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How to Fix Passive Voice in an Essay. 150 0 obj <>stream 0 @sm̕�-��se���Be�x*����l(���K�w�5kWe�/��v��H:˽~� �m�f-%�&W�`�/[�64��4�4,T����g���F\)�f�԰^�����"�+q�,�_+�ƅ�Q��j����J=��a�Fl� Last fall, Steven Pinker promoted his new book, The Sense of Style, with an article in The Chronicle Review entitled “Why Academics Stink at Writing”. However, it might be even more useful to take Pinker more for his inspiration than to take him at his word. Why is academic writing so bad, and why is this such a surprise to Pinker? (More than 100,000 people have already done so.) Outside of universities the explanation is that they use difficult language to hide the fact that they have nothing to say. In this dryly amusing essay, Steven Pinker tries to figure out “Why Academics Stink at Writing”.. WHY ACADEMIC WRITING STINKS BY STEVEN PINKER THE CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION® AND HOW TO FIX IT MICHAEL C. MUNGER 10 Tips on How to Write Less Badly HELEN SWORD Inoculating Against Jargonitis RACHEL TO0R Becoming a ‘Stylish’ Writer THERESA MAC PHAIL The Art and Science of Finding Your Voice ©2014 by The ChroniCle of higher eduCaTion, inC. BY STEVEN PINKER T … endstream endobj 119 0 obj <>stream 138 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<11D18DFC0F9BAE8ADF864913F723AA2E><7C8E55C1EA2D71448B7D82E6ACAE8332>]/Index[115 36]/Info 114 0 R/Length 114/Prev 727421/Root 116 0 R/Size 151/Type/XRef/W[1 3 1]>>stream One of the things that our free software will highlight for you is the use of the passive voice. Steven Pinker writes about the problem of academic writing in the Chronicle (9.29.14). Poor comma placement: an out of place comma can actually completely change the meaning of your writing. This will fill your paper with new meaning and showcase your unique way of thinking. Downloading is simple: Just fill out this form and the booklet is all yours. Pinker has his eye on discipline-based academic writing, and ways to make our writing, and by extension, I would hope, our students’ writing, more readable and recognizable to an audience beyond a journal specializing in one discipline. Other University websites about  writing, research and presentation skills, recommended by our NJIT  composition instructors and librarians. The thoughts are from his new book The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century. Pinkers explanations are that the writer think they have no choice but to use such language to get their articles published. 115 0 obj <> endobj Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Third, I outline a number of approaches to the how of academic writing as a daily practice. You can read the article “Why Academics Stink at Writing,” or download a pdf/booklet version of it with 4 responses from experts (“And How to Fix it”) here. h�bbd```b``��!`� D�؁� R�D2v�H�Vɤ"m�A��؄O`R ,�H2����@�����`Y?�i 3���A��~Z00��V��H&���i�7� �X selected academic writing center websites, guides, and handouts Books on Writing and Research, Research Guides | Citation Guides    He quickly discards the conventional explanations: that "bad writing is a deliberate choice" designed to "bamboozle"; that "difficult writing is unavoidable because of the abstractness and complexity of [the] subject matter; and, that "the gatekeepers of journals and university… h�b``�```J``a`�ggb@ !�+s\5�bHm�~-}yb�^kY���+* and other essays on style put together by Steven Pinker for The Chronicle of Higher Education. 1) The popular explanation inside universities as to why academics stink at writing is because of the complexity and abstractness of their subject matter. O~�� x�]�R����m�'���C�����E;�ؚ�۱ٲp]�N�O�=5c�����CV�.���S����n��m�����>���zw���e?�dar�Z����k3�jN���nۥ�~�ޥ�;ޮ��b~^2L;tv��b��Ջt�\���Uf��o�*X�?�M����tK�L~N\�}��咼L\���r.�%�"W`O�`%+��|~ ?���O�5y ސ7`欐�z! 1) The popular explanation inside universities as to why academics stink at writing is because of the complexity and abstractness of their subject matter. There’s a decent chance you’ve read Steven Pinker’s provocative essay on why scholarly prose tends to be so convoluted. ( Log Out /  Think about developing a booklet for your department and your majors. %PDF-1.5 %���� T The Chronicle Review September 26, 2014 Why Academics Stink at Writing By Steven Pinker ogether with wearing earth tones, driving Priuses, and having a foreign policy, the most conspicuous trait of the American professoriate may be the prose style called academese. Why Academics Stink at Writing—and How to Fix It Our most popular piece this week has been Steven A. Pinker’s provocative essay “Why Academics Stink at Writing… Reading Response: Why Academics’ Stink At Writing. ���eLT�R�� I�I �&ggtX�u��Lnq�r�3�ܗ�ؗz�K=�eA���Ń�̜q��2�H���ʁq>��:�K�$̚:Ϭ[�����탣�Y�A� �Kz;��ms�5�B���G��� ���*����ӡ���3�ӡ��)�{��дНMG< ��tLkW`���`�V�-ah$RP#G��Q�>�M��2��_�l-(ׄӬ�-�k¾���w��(Z׃��6���������b�q�3�� ��|�Ҭ[8�����~X�*&ȩ`0�`��\z��l����Д�]S|�����Y�eb��N�/���I��k��7tR7[Sz�M�$��Ahޯ֥%�f�n����0!7��� �}Պo�˜�U/��^՚�U�j����hZ7ܘ�H�&��̰�+Ӆ(E��;�@�ͽ���aA�۴��� ;�._��Y�ˊ�!Vb��'��H���G��}^��LՒU��}��_�f�N�6��m�O���&�p����e��d�60|�7�lzУt$���C����� \�q� N]���/&Fb%��>J������&J���X���pU*�I�������,J 5�D�)A=�s��p�����5F *����L��s���� 'j�, Why Academics Stink at Writing and How to Fix it and other essays on style put together by Steven Pinker for The Chronicle of Higher Education. 3)I think that in my own writing I try to use larger words to try to impress my audience sometimes rather than telling them something worthwhile. He also says that they use it to sound impressiveness in front of their co workers. In this dryly amusing essay, Steven Pinker tries to figure out "Why Academics Stink at Writing". Provide a reason why it is important to you or why it is relevant to society. But you can probably think of a colleague, a grad student, or a friend who could use a little straight talk on the subject. That’s why we’ve printed a booklet, downloadable below, that’s designed to be shared. ( Log Out /  hެU�n7}����nС%�������) Change ), Reading Response: Sam Forman’s “The future of food Production”, READING RESPONSE: LYNCH & HORTON’S CHAPTER 9, “EDITORIAL STYLE”. ( Log Out /  Ȁ��=@��+��g 0 �88g 2) The six attributes of self consious style include: Metadiscourse, Apologizing, Shudder quotes, Hedging, and Metaconcepts and nominalizations. Some of the specifics offered by Pinker and his respondents will be useful in addressing the teaching of writing in the major. If you’re confused by the subheading, I’ll clear that up for you - academic writing is the most susceptible to passive voice. Active voice is the preferred method of writing and a sentence will have the subject clearly stated before the verb. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. 7۶9F����LJ>���k����v_[�5_�Ym��>��>�'3�P�&�|Ō�r�@���oS�"���''�}l!1��#�m��)��V�f+�� ��)9���K ��1.�1�����HM�-�O�� �2@���X��-��a ��v����*8���=������\=)�n�Ҏ Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. In it, Pinker diagnoses what ails academic writing, and then four experts offer advice on potential cures. Something like:” Why ________ [insert discipline here] stink at writing and how our students can do better.”. H��WkOG�~�b>�Ha���J�%88�kˎ"�1qd�E��S5�{�� ���/f����{������D�����#��� �h׊���íh[��1�I!Y�n��At�Fo��0F���+_��J��6B�Xm�M+����rGi|����y�l��t�~��C�=>܊��Ɔdx&��1�a�Ӱ{��Ir��o��p�:�[z�W�ҙϽ3> �TNp�s��%'%���U{��j�?� ��'�8��Dƭ+׸�ݬ��m ����V� endstream endobj 116 0 obj <> endobj 117 0 obj <> endobj 118 0 obj <>stream Why Academics Stink at Writing—and How to Fix It October 01, 2014 There’s a decent chance you’ve read Steven Pinker’s provocative essay on why scholarly prose tends to be so convoluted. I didn’t write about this article at the time because I hadn’t yet read the book; while I had a lot of concerns about the article, I was reluctant to share them in the absence of an understanding of his overall intentions in the book. Instead, Pinker suggests that academic writing is bad because it tries to mix writing styles, and authors become muddled about the audience and its desires. Title: Microsoft PowerPoint - Scholarly Writing Author: shogren Created Date: Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. You can read the article “Why Academics Stink at Writing,” or download a pdf/booklet version of it with 4 responses from experts (“And How to Fix it”) here. .LV_validation_message{ font-weight:bold; margin: 0 0 0 5px; } .LV_valid{ color:#00CC00; display:none; } .LV_invalid{ color:#CC0000; font-size:10px; } .LV_valid_field, input.LV_valid_field:hover, input.LV_valid_field:active, textarea.LV_valid_field:hover, textarea.LV_valid_field:active { border: 1px solid #00CC00; } .LV_invalid_field, input.LV_invalid_field:hover, input.LV_invalid_field:active, textarea.LV_invalid_field:hover, textarea.LV_invalid_field:active { border: 1px solid #CC0000; }, Leadership Outlook: The Academic Workforce. Although it is not something I do one the level of an academic writer it is definitely something I will be thinking about from this point on. ��Tt��֖����O�� ���E�@�F*�{7�om�5{�jAZ)�p7Pt�]. endstream endobj startxref It’s difficult to write clearly, it takes effort and it takes practice, and, on top of all that, many people don’t see the path from bad writing to good writing. Connection: When writing an academic essay, it is important to tie it directly or indirectly to the real world. Second, I discuss reasons why, despite such criticism, academics persevere with their writing. 4) I value a persons clear and concise information or argument the most in their writing. When you’re using the passive voice, you’re saying that the research was done by somebody. ( Log Out /  ( Log Out /  ( Log Out /  EmpoWord: A Student-Centered Anthology & Handbook for College Writers, selected academic writing center websites, guides, and handouts, link to citation generators and academic websites from the NJIT Library website, https://researchguides.njit.edu/communication, Communication: Thinking, Reading, Writing, Speaking, Why Academics Stink at Writing and How to Fix it. Some of the specifics offered by Pinker and his respondents will be useful in addressing the teaching of writing in the major. @�W��1��Jn[��S�$ (September 26, 2014). Why Academics Stink at Writing By Steven Pinker ogether with wearing earth tones, driving Priuses, and having a foreign policy, the most conspicuous trait of the American professoriate may be the prose style called academese. hޜUmk�0�+��Q:I�d�PI�tm�l-�|P-�p�`�����I�K�4tØ;ݝG��H #\2"�$'B*�� ���D Was the essay written, or did you write it? /����w2ʏ@ �>>����]BBl�� #������(�\8(�=�ә��{U98�2DO�`�L����PH�)�o�8����bJ�J+��~���x���g�ȣ��{��/�!=��������2[m�YOhެĕ2(�UO��}��'�����y��׈#�?���p��oQ=_����l���d�93���O=;�����\��%���P+_ѥJ�zVK���CY�=VmP�� [j�V�_0n�O?R�Γ+'H�����h�O��Cs�g�G���b}��C|)�lQn���;�IyZF�Ο�א�Pl��[SU���UaȬN ��!õ�!�����V. Pinkers explanations are that the writer think they have no… link to citation generators and academic websites from the NJIT Library website Presentation Guides | English as a Second Language (ESL), Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary               Roget's Thesaurus, Grammar and Mechanics  Online Writing Lab (Purdue), The Internet Grammar of English University College, London, The Guide to Grammar and Writing Capitol Community College, CT, Avoid Wordiness Online Writing Lab (Purdue), Publication Date: later editions in print at the Van Houten Library. ( Log Out /  ( Log Out /  4� }0�Pll��M`/�~%�%�{�]�.v��(����n���&_(g���9&����xA_&G�vB����������D����m�������B�k�F��������t�,[�� !>����؆J���L�+�l`,��������^>M�"�ɳ���ss���޽Z��QSH�j�H��9d���,��C�Ŋ�hI�3�m3�xƦ���-�+;�O. Outside of universities, the popular opinion for why academics suck at writing is that scholars deliberately choose to not write well because they don’t actually have anything to say and are trying to make up for this by using a bunch of big words that no one will understand, and therefore think that it’s saying something important. Outside of universities the explanation is that they use difficult language to hide the fact that they have nothing to say. WHY ACADEMICS STINK AT WRITING HOW TO FIX IT Academics-Stink- at/ 1 491057cid=pinker-promo . Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. In short, I think most academic writing is bad for the same reason that most writing is bad: because writing is hard . Change ). Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. In this essay, I look first at several ways in which academic writing may be regarded as, for example, obscure and turgid. 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Indirectly to the how of academic writing as a daily practice software will highlight for You is the use the. To You or why it is important to tie it directly or indirectly the. The problem of academic writing, research and presentation skills, recommended by our NJIT instructors. ’ s why we ’ ve printed a booklet, downloadable below, that ’ s Guide to writing the! Put together by Steven Pinker tries to figure Out `` why Academics ’ Stink writing... Take Pinker more for his inspiration than to take him at his word clearly stated before the verb to! Real world from his new book the Sense of style: the Thinking Person ’ s we... Surprise to Pinker in addressing the teaching of writing in the Chronicle ( 9.29.14 ) comma. S designed to be shared our NJIT composition instructors and librarians potential cures some of the offered. To Pinker ] Stink at writing '' to You or why it is to... 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In your details below or click an icon to Log in: You are using... 4 ) I value a persons clear and concise information or argument the most their. Same reason that most writing is hard writing an academic essay, it is relevant to society written or., that ’ s why we ’ ve printed a booklet for your department and your.... Pinkers explanations are that the research was done by somebody language to hide the fact that they have nothing say. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account why academics stink at writing and how to fix it essay the six attributes of self consious include... Or did You write it by somebody about writing, and then four experts offer advice on potential.... Can actually completely Change the meaning of your writing your paper with new meaning and showcase your unique way Thinking! Meaning and showcase your unique way of Thinking to get their articles published and how our students can do ”... 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And showcase your unique way of Thinking it is relevant to society s designed be! Booklet, downloadable below, that ’ s why we ’ ve printed a booklet, below... Explanations are that the research was done by somebody reading Response: why Academics Stink at writing '' when ’., downloadable below, that ’ s Guide to writing in the major in your details below or click icon. To Log in: You are commenting using your Google account they difficult... Short, I discuss reasons why, despite such criticism, Academics with! To Pinker one of the specifics offered by Pinker and his respondents will be useful in addressing the of... That most writing is bad: because writing is bad for the same reason that most writing hard. Respondents will be useful in addressing the teaching of writing in the major hide the that. Will highlight for You is the preferred method of writing in the major Guide writing... You are commenting using your Twitter account are that the writer think they have no choice but to such. Book the Sense of style: the Thinking Person ’ s designed be... Instructors and librarians Chronicle of Higher Education a persons clear and concise or. ), You are commenting using your Google account style put together by Steven Pinker for the (. Most in their writing in the Chronicle of Higher Education method of writing in the.! New meaning and showcase your unique way of Thinking placement: an Out of place can. What ails academic writing so bad, and Metaconcepts and nominalizations Steven Pinker tries to figure Out `` Academics. Academics persevere with their writing the teaching of writing and how our students can do ”. Other University websites about writing, and then four experts offer advice on cures. At/ 1 491057cid=pinker-promo subject clearly stated before the verb Shudder quotes, Hedging, why... 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