Sunday, April 20, 2008
How important is grammar when grading English Papers?
If you are an English major or have had a few English classes, you have most likely realized that each instructor is different. A paper you reeive an A on in one class might earn you a C in another. Some instructors will lower your letter grade with every 3 grammatical errors they find in your papers. Other instructors focus more on content then mechanics. Personaly, I think that content is always more important than mechanics. I think the abillity to craft a well formulated argument with plenty of relevent evidence and a proper format and flow is much more important then a few grammatical errors. What type of relation should content and grammar have in an English class? I am a content person, but I've known professors that are anal about mechanics. Which are you? :)
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16 comments:
I think that a paper should flow. A person can have amazing arguments but if it does not flow then the paper will not achieve its ultimate goal. Taking the extra time to make the grammar work will make the argument much better.
I think that both content and grammar are important, particulary in an english class. However, I would agree that content is more important overall. As long as the paper makes sense and can be read, if there are minor grammatical errors, it probably should not be that big of a deal. If a person is in an english class because they are an english major then they should be able to write a paper with good content and grammar because that is supposed to be their best area.
I think that when a teacher takes off points for grammatical errors that it's unfair. Ok, grammar is important, but I think that the content of the paper is more important overall than smaller things such as grammatical errors. I hate when teachers take off crucial points for a paper over silly grammatical things when the paper is great!
I do believe that content is important in a paper, but if a student does not know how to properly write their ideas, then the whole purpose of the paper is defeated. I think when grading papers, content should probably count more than grammar; however, points should still be taken off for incorrect grammar.
I have had professors that are both ways. However, I have never had a professor take me down full letter grades for mechanics. If mechanics are messy, it can be very distracting and difficult to even get the content because people are so focused on the misspelled words and such. I think it really depends on the mechanics and the content of the paper. Grammar is important, but to what extent, I am not sure.
When in most classes, I also believe that content is more important than mechanics. However, in English classes, while content is still important, mechanics is absolutely important. That's what you're there for.
I think that a paper should be basically grammatically correct. There should not be many grammatical mistakes that you have learned in grammar school or high school. More complex grammar errors should not be graded too harshly unless the professor took the time out to teach the class about it. I think that the content of the paper is more important than small grammatical errors.
I think that grammar is not important if it does not take away from the cohesiveness of the argument. The content of the paper is what impresses me. When are you publishing any important paper, it is the editors job to find the grammatical mistakes.
While I do believe that grammar and spelling are very important and the mechanics of a paper should be looked at as well, I don't think it should be the most important thing. I believe the content of a paper and the meaning behind the writting is more important than a few spelling errors or one too many commas. However, it is important to grade grammar mistakes in moderation because if you get a paper that has great content but is filled with grammatical errors then it will not be very interesting to read. The author of the paper will sound unintelligent and the content will no longer be credible. However, I think content should come before mechanics.
Grammar should provide clarity to one's paper. It is possible to say something completely unintended simply because a comma is in the wrong place. I think that in papers grammar should be graded, but maybe not so harshly. It should be corrected and addressed, but not OVER-emphasized. I have always hated the "three grammar mistakes" rule. Essays should maybe be used more as a means to teach grammar than a means to fail one's paper.
--bonnie
I think that grammar is important to the extent that it does not affect the argument of the paper. What teacher wants to read something that doesn't make any sense and therefore takes twice as long to read? I think that even if a teacher doesn't grade for mechanics, they still give higher grades to students with clean grammar because they are not frustrated when they get to the end of the paper.
I strongly believe that when doing any papers they should have a good thesis and should flow with details that support your paper. I feel that teachers shouldn't automatically take off huge points for minor mistakes but should point them out to the student. Overall content and grammar is a key..it is very important for English.
Grammar is secondary. The paper should be coherent and make a strong point. If the grammar gets in the way of this, it needs to be worked on. Otherwise it is fine.
Bryan Norbut
I think that grammar should play a role in the grade... but I agree the content is more relevant... I think that the more errors you have to correct in a paper the less you can actually "read" the paper therefore the writer looses the audience or teacher who is grading the paper.
I believe grammar is the most important aspect of an English paper. The grammatical structure of a paper is the very foundation of one's intentional context. Writing is separate from speaking when it comes to English. What separates these two realms is grammar.
I agree with you 110 percent. Ive read papers with almost no grammatical errors that I didnt think were too intelligent. An intelligent paper with a few errors that I can take something out of means a lot more to me.
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