Online Tutoring!

It seems that for every student who makes it into The Writing Center, there are more that simply do not. Perhaps our hours are not conducive to their schedules, or maybe they go to a different campus. Still, there is an increasing population of students who are taking their classes online—so they could be in the suburbs, or even in another state! The only way to make certain that every student has access to the assistance that The Writing Center gives is to bring online tutoring into the equation.



Here are the logistics of online tutoring: It’s a real time conversation between a student writer and a tutor, quite similar to an instant message session. The tutor and the student agree on a day/time to meet and they go over the paper together, just like in a face-to-face session that occurs in The Writing Center. It can happen anytime and any place—just as long as the two parties are able to meet.

So why do I do it?

I love talking with family and friends online—sometimes I feel like I can articulate my thoughts more coherently when I’m typing them, rather than when I’m speaking. When I converse in this manner, I feel I have more control over my language—especially since I have a “delete” key. ☺

Another reason I enjoy online tutoring is because it goes along with Roosevelt University’s Mission Statement:

Roosevelt University will be a vibrant living and learning community both during the day and in the evening, and will link the academic and service resources of its multiple locations through the effective use of personnel, facilities and state-of-the-art technology.

Because online tutoring is available to every student and alumni, there is no reason why you should ever have to feel alone when writing papers, personal statements, and even resumes! And this is not something that you have to pay for! When a writer does not have access to tutoring (be it online or face-to-face), she or he must pay for an editor to look it over--sometimes that can cost a minimum for $100 for the editor to simply sit down to review the document. Can you put a price on that kind of value? I suppose you can, especially when it comes to what your writing can do for you: grades, jobs, etc. We never promise grades here at The Writing Center--how can we? We're students ourselves. But more times than not, a student who is continually tutored through The Writing Center will improve their writing, as well as be more confident in their papers!

If you are interested in learning more about online tutoring, email us at writingcenter@roosevelt.edu

Stop! Now Tell Me What You're Trying to Say.

Many times, when a classmate and I are looking through a paper, we will encounter a sentence that befuddles the mind and warps the senses. The reader (usually one of us reads out loud) will begin to slosh through the words, having lost sight of the meaning of the sentence. At this point, I slap my hand onto the sentence and yell:

"Stop! Now tell me what you're trying to say with this sentence."

Years of experience have taught me the writer's eyes will instinctively shoot down to the paper, looking to reread the sentence that had been read aloud only moments prior. But alas! They cannot see it through my muscley hand and must confront their great trouble: trying to say too much too quick.

Yes, dear readers, this is a struggle for each of us. Whether it is an impending deadline or a lack of interest that has warped our fragile minds, we must nonetheless battle this desire to cram information. Instead we must let it breathe.

How do we do this? Simply: say what we mean. If we encounter a section where the words just don't make sense and the paragraphs cause compasses to spin wildly, then we must rephrase it -- we must say it like we would to a friend. We must stop and talk -- out loud if necessary -- to our invisible friends and explain to them -- in simple and concise terms -- what we are saying.

If it helps, imagine a furry woodland creature. Great. Now explain everything in detail to this creature. Here's a visual aid for the imagination impaired:

I have named the preceding bunny "Bunce." In explaining Japanese-Sino government-business relations to Bunce, I understand that he may not know of the complex and violent history Japan and China share. So I use simple sentences and easy, logical connections when going from subject to subject. I do this for the sake of Bunce, but in truth, I'm also helping myself a great deal because I'm slowing down and deliberately picking words and sentences.

Even if it turns out that Bunce has a degree in International Business from Hong Kong University, he'll still likely appreciate a clear and simple explanation of the context. It helps him to understand the writer's intention and overall argument (that is, our intentions and overall arguments)!

So next time we cross a sentence that blinds us with boring confusion, that floors us with choppy and frightening syntax, let's: Stop! And tell Bunce what we're saying.

Bradley Woodrum also writes for Homebody and Woman and Cubs Stats and enjoys inventing words like "muscley."

Perfect Punctuation: Our Comrade the Comma (pt. 2)

I Googled "Comma Kitty" and got this image. Courtesy of Flickr.

In our previous romp through the oft-trodden Comma Land, we examined OWL's first three quick and easy comma rules:

1. Use commas to separate independent clauses when they are joined by any of these seven coordinating conjunctions: and, but, for, or, nor, so, yet.

2. Use commas after introductory a) clauses, b) phrases, or c) words that come before the main clause.

3. Use a pair of commas in the middle of a sentence to set off clauses, phrases, and words that are not essential to the meaning of the sentence. Use one comma before to indicate the beginning of the pause and one at the end to indicate the end of the pause.

Now, let us continue this essential examination of practical punctuation with the next three rules: