Week Two: Writing Mechanics
Common mistakes you must avoid making.
Spelling
* Check with computer spell-check;
* Read your document, and make sure you have not used the wrong words, even if these are correctly spelled. Examples:
Deer instead of dear; Here instead of hear; π instead of pie;
* Have access to a dictionary in case you need to check spelling of words the computer spell checker cannot handle.
Incomplete sentences
Recall that every complete sentence must have a subject and verb, with most having at least one object and subject. Examples:
Incomplete: “Elizabeth, a vivacious, red-haired, 19 year old at university”
This sentence has no verb;
Incomplete: “Running fast toward the gymnasium”
This sentence has no noun;
Incomplete: “Brown-haired and blue-eyed, the instructor”
Where is the verb? What is this sentence- this incomplete sentence- attempting to say?
Unsubstantiated assertions
Example:
“The argument in the text that Christian groups believe in a theocracy is completely wrong. My own church, in Eau Claire, and the churches of everyone I knew growing up in Eau Claire teach nothing like this. Therefore, the text is wrong.”
What are the points about this argument that need improving?
(1) As a child, and even after becoming a member of your church, you would not know the views of every single person in your church;
(2) Since you did not attend every church and other religious groups in the Eau Claire area, you cannot confirm that every religious groups in Eau Claire abjures establishing a theocracy;
(3) The text was not written about you, or your church group, or even Eau Claire, WI. It suffices to confirm the text that there are Christian groups in the U.S.A.- look up “Christian Identity” movement or “Dominionists”- who advocate establishing a Christian theocracy. Not merely any theocracy, either, but one that imposes their religious views on everyone;
(4) The writer of the example text failed to cite anyone. You- I emphasize this- are not viewed as an authority. You may know a great deal, but your written views have not been peer-reviewed by other experts on the topic in question. The lack of peer-review is critical, since this is one of the few ways we have to separate accurate information from misstatements (or worse).
Poorly organized writing
While there is no one way to write well, there are better and worse ways to organize your writing. I suggest one approach that you can choose whether to follow, but whichever approach you take, make sure to think through how to organize your argument. My suggestion includes:
Paragraph One: State the issue. This means state the point(s) in the text with which you disagree, or, for the science papers, the science topic(s) you will discuss. If you are disagreeing with the text, cite the page and the point- not necessarily verbatim, but state what the point is;
Paragraph Two: Explain the main reason(s) why you disagree with this textual point. For instance:
“I disagree with the example in chapter one of Mohammed’s ascent to Heaven and return during one night. The authors list this example in a series of examples of religious beliefs incompatible with known physics. In this paper, as a devout Muslim, I will correct this mistaken view.
My argument starts from the premise that the Koran is the literal, inerrant, word of Allah (God) as dictated by the archangel Gabriel to the Prophet Mohammed [PBUH]. As such, the Koran is the ultimate authority on all issues, not least the historical actions of the Prophet Mohammed [PBUH]. So I argue that it suffices to cite the relevant passages of the Koran, and widely accepted interpretations of these passages, to make my argument….”
Notice that the author has identified the issue in the first paragraph. In the second paragraph, the author explains the basis from which the text will be rebutted. Is using the Koran- or the Bible, or the Torah- as the “ultimate” authority on all issues acceptable in this class? Notice, I am not asking if using these books in this fashion is agreeable to everyone, merely if doing so is acceptable in this class. The answer is yes, provided you cite authorities who have made this argument- that the book in question is to be treated with this degree of deference. In this case of the Koran- and, actually, the Bible and Torah as well- finding authorities who view the Koran in this way is easy. Does this mean that your instructor views the Koran in this way? No, but I am teaching you how to present an argument, not to subscribe to my views.
Paragraphs Three and Four (or more): Here is where you present the details of your argument, with citations as needed and where you pay attention to the logical flow of your argument. You want your arguments to flow in a logical fashion, not jumping back and forth from earlier to later arguments. This is also where you may raise counterarguments- such as those who do not view the Koran in this fashion- and then present a rebuttal of any such counterarguments.
Last paragraph: Present a summary of your arguments, touching on the main points. The ideal last paragraph would be so good that a reader could go directly to the last paragraph and understand the issue and the main thrust of your argument from the last paragraph alone.