Guilty as Charged
Never have I written a journal entry and known what to call it before I actually wrote it...I guess there's a first for everything. I'll be getting on with what's important now.
In your examples of what not to say I noticed one specific example and had to grimace...
"It is clear that..." "The student knows darn well the meaning is not clear at all; this is a weak attempt at fooling the reader into seeing structure that isn't there" (Dr. Jerz's website)
When I read this, I had to say, "Oh snap!" because I am guilty as charged. Yes, I use this, have used this and will NOT continue to use this phrase. I guess I thought that when I said "It is clear that..." I could incorporate my opinion while still being able to back it up with fact. I guess I get what you're saying here though. If it "is clear" then why write the paper in the first place? The purpose of the paper is to argue a point that could go in a number of directions depending on opinion. Your job as the write of the research paper is to make up a darn good case for your favorite view. Make your point and opinion, the reader's opinion through effective writing. Clearly, the phrase "it is clear" is just ignorant. You know there is another point. Just because you say "clearly" or "it is clear" does not make you automatically right. Wow, I never thought about that before. Thanks Dr. Jerz!
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Greta Carroll on Guilty as Charged: Angela, you are not the only o
Dennis G. Jerz on Guilty as Charged: Angela, it's a real pleasure f
Angela, it's a real pleasure for me to hear what you find useful and relevant in the handouts I create. Thanks for the feedback. I still catch myself using some of the words I warn against, but the more you think about this stuff, the more deliberate your writing process becomes, which makes it both more efficient and more effective.
Angela, you are not the only one who is guilty as charged! Ha ha, I also write “it is clear that” quite frequently. However, I think it is more than just that we are attempting to convince our readers that it is clear; I think we are also trying to convince ourselves. But I don’t think we consciously decide to use it either, the words just kind of slip in there by accident, a comfort to us as we write—we said it was clear, so everything’s ok. And it will certainly take a conscious effort not to write “it is clear that” anymore, it’s like breaking a bad habit of biting your fingernails or something, it takes real effort not to insert those little words in a paper. But at least be comforted by the fact that you are not alone in this folly.
P.S. Angela! You stole my blog entry, I was actually going to write on this too, but I saw you had, so I picked something else. But I guess since you were the early bird, you caught the worm, but obviously considering I was going to write about this too, it is a big problem of mine as well, I’m betting it’s a big problem of many people.
It is clear that you wrote a great blog entry. I had a confession to make on my blog entry as well (I lose focus a lot of the time while I'm writing). At first, I was kinda unhappy with the way we had to write essays in college; they started taking away all my fillers and crutch words! Now my own opinions were just standing there naked for all to see, whether they agreed with them or not. My papers also became considerably shorter. It was kinda shocking to realize that most of my high school papers were 50% b.s. and 50% information. But, in the end, these suggestions will make me a better writer and make my essays stronger.
P.S. I am guilty of "I feel that..."