really make a difference in how well I do.
ReplyDeleteAmanda S.
Period 3
Dear Mrs. Powers,
ReplyDeleteProofreading is a very important part of writing anything. When I write an essay, I must admit, I usually don't want to take the time to proofread. But it is a very important thing to do. When people submit a comment or they even write a small paragraph for class they should proofread to help get good grades especially in Language Arts.
Morgan Kirkpatrick P.2
Camille D.
ReplyDeletePeriod 5
Some tips I would suggest would be to proofread every time you finish a paragraph. Then, when you're done, proofread the whole essay. This will make the amount of mistakes smaller and make it easier to notice mistakes that weren't seen earlier.Proofreading is important because spelling mistakes could change whole meanings of words. For example, hole and whole. Totally different meanings but similar in spelling and how they sound. Only lazy people would turn in work without basic rules of conventions. People that truly want good grades and are hard workers almost always proofread.
Proofreading may seem like a hassle, but in the log run it helps students out. People can prevent a lot of silly mistakes by just re-reading what has been written. I see the point in this article, and it is pretty ridiculous how students just rush to get their work done and don't even bother to check if its right.
ReplyDeleteEmily Soule P.1
In my opinion, proofreading is very important. I know that now, but looking back on last year I probably turned in a good share of unproofread essays. Mrs. Powers's class has helped me realized how important it is.
ReplyDeleteIf you turn a paper in with gramatical errors, it makes you seem lazy and like you really don't care. However, the examples in the article are actually quite funny to even think that people leave things as they are. Yet, I have looked through some of the comments on previous posts and they are pretty evident. Hopefully, by the end of year most of us will get in the habit of doing so.
-Diana Sanchez
P.4
I think that the reason students don't proofread is because they think it takes too long, or they just don't care. I'll admit that I don't always proofread my essays either. Sometimes I am limited on time, or I just forget, but when I do proofread, I sometimes find dumb errors (mostly spelling errors). Proofreading is always important because the writer might come across to the reader as "not so intelligent" if they have many errors in their essay. This problem can easily be avoided by proofreading!
ReplyDeleteChristal Hector
Period 3
I think that it is very important to proof read. If someone doesn't proof read his or her work never turns out well. Some times there are only one or two mistakes, but other times there are countless mistakes. Whenever I write something I always go back and make sure I didn't make any grammatical mistakes before turning in the assignment.
ReplyDelete-Kayla Moodie Pd.3