The Use of Personal Pronouns and Emotional Language In Academic Writings

Writing is a powerful tool for communication and connection. As an extension and expression of the mind, writing is as much about the mental processes of the author as it is about the final marks laid to paper. As we write, we hold in mind our own thoughts on the work, anticipate the reader’s thoughts, and think both in concrete and abstract ways in order to accomplish the task at hand. Whether an academic research paper, a novel, or text message to friends, writing seeks to engage, persuade, or impress concepts upon an audience. Like language and other art forms in general, the practice of writing is ever-evolving and is subject to cultural and contextual influence, expectations, and conventions. Each writer holds a theory

After doing some linear stage models, the three negotiates the fact that academic and professional is considered “complex” (24). Furthermore, they all agree that “academic and professional writers develop a sense of rhetorical purpose as the process unfolds” (24) and “any research must be seen as being both “strategic” and “heuristic” (24).

In the 2011 article “Helping Students Meet the Challenges of Academic Writing”, educators Linda Fernsten and Mary Reda offer innovative self-reflective writing exercises that post-secondary instructors can employ to help students improve writer self-image and academic writing. The authors’ rationale for reflective and practical writing strategies were developed from direct classroom experience, and are based on four (4) assumptions. Their claim that self-reflective writing can aid student writers in overcoming conflict (due to dominant culture, upbringing, former writing experiences, gender, and other marginalizing factors) to improve writer self-identity is plausible. However, their argument that cross-curriculum academic writing can be improved through self-directed, self-reflective writing requires further investigation.

To many people, writing is either considered a task, or an activity. There are also different types of writing for people to enjoy. In Josh Keller’s “Studies Explore Wether the Internet Makes Students Better Writer”, Keller describes how the internet has made students far better writers. He also describes how many students have described their dislike for academic writing but prefer their own personal blogging and/or journaling. This essay describes why struggling students often fail to write effectively because they find academic writing hard because they are not able to put their own thoughts and experiences into their essay. The idea of this essay was to describe the problems with students writing and the possible solutions for the problem. Keller mentions that the solution, that is not being pursued, is to combine academic writing with personal writing. He describes how many students write far better in their own personal writing and that these student’s personal writing

Writing consists of self expression, an outlet of creativity to communicate ideas. An individualism thought, purpose, and goal we are able to carry out towards our intended audience. Writing allows us to credit those who have impacted our lives positively. Furthermore, Academic essay writing is an important and effective piece in one’s life in order to gain knowledge that will allow us to present our ideas clearly and logically. Furthering your education consist of constantly writing papers in many college courses in order to convey your message across, therefore, it is important to be aware of how Academic Writing impacts ones education. Lucy Maud Montgomery, Edgar Allen Poe, and William

In their book They Say I Say, Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein, and Russel Durst outline strategies writers can use to avoid common mistakes often seen in academic writing. The book thoroughly outlines the different components that make up academic writing, such as initially summarizing what others have said before, responding with original ideas, proving a purpose to the writing, and connecting the writing in a logical and eloquent manner.

English classes are very important if you want to pursuit your academic goal, and there are a lot of things that I learned about academic writing in this semester. At first, I thought that it was going to be easy as long as I kept doing my brief assignments on time and showing up in classes. However, I was wrong, English is hard, especially if you are an international student because the methods of writing an essay are different. Though, I decided to take English 1301 because I wanted to be able to write something that would make it easier for a reader to understand, and of course to make me get good grades in other classes assignments. Also, because I didn’t know the difference between writing a rhetorical analysis essay and writing a normal

Before this English course, I would not feel compelled to incorporate transitions into my essays. Sentence transitions connect paragraphs and new ideas; it creates a better flow of the sentences. I now value the importance of formality in academic essays. I learned to avoid ending sentences with prepositions because it would not sound proper, to choose the right diction for clear understanding to readers, and to eliminate wordy expressions and needless words because being concise is key. Using active voice is strong and clear in academic essays because passive voice does not focus and emphasize on the subject but in the sentence object. During English 1101, I noticed the use of verb tenses from the rhetorical reading responses and the narrative essay; it is crucial to have the appropriate verb tense for a clear essay. In addition, finding different sources for research papers, such as the concept paper done this course, is pivotal for readers to consider the author credible. Beginning a sentence with a compelling subject will most likely evoke readers’ interests rather than just “there” or “it”. In all these years of sitting in an English class, I finally know why not to use second person: “You” does not apply to everyone when the author is talking about a narrowed topic. Lastly, the one aspect of writing that stuck with me the most was to make any work original and

Throughout this class I have learn many different writing styles. We used APA form of writing to type our paper and essay. I have also learned that it’s good to take your time and spend more time thinking about what to write, other than just righting a paper right off back. I have learned that it’s not a good idea to write a paper on the day it’s done, that’s more like a ruff daft. My teacher have helped me understand different point of writing. Which all writing deal with an ethos, pathos and logos, either one or all of them will run through anything that tell you anything in writing. From what emotion are there to who have the rights to speak at the moment to what are the facts to agree with this person. As a class we have read articles, bio from many people to understand that it’s more then what the person is writing. Reading between lines and analyzing a part of the story can tell you more then what the writer is saying. Working together to understand something and work better than being alone thinking about a situation you can’t understand.

The six course goals of this English 109W course are to Engage in writing as a process that includes planning, revision, and editing based on feedback from peers and instructors; Critically read and analyze academic texts; Understand, identify, and analyze the rhetorical situations of academic texts, including their contexts, audiences, purposes and personas; Understand, identify, and analyze the rhetorical situations of academic texts, which may include genre, format, evidence, citation, style and organization; Develop an awareness of and preparedness for the writing they will do through their majors through research, exploration, and or practice of the discourse community’s conventions; and Engage in formal and informal writing that analyzes and critically reflects on their major’s writing conventions and their own writing practices and choices. I perceive that I have achieved all the goals for this course through the various drafts I composed, polished papers I produced, and the supplemental work that I have selected to include enclosed within my portfolio.

Have you ever wondered whether a writer’s voice and the standard rules of academic writing can exist on the same page? According to Dr. Debra Pena, English Professor, University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and Mathew Teorey, English Professor, University of New Mexico and the author of "Using Freshman Composition to Analyze What Students Really Know about Grammar" a writer’s voice and the process of academic writing can exist on the same page (Personal Communications February 13, 2017, Teorey 2). However, my first essay In Freshman Composition II titled, “Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE): Is it the New Death Sentence for Future Athletes Playing Sports in America?” where I lost the power of my voice to the process of academic writing.

For an idea to be credible in an academic writing, it must have a proper support and attribution which is academically credible. In a research paper or argumentative essay, especially, evidence which consists of facts, statistics, personal stories and statement from authorities in a particular discipline gives an appropriate support to an idea. I was corrected by my Professor on my argumentative essay by writing a rough draft. I learnt that the use of first person and second person pronouns is wrong especially for research and argumentative essay. I realized that while my idea or personal submission mattered in the essay, the only way for the essay to be credible is my presenting it in the third person pronoun and also gaining support from appropriate materials and attribution. I also learnt the need and importance of citing my work from where a drew my supports and attributions. I neglected these in my first and second essays which became a detrimental factor in my grade in ENGL 1301. Proper citation and awarding of credits to borrowed ideas is very important in writing, I will never overlook these in my future

As a student experiencing formal education for over 15 years, writing essays, research papers and narrative stories presents itself as nothing new. Every student has a specific writing method ingrained in his or her brain and after years of practice, very little thought goes into creating a formal literary piece. The Lunsford humanizes the methodology of producing quality writing and it characterizes a piece of writing into something more than just a class assignment. Rhetorical situations delve into the complexity of communication through writing. Surrounding the context of a piece of writing there is a topic that needs to be clearly stated, an opinion to be portrayed, and an audience to be thought about. An appropriate topic for a writer to elaborate on is one that either puzzles or interests them. This allows the writer to be engaged in his or her writing and provide a method of effective communication. The opinion on the topic allows the writer to be individual and portray the

‘Helping students meet the challenges of academic writing’ by Fernsten and Reda is an interesting study how reflective writing practices can be useful for marginalized students, who are struggling with “negative writer self-identity. The possible causes according to Fernsten & Reda are, “issues such as race, class and gender that are marginalized factors for many basic writers”, in addition to the expectations of the dominant academic culture. However, even though Fernsten & Reda illuminated the ‘potential conflicts’ within the academic world, they have failed to provide conclusive evidence that supports their argument regarding their solution. Their reliance on dated research that provides a one sided historical perspective, may

I have been writing since I have been in Middle School. I have realized that by college it was easier for me to write down my thoughts in order for me to remember what I have said or done. Writing out my thoughts gives me a sense of recollection, knowledge, and pacification that gets me through my day. I pictured writing to be as simple as jotting down a few sentences, but as I got farther in school I realized that there is more to it than just writing sentences. English has been my most difficult subject I have ever endured, but I have somehow been managing to make excellent grades and achieving all requirements. First in the essay, I will discuss my experiences in the English life that I’ve taken so far up until college. The second part will list my struggles in creating a thesis, a work cited, and properly citing my sources used in the papers.