Recently, I've been reading They Say, I Say by Gerald Graff and Kathy Birkenstein for my English 1A class. In my most recent reading I discovered how to properly use colloquial and academic language throughout my writing. Chapter 9 was based on knowing when you should use YOUR language (colloquial) in your writing and when you should use etiquette in your writing (academic). On page 127, it gives examples of each type of writing containing the same context. She uses an example, "You can always dress it up, dress it down, or someone combination of both. In dressing down your language, for example, you can make the claim that somebody "failed to notice" something by saying instead that it "flew under the radar."
Before reading this specific chapter, I knew how to differentiate between colloquial and academic language. Also, I was aware of when I should use the two depending on the type of writing I was doing. However, I realized that it is really easy to get caught on one side of the spectrum. To play it safe, I think I started to use ONLY academic language in my writing. One thing that really stood out to me in this chapter is when it mentions "knowing your audience." Of course there will be those professors who will only allow academic language in your writing, but then there will also be those professors that will look for your creativity in your writing. In all, this chapter is very helpful.
I can relate to Rhilee because I think most people know when to write colloquial and academically. "Knowing Your Audience" stood out to me too because it is true, if you don't know your audience well enough then your writing may be off. I also agree with how there can be that one Professor who is strict on writing and that one amazing Professor who's actually looking at creativity. All around, this chapter was helpful and had good tips and examples in it.
ReplyDeletei agree with Rhilee and Bianca knowing your audience is one of the most important part of writing a paper. You have to know how to approach this person and how are they going to take your approach. For example last semester all my professors were very different from each other, so when it came down to write a report or anything in the form i had to be really careful on how to approach every single one of them. so knowing your audience and knowing how they like to be approach is a very helpful thing to know as a writer.
ReplyDeleteI chose to write about Chapter 9 in my blog post as well. I was always taught throughout my life that I had to write in a professional manner, but this chapter proved to me that there are reasons why I should mix the two styles. Knowing your audience is something I never really took into consideration until reading this chapter. I finally realized that there is more to writing than always being academically correct. I believe that my writing will be much more successful because I can now use my own language along with my professional language. Thanks to this chapter I believe that my writing will be much more successful.I chose to write about Chapter 9 in my blog post as well. I was always taught throughout my life that I had to write in a professional manner, but this chapter proved to me that there are reasons why I should mix the two styles. Knowing your audience is something I never really took into consideration until reading this chapter. I finally realized that there is more to writing than always being academically correct. I believe that my writing will be much more successful because I can now use my own language along with my professional language. Thanks to this chapter I believe that my writing will be much more successful.
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