Homework for Friday, Dec. 4:
Read this short article called ENGFISH (a chapter from Ken Macrorie's book Telling Writing), and write a comment on this blog (must have a minimum of 100 words!!!) about your personal opinion regarding ENGFISH.
If you cannot post for some reason, you may also email me your paragraph, or bring it as a hard copy to class on Friday.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
After reading the article Engfish I found it very interesting but at the same time it’s very true. Many students today still use a lot of Engfish, which is basically using more words then is needed to write a sentence. English can also not allow a subject or person in a sentence to come alive and it makes it boring. Engfish basically complicates a sentence. An example that was given was where “completely” was used before the word “astonished” and this just added to the sentence. I know at times that I use Engfish and I need to try to correct this problem. I think that Engfish is correct that writing needs to come alive and students need to write like the grade level that they are at along with not telling lies. I think schools and teachers also need to teach students the correct way of writing and not let them write using Engfish. There are so many students that are good writers someone just needs to help him or her out and get rid of Engfish.
ReplyDeleteFinally, someone has manifested this wonderful word to label such a horrible thing. I wholly agree with everything this article has to say, English class in grade school was one of my favorite subjects but when we began to focus more on grammar the task lost its luster. In third grade I would write about magic scissors and witches but later on in life I was reduced to the 5 paragraph boring essays with less than 3 grammar mistakes. Don't get me wrong grammar is necessary, it is how we put words together to create meaning, but none of it really makes sense to us even after we’ve spent twelve years studying it. It really does suck the life out of writing and it’s a shame but suppose it’s a means to an end type of thing.
ReplyDeleteI have had two teachers in my life who have strongly opposed using "Engfish", but other than that, I have been conditioned to write with "Engfish" along with the rest of us. It reminds me of the movie "Dead Poets Society" when the teacher makes on of the students stand up in front of the classroom, and blurt out poetry from his own mind as fast as he can. The teacher even covers his eyes, and the student discovers he has an amazing talent when it comes to poetry. It was the free-style, say whatever is on your mind type of writing, the teacher was looking for.
ReplyDeleteThe one teacher I had that told us "Engfish" was not allowed said we had to stop being afraid of expressing what we really wanted to say because we all did have something to say, but had to get over being reserved. It was a great experienc, and she always made us describe things with concrete words. I produced some of my best writing for that teacher.
It can kind of be compared to drawing as well. Every chil can draw, but somewhere along the line we stop drawing because we are scared. Every child can write, but somewhere along the line we stop writing.
My reaction to “Engfish” is that the writer makes a valid point. When college students write papers and essays, they simply try and fill the pages with words that may be boring and irrelevant. They just put the words on the page to fill up space. They use these words that have no meaning because they believe that is what the teacher expects from them. The example of the third-grader is the best because it describes how a child will lose their creativity and sense of imagination along the road of education because they try to impress their teachers at higher levels, and they believe this is what they are expected of.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article, I agree that "engfish" is not focused on enough in schools.Even through high school teachers are focused on getting his or her students to write strong research papers with proper sourcing."Engfish" seems to get left behind, and it stays with students through to the college level. The author's comments that grade school teachers focus too much on punctuation and spelling sounds familiar to me.The concise writing that makes up good papers is usually not focused on like errors such as "there" for "their". Spelling is important, but for most schools to ignore "engfish" altogether does not teach students that this type of writing is not necessary and frustrating for the reader.Even though adding words to a paper makes it longer, it certainly does not make it better.
ReplyDeleteIt is just that many students write in Engfish. I am sure more than half the comments we leave on this blog will be in Engfish, but that is only because it is what we think what the professors want. And it is what part of studying English is all about. Students have to write and rewrite many times to cut through all the BS. If students were to take more time to write there papers – or were given more time – a lot of the crap that goes into them could be cut down. Really Engfish is all give and take for both student and professor. To get rid of it completely, both sides half to work together. But one thing is for certain – Engfish will always be a part of English studies.
ReplyDeleteAfter I read the article, I'll have to admit that I am guilty of using Engfish sometimes. I might even do it while typing this response. =) I agree that is it not necessary and most students use Engfish to only take up more space or to sound smarter. Another thing is I think Engfish could have been avoided if teachers would have corrected students in their earlier years of school. The part of the article that said "When I got there I was completely astonished by the hustle and the bustle......" that is an example of what students write to waste space. I found myself doing that a couple times using words in a sentence like "It felt like we were riding forever and ever and ever" all of those "ever's" are uneccesary, but I felt like it would make my paper more effective and of course, longer!
ReplyDeleteEngfish
ReplyDeleteThe theory of Engfish is really interesting. I think a lot of college students exaggerate over making their writing sound complex and scholarly but it just ends up sounding ridiculous. I am often unsure of the correct tone and style of writing to use in certain assignments. However, my favorite style of writing to read sounds like every day speaking. I like reading an author who is realistic in everyday language. I think a lot of students try and create these really good "punch lines" and creative styles, but for the most part, they end up sounding ridiculous. Writing should flow and be compelling to its readers, however there is a fine line between creative and corny.
I'm definitely quilty of using ENGFISH in my college writing and it is largely because of the emphasis on word count and page length. I believe that a lot of students use this idea to make their writing sound more in-depth or educated when they are really producing sentences to meet specific requirements rather than getting the point across. For me, it is more enjoyable to read a written works that sounds real and conveys exactly what the writer is trying to achieve without having to decipher a hidden meaning of question how literally a reader must take the text as a whole. ENGFISH obviously doesn't put much emphasis on in-depth feelings and emotions, but just one solid emotion that gets the point across to the reader.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with the article. I knew I was guilty of using ENGFISH in nearly all of my academic writing, I just didn't know there was a lable for it. During peer review for different classes, I noticed most students do this as well. Even though it is a bad habit, I can see why so many students choose to write that way--it takes up more space. Sometimes, when I write this way, I don't realize that I'm doing it because it seems like the most natural way to get my point across, especially in creative writing. I can see how writing like that can actually become ineffective since it just turns into a bunch of garbage. However, it may just depend on the context.
ReplyDeleteThe article brings of several good points. Being in the news business, I know it's extremely important to use correct grammar in addition to writing short, concise sentences. Writing this way is hard for a lot of people, especially since most of us are all used to making everything frilly and lengthy in our papers for classes and things like that. But, when we try to be grammatically correct, it turns out we write boring things that no one really cares about.
ReplyDeleteThe subject of Engfish is a strange, but interesting topic that is significant to anyone who values commendable writing skills. In my own opinion, there is no point in writing if you just compose text that you think your teacher or reader wants to see. A key aspect of writing is learning to utilize your own personal style so you can create something unique that captivates you and your audience. While using "filler" words in your writing is an easy way of getting onto the next page, it does not make your material compelling. Being grammatically correct is important, but being innovative in your writing is even more valuable in a world full of imitators.
ReplyDeleteEngfish was an interesting article. i agree completely with the article because once grammar gets mixed in with english the fun of writing is out.i understand why people use this so that they can fill up space. Many people do this because when i am peer editing and a paper needs to make a certain page length people will write in anything to make sure that they reach the page length. Engfish is used to get the point accross to the reader.
ReplyDeleteThis is perhaps the most interesting article I have ever read regarding creativity and grammar. Honestly, I have never considered a correlation between the two, but I now believe this correlation is real. My friend, Sledge, is studying to become an art teacher and has bitched to me on occasion about a certain art TA who would hound him over Sledge's refusal to use the TA's methods in creating certain pieces. Sledge said that following the TA's instructions robbed his pieces of his art's signature qualities. I can now see that a similar theft has most likely occurred in my own life: I am the victim; my creative and natural language is the item now gone.
ReplyDeleteEngfish left me with the thought that the "intelligence" we all think is necessary in formal writing, is not really needed. I have found many times in my own writing, that I commit this mistake. The mistake of trying to sound and convey a more intelligent idea, without actually conveying that message effectively and clearly. I have been so concerned with the idea of pleasing my teacher with my word usage and correct grammar, that I have really left out the importantance and memorable meaning of what I was actually trying to say. I agree wholeheartedly with the author of Engfish, in that students write what they think their teachers want to read, and not what they (the students) want to write. It is important to really go back to the basics and write naturally. All in all, I thought Engfish was an eye-opening read.
ReplyDelete