Making Connections: Grammar and Everyday Experiences

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Grammar for Being Modest (Week 11)

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"To be or not to be, that is the question" (Shakespeare 1).  William Shakespeare's famous line has continued to influence speakers' or writers' decisions to make certain claims. Weinstein and Finn expressed that "teachers" (121) contribute to "the confusing use of 'I'" (121). Weinstein and Finn stated that the use of "I" is "far too often forbidden" (121) in classes. Wienstein's and Finn's claim on the use of "I" are realistic in many ways. For example, I had to be careful and considerate in the use of "I" when I was in a meeting. If I used "I" to express something, I might omitted the contributions of others even though "other" people might not contribute to the group work. However, it was "me" that did the most, if not, all of the work. To appease the others, I ended up using "we" and "ours" to make false claims about what did not happen...
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Grammar for the Past - Past Tense

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  The use of present tense with regards to someone's action is basically labeling someone (Weinstein and Finn 81).  In reality, no one wants to be labeled. Thus, speakers and writers need to cognizant of what they say and how they say something to their targeted audience.  Example: a) Professor Fowler lost her temper with her students. b) Natasha left a paltry tip-less than five percent of the check. c) You complained.  Instances of Labeling: a) I saw Professor Fowler losing her temper with her students. b) You witnessed Natasha leaving a paltry tip-less than five percent of the check. c) You are a complainer.   I recalled a time when I blamed my sister as insensitive to my mother. Here was the dialogue in the present tense: You really do not make sense. You are insensitive to mom's needs. You do not consider her point of view. I am not sure you are such a person. According to Weinstein and Finn, "nobody likes to be negatively labeled" (81). When I had that...
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Grammar for Being Rebelious (Week 15)

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 English grammar is one of the most intriguing and challening subjects for students.  Despite having rules and structures, teachers from different regions may teach the rules and expectations differently based on regional differences, needs, and practices. Weinstein and Finn stated that "nearly all the grammar rules taught in elementary school and high school are quite reasonable and should be observed" (127).  In addition, they stated that "certain rules commonly taught at the high school level ae questionable" (127). As a result, students get confused, and they break certain rules when they speak or write. For example, "The bureaucracy continued to run things, badly."  As a student, I did not learn to use adverb at the end of the sentence.  I was taught to use adverbs before a verb to modify an action or the state of being. Instead of having an adverb at the end, I would use it at the beginning to be formal and directly. In addition, I would use it at t...
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