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Ryokushin
Ryokushin Ikari Yuroshima
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#1
Old 02-22-2010, 06:11 AM

Often times we feel that in an academic setting we cannot express ourselves as thoroughly as we can with creative fiction. We often let things go in a fiction novel when it comes to grammar; however, in academic settings we feel that we must work on grammar which sucks the life out of our writing.

Oh no! There is an exclamation mark, is that necessary? In the academic setting an exclamation mark is like a crucifix, and you are Jesus. An offensive allusion that expresses an opinion is also discouraged. Throughout high school you may be told "Write a research paper, but don't show your own opinion." Why write a paper if you are not allowed to express your opinion? What are some ways you can allude to your opinions which are not written in a bland manner, for example; "I feel that," which directly alludes to your opinion and, if overused, forces people to see your bias (which is the reason why you are writing the paper).

How do you write your academic papers? (What are some ways they can help others?)

FidelisRaor
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#2
Old 02-23-2010, 04:55 AM

In college I am not allowed two things. One is the dreaded passive voice. Woe is the student who uses a verb in the sentence to describe an action. Did they think? Is that too much of an opinion? We are also banned from first person, but this is because it weakens the argument. While you may show all the evidence you want, by using first person you are weakening your persuasive argument. A thesis, the basis of your paper, is meant to be controversial and arguable. You are trying to persuade the reader that your message is the correct one and if you use first person, well, you've just made it seem like the entire paper is invalid.

Ryokushin
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#3
Old 02-23-2010, 07:01 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by FidelisRaor View Post
[...] We are also banned from first person, but this is because it weakens the argument. [...] by using first person you are weakening your persuasive argument.
I highly disagree. If I come off as defensive, it's just that I feel strongly about that. Here's where I come from. I understand that people discourage "first person" writing, because it is "bias." The difference between third and first, though, is that you create a distance from the author. But is it BAD to use first person? No. You can write about abortion "Such and such describes abortion this way." And later on say "I feel that such and such did a poor job of explaining why abortion has such a negative connotation in today's society." In this sense it does not weaken your argument.

ANYTHING can weaken your argument. Using too much research that has not tie-in to your paper can weaken your argument. Why write a paper if you are not supposed to feel anything? Otherwise all your paper is, is just a retelling of what OTHERS have done.

Why do you feel that society deems first-person as less credible?

Ryn Gray
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#4
Old 02-23-2010, 09:34 PM

I don't think it's necessarily that society deems first person as less credible. I think it depends more on your major and which professor you're writing for. For example, on of my professors would take three percentage points off your final score each time you used the word "it." She said this was because people always used "it" to replace the subject in a sentence and that using "it" makes a piece more confusing. However, I found that it's sometimes necessary to use "it," like in this sentence. "It is necessary." I can think of a few ways to write that without using "it," but they just sound silly. For her class, though, I never used the word in any of my papers.

There are some professors that strictly want a research paper and do not want first person to be used, and it's all up to the professor in cases like that since he or she is the one grading the paper. That is not to say that first person usage is bad. It can be, depending on the author and how it's used. I've peer-read academic papers for some friends in a study group, and some used first person wonderfully while others bombed at it. I've written both ways, depending on who and what the paper is for. (Like with most of my law classes, I stuck to third person since I was simply writing about law and how it was applies to different situations, but in an ethics class I wrote a paper using both styles for different sections and the professor actually liked it. Go figure. *giggle*)

I was also told by one of my professors that I have a very cheeky way of writing when using first person, so I tended to only do so if it was a professor that would enjoy my "cheekiness." ;)

Ryokushin
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#5
Old 02-24-2010, 05:09 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryn Gray View Post
I don't think it's necessarily that society deems first person as less credible. I think it depends more on your major and which professor you're writing for. For example, on of my professors would take three percentage points off your final score each time you used the word "it." She said this was because people always used "it" to replace the subject in a sentence and that using "it" makes a piece more confusing. However, I found that it's sometimes necessary to use "it," like in this sentence. "It is necessary." I can think of a few ways to write that without using "it," but they just sound silly. For her class, though, I never used the word in any of my papers.
My professor who I have had for approximately six classes, in a row, always corrected my "it" problem, too. I perfectly understand why I should not use "it" or "this" unless there is a clear subject. "It" is a wonderful word, and we read in context to the situation; therefore, it can be used to carry over the previous sentence's subject into the new paragraph. It is a way of carrying that message to this one.

But no one sees the word that way--but in normal situations you can use "it" and "there" as casually as you use the word "be." That is a very sticky word, too. Be and all of its variations is one of the most used verbs.

Oh--right, sorry I got side tracked. I have fixed my way of using "it" in my sentences. I quickly reference "it" before my next thought. For example, Globowurm[it] is a big company. Globowum [...] which establishes that...

You can go many ways by just looking for all of the "its" and replacing them with the subject. Once you do that--rearrange the sentence. Your teacher will appreciate it more, and I think you'll learn a lot about what your teacher expects. That's what I have been doing, it has been working out great for me. This template has expanded my usage of lengthy sentences, and helped me narrow a few down. For example, "dipshit" instead of "you idiot." Or "lintlicker" somethin' like that.

I think I'd like your cheekiness~ we should share some writing sometime.

Ryokushin
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#6
Old 03-03-2010, 02:23 AM

So, for my last paper, I worked with Semicolons, I hope I used them well. I was trying out a new way of writing sentences, just so I can let myself know that I am using a part of grammar the right way. I've been working on eliminating passive voice from my essays. It's a lot stronger, now, in my belief. I cut back a lot of words to relieve the passive tense, would you believe that it's equivalent (the amount I cut out) is a few paragraphs? I fucked up, the paper was supposed to be six pages. I had five and a third, not the right amount, but, because it's so strong, I think she will ignore the fact that I missed almost a whole page.

So--I'd suggest, if you're writing a paper, use active voice. Here's an example:

Others suggest that passive voice is bad for academic writing. - Passive

As opposed to

Passive voice is bad for academic writing. - Active voice.

There is a huge difference in meaning, when you're stressing it. It engages the reader, and the teacher. That's a good thing. I am going to do it now in this paper--and see how it works out.

kokonimo
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#7
Old 04-11-2010, 01:27 AM

First of all, "thrilling" and "academic" look wrong together in a sentence. :)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryokushin View Post
And later on say "I feel that such and such did a poor job of explaining why abortion has such a negative connotation in today's society." In this sense it does not weaken your argument.
In all truth, I believe the first person is good in a research paper, especially if you're trying to propose something. (Otherwise, how would you let the reader know if the proposition is yours or not?) I just believe that it is the choice of qualifier that ultimately makes your argument week. By saying something like, "I feel that," or "I believe,"the usage of a qualifier can take your paper down two paths. One, depending on the content and purpose of your essay, you could be analyzing someone's writing or something. Or two, it can show a lack of confidence in your position. In the end, I believe it depends on the type of academic writing you do, as someone has alluded to earlier.


Actually, I've gotten two types of feed back on the use of qualifiers. In my communication class, I was told to use strong qualifiers like, "I know," "I strongly assert," or some crap and that it was good to do so. I used the same thing in my art paper to give it more strength and the TA said, "in academia, it's not good to use language with such certainty because who can ever be so certain," or something along those lines. Again, seeing the two different types of classes, it depends largely on your audience and the paper you're writing.

Besides that, I'm all for bringing yourself into your papers. I've been trying to slip that in a little bit in my academic writing. Ultimately though, your voice will show through... just in the language and grammar structure you use. So, never feel that you can be totally lost in a paper. :) [OP, I'm not referring to you specifically, but in general.]

Interesting topic of discussion. :D

P.S.
I have m4ddd problems with passive voice vs. active voice. You know that "personal style" I was talking about? Well, it's my tendency to put everything into passive. Unfortunately, it never looks good, even to me, when I look back at it. Somehow, passive voice can add uncertainty too, as if you don't want to explicitly state something but want to say it all the same. I've made it a conscious effort to avoid its usage as well. Instead, I try to mix it up, like every other sentence. xD Is that good?

Last edited by kokonimo; 04-11-2010 at 01:31 AM..

 


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