Writing skills can be the ticket to better college grades:

The Importance of College Writing Skills

by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D. and Katharine Hansen

And if you see yourself as one of those college students who will
say "Phew" when thesyllabus reveals only exams and no papers,
what happens when those exams turn out tobe essay tests? Many of
the writing-related sites suggest a few ways to raise your grade on
those exams simply by employing the principles of good writing -- even
if you study no harder and know the material no better than you do now.

Perhaps you've heard that no one cares about your grades once
you leave the halls of academia. While that notion holds some truth,
it is equally true that most potential employers do care about writing
skills. They care so much that they bemoan the poor preparation of the
entry-level pool of grads. In a labor force full of mediocre writers,
someone who writes well is bound to stand out and succeed.

Academicians and business people view writing skills as crucial, yet
increasing numbers of these professionals note a steady erosion in the
writing abilities of graduates. The summary of a study published in
Personnel Update states: "Writing skills ... of executives are shockingly
low, indicating that schools and colleges dismally fail with at least
two-thirds of the people who pass through the education pipeline coming
out unable to write a simple letter."

In 1988, Lin Grensing reported that 79 percent of surveyed executives
cited writing as one of the most neglected skills in the business world,
yet one of the most important to productivity. More recently, a 1992 survey
of 402 companies reported by the Associated Press noted that executives
identified writing as the most valued skill but said 80 percent of their
employees at all levels need to improve. The number of workers needing
improvementin writing skills was up 20 percent from results of the same
survey in 1991.  Results of a 1993 study by Olsten Corp., a placement
agency, were almost identical: 80 percent of 443 employers surveyed
said their workers needed training in writing skills.
The need for workers with writing skills will only increase. A 1991 report
by the U.S. LaborDepartment noted that most future jobs will require
writing skills.
 

• Are your modifiers dangling?
• Are you constantly splitting your infinitves?
• Having problems finding the correct citation form?
• Writing fragments or run-ons?

Try These: LINKS TO WRITING-RELATED SITES

On line Writing Center  (Various Writer Resources, grammar help, etc)

Writing Centers and Resource Centers (from schools all over the US)

Common Usage Errors

MLA Guide for Research Papers

APA Guide for Research Papers

Web Grammar (very good resource!)

Grammar Rules and Explanations

English Grammar Terminology

English Central (help in grammar and composition from Prentice Hall publishers)
 
Access to a dictionary and links to
numerous other types of dictionaries

Back to English 071 Syllabus
or English 101 T-Th Syllabus
or 101 MWF Syllabus 
or English 102 Syllabus
or Home Page
or Language and Communication Home Page

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