MJ's little flock

[MaryJanet]

This afternoon the research fellows helped me decipher my student's chapter (it's great research but the student uses English as a second language, so it can quite hard to read, with run on sentences galore and vastly split infinitives).

 

[Perris]

it can quite hard to read, with run on sentences galore and vastly split infinitives

in my experience, native English speakers are just as capable of both as are foreigners. If you have the time, it's quite useful to ask such an offender to read out loud a paragraph-long sentence of their own creation, and watch them get the point in real time

 

[MaryJanet]

in my experience, native English speakers are just as capable of both as are foreigners. If you have the time, it's quite useful to ask such an offender to read out loud a paragraph-long sentence of their own creation, and watch them get the point in real time

Oh, I split delightfully my infinitives from time to time, so I'm as guilty as the next person. It was the high incidence that did me in today. As for her run on sentences, I wouldn't like to ask her to read one out, mainly because I already wrote her a paragraph on the topic and also because I don't want her to suffocate, literally and psychologically. She's quite timid and from a culture in which women are subjugated. Although I may try it with one of my other doctoral students.

 

[ManueB]

Oh, I split delightfully my infinitives from time to time, so I'm as guilty as the next person. It was the high incidence that did me in today. As for her run on sentences, I wouldn't like to ask her to read one out, mainly because I already wrote her a paragraph on the topic and also because I don't want her to suffocate, literally and psychologically. She's quite timid and from a culture in which women are subjugated. Although I may try it with one of my other doctoral students.

I do find it harder to write clear, grammatically correct sentences in english than in french.
One great advice our english litterature teacher gave us in high school was that 99% of our sentences should convey only one idea. It has become an automatism for me in french. In english...I have to really think about it.
We have a famous quote from Nicolas Boileau : "Ce qui se conçoit bien s'énonce clairement" : "What has been well conceived will be clearly said."

 

[MaryJanet]

My grandfather was an English teacher and he taught me that exact lesson when I was tiny. He also made me read out loud to appreciate punctuation.

I'm not an English teacher. I deliberately avoided it. Like I deliberately avoided law, nursing, and accounting. These professions are not for me.

When I request improved language and literacy support for students, the answer is always a strong, "No, we are an English-speaking university," which I feel is a woefully tone deaf response utterly lacking in duty of care for both staff and students.

 

[Shadrach]

My English can be truely shocking.

 

[MaryJanet]

My English can be truely shocking.

But the things you write are mostly worth reading!

 

[MaryJanet]

Just trying out this link to see if it works.

 

[MaryJanet]

Just trying out this link to see if it works.

Ok interesting. Clicking the photo takes me to the video. Is that what happens for you too?

 

[RoyalChick]

Ok interesting. Clicking the photo takes me to the video. Is that what happens for you too?

Yes. But who imprisoned Blossom?!