I have absolutely loved English 101 this semester—and I am not just saying that to make you feel good. In one semester alone I can confidently say I have learned more than I have in any other English class. But what made this class so special to me was that I learned more than just grammar and rhetoric—I learned new ways of thinking. Throughout my education career I have rarely been asked to consider two sides of a situation. The idea of having an opinion and portraying it clearly to others was drilled into me in high school; but my opinion is only half of what matters. The other half is having the ability to see validity in the opposing argument. Many times throughout this semester as we read David and Goliath, by Malcom Gladwell, I found
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Although it may seem elementary the skill I have valued learning the most this semester is how to properly use commas and dashes. Despite taking multiple “Advanced Placement English and Literature Composition” classes throughout high school I am amazed that I have been able to make it this far in my education without knowing the proper way to use a comma. I am so grateful to have learned this simple, yet crucial, skill—or else I would probably still put commas on the outside of quotation marks on graduate school applications. Yikes! My grammar will always need improvement but I feel this course has been a major stepping stone in helping to start that improvement. It is amazing how correct grammar, punctuation and sentence usage can improve a paper; now I look back on the papers I wrote at the beginning of this year and I am amazed at how far I have come. These grammar skills are something that I know I will use forever; I may even laminate my “HOW TO USE COMMAS—basic rules” to use for the rest of my life! I feel that the “paper workshops” as well as all of the practice we did on sentence types, paraphrasing and MLA formatting have improved my performance significantly throughout the semester. I am more confident in my writing and I have found that I am beginning to enjoy writing—something I thought I would never say. I am beginning to care more about my writing now that I see how the things I write may actually make a difference in the world later on. That is a great feeling. To know that, through proper use of appeals and style, my writing can have an impact inspires me to continue to
Although it may seem elementary the skill I have valued learning the most this semester is how to properly use commas and dashes. Despite taking multiple “Advanced Placement English and Literature Composition” classes throughout high school I am amazed that I have been able to make it this far in my education without knowing the proper way to use a comma. I am so grateful to have learned this simple, yet crucial, skill—or else I would probably still put commas on the outside of quotation marks on graduate school applications. Yikes! My grammar will always need improvement but I feel this course has been a major stepping stone in helping to start that improvement. It is amazing how correct grammar, punctuation and sentence usage can improve a paper; now I look back on the papers I wrote at the beginning of this year and I am amazed at how far I have come. These grammar skills are something that I know I will use forever; I may even laminate my “HOW TO USE COMMAS—basic rules” to use for the rest of my life! I feel that the “paper workshops” as well as all of the practice we did on sentence types, paraphrasing and MLA formatting have improved my performance significantly throughout the semester. I am more confident in my writing and I have found that I am beginning to enjoy writing—something I thought I would never say. I am beginning to care more about my writing now that I see how the things I write may actually make a difference in the world later on. That is a great feeling. To know that, through proper use of appeals and style, my writing can have an impact inspires me to continue to