R.B.P.P.G.U. : Reflective Blog Post Pertaining to Grammar Usage

This semester I would like to improve as a writer in many ways.  One problem I find in my writing, more so now than ever, is mixing in enough short sentences, and knowing when to make long sentences into two different sentences.  One such example of a ridiculously long sentence comes from a paper I wrote in English 302, “The dictionary, which Twain tongue in cheek address’ formally throughout “Roughing It” by always including “Unabridged” in the dictionaries title, serves the purpose of standardizing language and assimilating the West into the U.S., this relates to Lewis and Clark because their journals can be seen as a dictionary of the Western frontier.”  That sentence is incredibly long; in fact it is 52 words.  Several long sentences were placed around this one as well, making it quite a chore to read.  This paper in particular, comparing Mark Twain’s writing to Lewis and Clark’s was a cumbersome piece overall to read, being that almost ninety percent of it was sentences I would, objectively, classify as long.  I feel my academic writing could benefit a lot from a more diverse mixture of long and short sentences. 

This is a problem that also frequently sneaks into my sports writing, which is a big no-no.  By nature, sports articles are supposed to consist of short sentences that are straight to the point.  This leads me to another area where improvement would go a long way towards making me a better writer.  I often, now more so than ever, mix the various styles of writing.  Personally, I write sports blog articles online, I work intermittently on a fantasy novel that is a true passion of mine, and I obviously do the writing that is required of me for class. 

One final area of grammar where I struggle particularly is punctuation.  Specifically, I avoid using the dash and colon in my writing.  While I have little trouble with the comma, semi-colon (thank you Microsoft word for teaching me that one), or period; I never have the courage to place a colon or a dash into my work.  I know my lack of knowledge pertaining to these characters within English come from the roots of where I learned to write.  I went to an alternative elementary and middle school, so when I went to high school I found myself very behind as far as writing went.  Everything I learned, before and during high school) was from the edits, corrections, and revisions my parents made to my work.  While both of them were well educated and intelligent in their own right, they only really knew so much.  Neither of them spent much time in college learning to write, my mother was an accountant by trade and my dad is an attorney.  I learned everything they were able to teach me, and it has made me an above average writer, in my humble opinion; but now I would like to know more than they could teach me.  Starting with being able to use the dash and colon in my writing effectively. 

All things considered, I would love to see myself improve in a few areas of writing related to grammar usage (mentioned above) so that I can be a better writer.