ged english essay

ged english essay

The Importance of Proper Grammar in English Essays

1. Introduction

Unfortunately, proper grammar and sentence structure does not come naturally to most individuals (it definitely didn’t come naturally to me). For instance, consider the following ideas: the purpose of writing an essay is to argue your view, to share your story, or to explain a concept. Would you be able to take the ideas in the previous sentence and turn it into a grammatically correct paragraph where all the sentences are related? Your ability to respond to the previous prompt is why learning how to use proper grammar, sentence structure, and punctuation is so important. As you progress through school, you will be required to write more and more essays (writing essays is also a requirement in college). This is why it is critical that you are able to get your ideas across not only in a clear and concise manner but also in a grammatically correct manner. If you can’t do this, your audience won’t be able to understand the points you are making.

Proper grammar is an essential part of a well-written essay. Many teachers in the United States require their students to use great grammar in their essays (and might deduct points for an essay that is not well written). But, correct grammar is not the only thing an essay should have. Can you guess what one of the other things is? If you guessed a good, logical argument, you are correct. After all, what’s the point of an essay if it does not have a strong argument? (There isn’t a point by the way). One way to create a strong argument is to use proper grammar, sentence structure, and punctuation throughout the whole essay. This is important, so your readers can understand the points you are trying to make. In fact, correct grammar can sometimes be more important than the strength of any of your arguments. Why? If you don’t have proper grammar, how are you supposed to persuade the reader that your side of the argument is stronger than your opponent’s?

2. The Impact of Grammar on Essay Writing

It is vital to emphasize the continuous practice of this rule in the classroom to know its characteristics deeply, and when you need to use it properly, remember that if students dedicate an extra time to the continuous use of this rule in writing, their ideas in class, they will learn more efficiently, due to the constant use of the comma, which significantly impacts their process of writing, because an essay demonstrates that if our students master the use of missing commas, their process of expressing and transmitting information will be sharper and more concrete.

The organization of an essay depends on the proper use of the rules of punctuation, and without it, the coherence and organization potential of the communicator’s thoughts are seriously affected. Capital letters, question marks, exclamation points, periods, and parentheses articulate written discourse and allow the ordering of ideas or facts. Now that we know the importance of proper punctuation, it is necessary to put this knowledge into practice by taking into account the most frequent punctuation errors in an essay, and which, therefore, must be best orchestrated, to avoid falling into them and to obtain coherence and organization in our messages.

When writing an essay, many different aspects and details intersect: vocabulary, spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, etc. Perhaps one of the most important aspects is the use of good grammar. Its importance goes beyond form, as it is proper grammar that allows a text to convey an author’s message coherently and in an organized manner. An essay inevitably fails to fulfill its fundamental characteristic that it is a literary genre if it does not fulfill this vital rule. In other words, an essay is nothing but a verbal deluge in which the communicative process is painfully slow. Hence, good grammar should not be seen as an accessory or mundane concern, as it shapes the essence of an essay and holds all its parts and structure together.

3. Common Grammar Mistakes to Avoid

Achieving “good enough” should always be the goal. Many students, for example, have foundations in the basics of grammar such as the parts of speech, sentence structure, and proper usage of end marks. They would not pass an exam that requires a stronger understanding of these areas, but they possess the foundation to acquire it. A student in this situation can gain the appropriate understanding through other coursework or tutoring, allowing them to achieve their goals in their own time. Keep in mind that language can be difficult material to teach. It is like showing someone the physical aspect of a different region without letting them experience it for themselves. This is a general truth and might be shown why it’s a good idea to familiarize ourselves with common grammar mistakes. By doing this, we will make an extra effort to ensure that we have good grammar in our writing. Ultimately this must be accomplished with the original ideas and content.

When it comes to academic writing, it’s usually best to avoid attempting to be too “unique” and stick with formal language. Slang or colloquial terms are absolutely unsuitable in a formal piece of writing. This does not mean that it cannot be interesting, engaging, or original, but it does mean that the reader needs to be able to follow along with your ideas without getting distracted by unnecessary, poor, or incorrect use of grammar. Coming up with the main point and presenting an argument is one thing, but the ability to use proper grammar to successfully communicate ideas is still a further milestone. We might be aware of the concept, but how are we to get there?

4. Tips for Improving Grammar in Essays

Instead of using the same tired words, writers can consider using more powerful verbs to enhance clarity, voice, and meaning in an essay. There are many different ways that a writer can use the mechanics of writing, such as using different punctuation marks and transitional words. Writers should not use a pronoun without antecedents. Making sure that a pronoun and antecedent agree in number, gender, or person is important. A common subject–verb agreement error occurs when a writer uses the wrong form of a verb to agree with a subject. To avoid errors in subject–verb agreement, writers can use tips to help create that strong connection.

There are places for improvement in grammar and mechanics such as the formation of plurals, use of pronouns, and subject–verb agreement. Below are tips that students could consider to help them improve their grammar in essays. One of the most helpful tips for improving grammar is to read and reread the essays that you write. Before the final version of an essay is submitted, under the guidance of the instructor, peer writing partners, and tutors, writers should go through the final proofreading process. This way, writers can check for misspelled words and editing, as well as proper grammar and mechanics.

5. Conclusion

Based on the results that have been gleaned from this study with 1334 participants and the minimal amount of research that supports the anecdotal comments from professors, universities whose EFL students produce poorly written essays might consider changes in their school’s policies and practices. They might consider policies that allow students to retake EFL grammar course, creative fist pump incentives, required tutoring, or other punishments after so many grammar points are deducted from students’ essays. Only after grammatical accuracy is achieved can the students be allowed to pass the EFL course. Professors might also take it upon themselves to address grammar. Professors could speak no more L1 in the EFL course, and they could easily address simple points such as commas and apostrophes during their content lectures. They could allow a few extra points on a test for turning in a grammatically proper essay, or they could give students suggestions on how to further correct their essays. With this same second suggestion, professors can check students’ idiomatic language along with assessment rubric’s other aspects. Professors’ comments that grammar needs to be addressed in another course could also be addressed prior to students’ entrance at the university.

The goal of this chapter has been to show that in EFL students’ essays, the more closely students adhere to rules of English grammar, such as punctuation, the more likely they are to receive a higher grade for their efforts. It has also been noted throughout this paper that professors are becoming increasingly frustrated with their students’ grammar problems, and they wish that grammar would be addressed in an EFL course other than theirs. As well, students are coming into EAP classes and having difficulty writing properly. If this situation continues, professors may have to adjust their grading to the reality of the situation at their institutions, rather than grading according to the ability levels of their students.