In the reading
for this week, Annoying Ways People Use Sources, the author pay a lot of
attention to how quotes and citations should be presented in order to keep the
flow of the reading. By preparing the reader for an upcoming quote, the reader
will easier understand the purpose of the quote and why the writer chose to
include it in the text. The author claims that you should never start or finish
a paragraph with a quote but I have to disagree with this statement. I
personally have no problem with authors using a quote in the first sentence of
the introduction since the right quote can be an effective hook to catch the reader’s
attention. Besides as a hook, I agree with him when it comes to introducing and
concluding the quote is essential which makes it impossible if you have it in
the beginning or in the end of a paragraph.
Good flow is
essential when it comes to making the reading easy to understand and grammar is
a critical key in this case. Incorrect grammar is something that can drive me
nuts and when it happens, I start focusing more on the grammar instead of the
content which gives me zero understanding of the message. It can be such small
things as using capital letters, or the absence of capital letters, in the
wrong context and I will be frustrated immediately. Another grammatical issue
can be the lack or overload of punctuations which interrupts the flow and makes
the reading choppy. To avoid grammatical mistakes, I have started to proof read
my text two or three days after I wrote it in order to look at it with fresh
eyes. Before, I used to read it right after I finished the writing but this
resulted in a lot of mistakes remained unnoticed since I was too tired after
all the writing. By giving the brain a break, I can more carefully read through
the text and discover sentences that need to be restructured or deleted.
Hi Adam, I like your opinion on this article. I agree with you that a good flow should be the essential part of every paper. I found your point about grammar very interesting. Bad grammar can definitely distract me from the content of a paper. I like your tip on how to avoid grammatical mistakes by reading your papers a few days after you have written them. What helps me is to print my work and then read it on an actual paper not just on a computer screen. I can find all the misspellings and grammatical errors much faster that way.
SvaraRaderaAdam! I do agree with you that taking a break from your work can really help you go forward. Everything you write, even if it is a research paper is about creativity and creativity cannot be forced. I find taking a long walk by myself really helps or just working on something completely else. I also drink wine. But maybe that's not a good tip, who knows?! I am just being honest.
SvaraRaderaI like what you had to say about starting and ending with a quote. I think it's one of those things we hold onto but creative and current writers don't always follow each rule. I think that in the right setting a great writer can start or end a paper with a quote, it's all about the presentation of the whole thing.
SvaraRadera