Interview with English Professor

I interviewed my English professor, Dr. X, and asked her four questions about grammar and errors and for any advice she could give student writers. I have listed the questions and answers below.

Q. What error in student writing bothers you the most?
A. The error that bothers me the most is the confusion between the plural and the possessive forms of a noun (the difference between “poets” and “poet’s”). I see this quite a lot & it seems like a fundamental concept that should be learned early, so I’m not sure why it is such a persistent error in so much student writing.

Q. What are the most common grammatical errors that you see?
A. I see incorrect quoting/citation; misuse of the ellipsis, colon & semicolon; and sentence fragments or run-on sentences.

Q. Do you think your students, overall, have a good grasp on grammar? Why or why not?
A. I think that most of my students have a good grasp of grammar in the sense that they know when something sounds correct or not. When it comes to written work, however, they make more mistakes because they don’t “hear” their writing in the same way. The public domain (newspapers, televisions, advertisements, etc.) is full of grammatical errors, so it isn’t surprising that students tend to make similar mistakes. I do think that the more you read—especially the more edited, published books you read—the better your grammar skills become as a result of that exposure.

Q. What tips would you have for student writers in the field of English?
A. Be aware of the kinds of mistakes you tend to make and proofread for those errors (and have a grammar handbook nearby to use as a reference whenever necessary). Most importantly, recognize that muddled sentences are often the result of muddled thinking—if you clarify your ideas, your _expression of those ideas will naturally become clearer as well.

Melissa Barnhart