Ms. Strong's Pet Peeves
One of the first things that you should have already learned about college is that each of your instructors will view things differently. Not every instructor will stress the same things, so, to help my students out, I think that it's only fair to make known my particular pet peeves. These are the errors that tend to stand out when I review your work and when we meet in class, so it's to your benefit to try to avoid these at all costs.
Cell phone abuse -- Cell phones are wonderful tools, but they annoy me beyond belief when they disrupt class. A ringing cell phone – or any other noisy electronic device – displays great disrespect for your fellow students as well as your instructor, so if you must bring them to class, please use them responsibly.
Misspellings -- Please have the courtesy and pride in your work to spellcheck. Also, double check the spellings of proper nouns, especially names and places.
Irregardless -- Trust me, this is not what you mean. "Regardless" is more than likely the word that you want if you find yourself tempted to use "irregardless."
Example: I like No Doubt's new single, regardless of your negative opinion of it.
Now, in this example, the writer is basically saying, "I like No Doubt's new song, and it doesn't matter to me that you don't like it." The word "regardless," then, means "without regard." If you add the "ir-" prefix, which means "not," you change your meaning to "not
without regard" -- and that's exactly the opposite of what you're trying to say!
Their/there/they're; who's/whose; it's/its; your/you're/yore -- I've created a seperate web page about other homophones, so if you get these words mixed up, you should probably check that homophones page to make sure that you don't confuse the others on the list. Basically, if you use the wrong one of these word sets, you're changing the meaning of your writing, and it's not likely to make sense. BE VERY CAREFUL EACH TIME THAT YOU USE THESE WORDS! I'm forgiving in many ways, but by the time that you enroll in college, you have very little excuse for confusing these words.
"Since the beginning of time ... " -- While I acknowledge that it's quite difficult to come up with a great idea for the introduction to a paper, these sorts of sweeping generalizations ("ever since man walked the earth," "from the dawn of time," "everyone who ever lived," etc.) are not the way to grab your reader's interest. Can you prove that "ever since a human first breathed air," mankind has wanted a better way to remove plaque from teeth? No, it's not likely that you'll find support for such sweeping statements. If you can't prove it, don't use it in your paper.
Repetition -- Try to be as concise as possible.
Examples: "period of time" (pick either "period" or "time"or, "because of the fact that" (why not just use "because"?)
"You" -- While I'm certain that, over the course of the semester, each of my students will come to know and adore me, it's highly unlikely that any of you will know me so well that you should write in your papers that "I" know or do anything. Let me give you an example of the sort of thing that I hope NOT to see:
The room was big, the kind that makes you want to run around in circles, twirling until you make yourself dizzy.
Now, this writer has assumed that "I" want to run around a room and spin in circles; this is not the case. Since I am the audience for your papers, the word "you" in your writing will refer to me -- so don't make assumptions as to what I do and don't want or like, okay?
Etc. -- If you're writing a note to a friend, it's perfectly acceptable, in my opinion, to use "etc." I've even used it on this very web site. However, if you are writing an essay or paper for academic purposes (and, yes, that's what your schoolwork is), DO NOT use "etc." It lacks specificity, and generally looks like you just ran out of examples.
And/or -- Again, this shows a lack of specificity. Pick one and get to the point.
I could/couldn't care less -- This is one of my more dearly held pet peeves, so please take extra precautions when using this construction. If you could care less, that means you are capable of caring less, and thus must care quite a bit. If you mean that you do not care at all, then you should use "I couldn't care less." This is a fairly colloquial expression, so it's more likely that you'd use this in speech rather than writing, but please just be certain whether you write this or speak this, that you use the correct form. If you don't understand this distinction, it might be best for you to avoid this phrase altogether. In fact, if you find yourself using this phrase in an academic essay, it’s probably wisest to reword your thought.
Your's -- This is not a word. It does not exist, so please don't use it. The objective possessive form of "you" is "yours."
"According to Webster's Dictionary ..." -- I am among the most ardent supporters of the dictionary; it's not only a useful tool, but an indispensible one. However, this sort of construction in a college essay simply conveys the sense of a student who cannot produce an original introduction. If there is a compelling reason (one which, if requested of you, you would be able to convincingly articulate) to use a dictionary definition in your paper, do so -- but please be aware that I probably will suggest that you revise your paper to delete such a definition.
Thesaurus Abuse -- Big words don’t make a paper necessarily better; shorter, more direct words often convey meaning with more strength. If you use a thesaurus, make certain that you only use it to jog your memory. DON’T use a word whose meaning you don’t know. If you think a word you’ve found in the thesaurus looks good and you really want to use it, double check its meaning in the dictionary.
Slang and informality -- In a formal academic paper (and, yes, that's what you're supposed to be writing in this class), slang is inappropriate. If you're unsure as to whether a word or phrase is slang, play it safe and opt not to use it. The same is true of informalities; a good rule of thumb is that if you wouldn't say it in a very important job interview, don't put it in an academic paper.
Examples: "Let's just say that ...", "the hero in the movie shows up", "cool" (when not used to indicate temperature), “party” and “disrespect” (when used as verbs).
Informality in e-mail is also one of my pet peeves; use a formal and respectful tone in all written communications with all of your instructors.
Not considering opposing viewpoints -- When writing argumentative papers, be sure that you think about why someone might disagree with your viewpoint. This not only strengthens your own argument, but is also shows respect for other voices and beliefs.
Links
Composition Class Homepage
Secrets and Hints Main Page
Email: kathy_strong@hotmail.com
