Exercise 9:  
Resolving Wordiness in Prose Texts 
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Instructions 
Below you will find attempts at drafting two short summaries, each written in a highly informal and colloquial (spoken) style. Clearly first draft, both passages reflect the kind of stumbling awkwardness and wordiness that often characterizes such efforts. Effective academic writing must be much more precise and articulate, each summary in its final form reflecting not only the main ideas and their supporting ideas but the original texts' essential relationships and values within sets of ideas.  

On scratch paper, revise these summaries repeatedly until only the essential concepts--the main idea and supporting primary details--remain.  E-mail  me the final copy.  Each summary should be composed as a single, (grammatically) complex sentence, reflecting not only the key concepts in the total rough draft but also with the appropriate emphasis. 

Summary 1: 
 

In Robert Berry's book, Reading for the Main Idea, he talks about how when most people read, they don't really read so that they can understand. They just read for pleasure. You have to read for the main idea in each paragraph. 
Summar 2: 
 
Janice Amlin wrote about an article entitled, "The Wimp Factor: Surviving Under the Glass Ceiling." She writes about women who can't get to the top in their jobs. The men who are their bosses really discriminate against women. That's why they can't get better paying jobs. It's because of the men and the way they feel about women. 
Tips for Exercise 9
See "Tips for Exercise 9."
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Instructions for Submitting Your Exercises, Questions, Comments, and Urgent Appeals 
You must follow exactly the instructions below for 1) naming and saving your files and 2) submitting your exercises. 

Naming and Saving Your Files 
Name and save your files using the first letter of your first name/your last name/-/the name of your exercise. 

Example: JDoe-Ex1 

Each exercise must be saved in Microsoft Word only and attached as a separate document to an e-mail message to ggrimes1@aol.com . 

Submitting Your Exercises 
You must attach your exercises to e-mail messages.  You are welcome to attach more than one exercise with a single e-mail message. 

In the subject line, include the name of the file you are attaching. 

Example: JDoe-Ex1 

In the message window of each e-mail you send, include 1) your first and last names, 2) your social security number, 3) your course and section number, and 4) the name of the file you are attaching: 

Example: 

Jona Doe 
SSN: 123-12-1234 
ENGL 1302:71 
JDoe-Ex1 

Submitting Your Questions, Comments, or Urgent Appeals 
Do NOT attach any exercise to a question, comment, or urgent appeal!  I will delete your exercise and ask you to re-submit it according to instructions posted above. Use this option to communicate questions about assignments or the course, comments to me about yourself, the course, or other academic matters, or urgent requests or concerns about the course, your work, or my responses to your work. 
  
In the subject line, enter 1) the first letter of your first name/your last name/-/the word "Question," "Comment," or "Urgent." 

Examples:  
JDoe-Question 
JDoe-Comment 
JDoe-Urgent 

In the message window, include 1) your first and last names, 2) your social security number, 3) your course and section number, and 4) your message. 

Example: 

Jona Doe 
SSN: 123-12-1234 
ENGL 1302:71 

Should I revise only the sentences you have marked or the whole essay? 

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Grading and Returning Your Assignments 
I will notify you within 48 hours that I have received your exercise(s) and return your assignments within the same week I receive them.  I will edit each exercise electronically and post a grade at the end of your assignment.  Then, I will return them to you as an attachment to an e-mail. 

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This page is maintained by Dr. Geoffrey Grimes
and was last modified on October 20, 2002.
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