I am writing an essay for Sociology and I was wondering if this statement is true.

[waloshin]

I am writing an essay for Sociology and I was wondering if this statement is true.

"Doug being class consciousness would help motivate him into attending university." Would this be considered class consciousness?

Now onto the grammar question my professor states, "Big Words, a Lot of Words: Some students believe that instructors are impressed by fancy words.
They are not! The trend nowadays is to use simple English. Two general rules apply here: (i) never use
a big word when a short one will do; and (ii) never use two words when one will do"

So does this mean we have permission to use contractions such as don't instead of do not.

Also I was wondering if this is good or bad.

I ran my essay through the Gunning Fog Index and got 14 is that bad or good? And a Flesch readability score of 44.

[robsoles]

Hey waloshin, I've a sneaky suspicion that this thread may be closed for looking like an attempt to get us to help you with your class/home work but I am willing to provide a little of my understanding of a couple of things in your post :)


I cannot rate the statement as true because "Doug being class consciousness" means such a different thing than "Doug being class conscious" that I think you need to correct that before you worry about whether or not Doug gives a rats bum about the class.

"class consciousness" must seems to refer to an idea of "being aware of the class" but it is probably intended to infer that whoever has class consciousness is more focussed on the matter of the class than one who is described as not having such consciousness. "Doug being so darned class conscious really does make him standout as a star student" - mmmh, yeah, I can give myself a tick for that one...

If Doug is consciousness then he is very strange being indeed - we can be class conscious but it will only be our own general (level of) consciousness that will allow us to do so.


Your Professor's statement seems to me to be more about expressing work in layman readable terminology rather than using the biggest available word to describe each thing that such words are available for - Big words are preferred if they are the only word(s) that describe the things you are trying to describe; If there are two smaller words that practically everybody should know and one big word that a handful of people might know (and agree on the meaning of) then I don't think it would be as clever looking to use the big one in favor of the two little ones.

The other risk with trying to operate too many big words at a time is swapping very similar ones with awfully different meanings and such like.

[drawkcab]

"Doug being class consciousness would help motivate him into attending university."

This sentence is so poorly written that you should delete it and pretend it never existed. The unwritten rule operative here is that if you don't know how to use big words then you should not use them until you do.

[waloshin]

Hey waloshin, I've a sneaky suspicion that this thread may be closed for looking like an attempt to get us to help you with your class/home work but I am willing to provide a little of my understanding of a couple of things in your post :)


I cannot rate the statement as true because "Doug being class consciousness" means such a different thing than "Doug being class conscious" that I think you need to correct that before you worry about whether or not Doug gives a rats bum about the class.

"class consciousness" must seems to refer to an idea of "being aware of the class" but it is probably intended to infer that whoever has class consciousness is more focussed on the matter of the class than one who is described as not having such consciousness. "Doug being so darned class conscious really does make him standout as a star student" - mmmh, yeah, I can give myself a tick for that one...

If Doug is consciousness then he is very strange being indeed - we can be class conscious but it will only be our own general (level of) consciousness that will allow us to do so.


Your Professor's statement seems to me to be more about expressing work in layman readable terminology rather than using the biggest available word to describe each thing that such words are available for - Big words are preferred if they are the only word(s) that describe the things you are trying to describe; If there are two smaller words that practically everybody should know and one big word that a handful of people might know (and agree on the meaning of) then I don't think it wouldn't be as clever looking to use the big one in favor of the two little ones.

The other risk with trying to operate too many big words at a time is swapping very similar ones with awfully different meanings and such like.

Ok thanks:

So in context does this statement make sense?

Doug was pushed into university by society and because of this he is not enjoying his first year; this is an example of role distancing. The social forces that impacted Doug would likely have been his parents. His parents did not attend university, therefore, Doug would likely be pushed into getting a degree to help him achieve the lifestyle his parents don't have. Doug being class consciousness would help motivate him into attending university.

[robsoles]

Although, actually I only pull the 'student' idea of 'class' from the construction of the statement you wanted proof-read.

Unless something in the text is driving you toward "class consciousness" having something to do with classrooms in education facilities then I suggest you research what people usually really mean when they use the words "class consciousness" ;)


There is a better class to be a part of in Society and, although it usually relies on education, it isn't specifically about education nor educating...

[robsoles]

Ok thanks:

So in context does this statement make sense?

Doug was pushed into university by society and because of this he is not enjoying his first year; this is an example of role distancing. The social forces that impacted Doug would likely have been his parents. His parents did not attend university, therefore, Doug would likely be pushed into getting a degree to help him achieve the lifestyle his parents don't have. Doug being class consciousness would help motivate him into attending university.Ahh, you still need to pop "define:consciousness" and "define:conscious" into Google to know why someone will pick the exact same sentence to suggest deleting but at least an idea of how Doug might be class conscious, and how this could influence his decision to go to University is given by your pretext now.

I am tempted to suggest you pop it into translate.google.com, go from Engligh to German and go back German to English - when you are sure you are getting back text that means the exact thing you meant for what you put in then you have probably formed good and understandable sentences - use your last input, not what got returned (unless it is verbatim or something).

verbatim = exactly the same.

[waloshin]

This sentence is so poorly written that you should delete it and pretend it never existed. The unwritten rule operative here is that if you don't know how to use big words then you should not use them until you do.

ok.

[lisati]

This sentence is so poorly written that you should delete it and pretend it never existed. The unwritten rule operative here is that if you don't know how to use big words then you should not use them until you do.

+1

A couple of observations:


<xxxx>-NESS is something you have, not something you are
What does "class" refer to in this context, school or something else?
A professor, tutor or teacher is more likely to be impressed by how well your understanding of the subject shows through than how many big words you use.

[Bölvaður]

The trend nowadays is to use simple English. Two general rules apply here: (i) never use a big word when a short one will do; and (ii) never use two words when one will do"

So does this mean we have permission to use contractions such as don't instead of do not.

I see this hasn't been answered in this thread so far.
You can NEVER contract "do not" into "don't" as it doesn't improve the readability of the text and could cause confusion.
About point (ii) he means the text to be short and to the point, people hate to read on and on. The text should be condense of content.
Point (i) be precise about your wording to avoid ambiguity but don't try to dress your text in fancy words, as it is easier to read than complex text. People are also prone to the misuse of rare words that they seldom hear.

[winh8r]

be precise about your wording to avoid ambiguity but don't try to dress your text in fancy words, as it is easier to read than complex text. People are also prone to the misuse of rare words that they seldom hear.

This is good advice, in any academic situation where your work is being assessed or graded you will find that it is best to answer questions using language that you would use everyday.Treat written work the same way as though the examiner/tutor had just asked you the question in a classroom environment and you were giving an answer verbally.

Examiners will be impressed with your knowledge of the subject and the fact that you can demonstrate a good knowledge of it in a clear and concise way rather than taking a poor answer and dressing it up in big words to hide a lack of knowledge.

[forrestcupp]

This is good advice, in any academic situation where your work is being assessed or graded you will find that it is best to answer questions using language that you would use everyday.Treat written work the same way as though the examiner/tutor had just asked you the question in a classroom environment and you were giving an answer verbally.

Examiners will be impressed with your knowledge of the subject and the fact that you can demonstrate a good knowledge of it in a clear and concise way rather than taking a poor answer and dressing it up in big words to hide a lack of knowledge.

But I use contractions in everyday language. So is it ok to use contractions in written work, or not?

And if you really mean for it to say, "Doug being class consciousness" instead of "Doug being class conscious", or "Doug having class consciousness", then it would make more sense if you said something like, "Doug being the epitome of class consciousness". The way you worded it just doesn't make a whole lot of sense, and it needs to be worded in a more readable fashion.

[BeRoot ReBoot]

Obvious "do my homework" thread is obvious.

[bedpotato]

So does this mean we have permission to use contractions such as don't instead of do not. ?


A direct question always needs to end in a question mark. Yours didn't.

It's a very, very basic rule, and I doubt you will get good marks for your writing if you forget it!

Hope this helps. :)

P.S. The issue with "consciousness" versus "conscious" is that one is a noun and one is an adjective, and you have got the two mixed up.

As for contractions: it depends on the tone of what you are writing. If it is very formal, avoid contractions altogether.

[grahammechanical]

May I offer a re-write?

From


"Doug being class consciousness would help motivate him into attending university."

To

"Doug's class consciousness was a factor in his wanting to go to university."

Or

"Doug, being class conscious, was motivated to go to/attend university."

If you remove "being class consciousness" from the sentence you get

"Doug ... would help motivate him into attending university."

That does not make sense.

Oh, one more thing. Please tell Doug to either stop being such a snob or to get over his feelings of inadequacy.

Regards.

P.S. check out this link: http://english.stackexchange.com/

[drawkcab]

Keep contractions out of formal writing unless you are directly quoting someone else:

"It is not the case that Doug said, 'It isn't the case.'"

[Paqman]

You need to be a bit more careful with your grammar. Such as:

The social forces that impacted Doug would likely have been his parents.
Singlular/plural. You've only listed one social force. He may have two parents, but here they're acting as a single influence.

Doug being class consciousness would help motivate him into attending university.
Sorry, but this is a train wreck of a sentence. It would be better to say something like "Doug being conscious of class" or "Doug's class consciousness". I also don't like "motivate into attending", I would use "motivate to attend".

Generally speaking, contractions such as don't, can't, etc are ok as long as they suit the register. It's more important that your writing demonstrates a coherent argument and answers the question than that it satisfies exact rules. The most important thing is that it flows, is enjoyable to read and demonstrates your fluency with the topic. Get rid of any glaring errors of spelling or grammar because they break your reader's flow, but if a contraction suits your style (within the level of formality required for an academic discussion) then I'd use it.

I tend to write papers so that they flow and say everything I want, and always go over the word count on my first draft. Then I go back and trim out the fluff when I'm editing. You can almost always find a more concise way to say something.

[Paqman]

Obvious "do my homework" thread is obvious.

Not really. The OP's not asking anyone to answer the actual question.

[forrestcupp]

Obvious "do my homework" thread is obvious.

I understood him to be asking about why his professor criticized one part of his writing.

[TheFu]

"Doug being class consciousness would help motivate him into attending university." Would this be considered class consciousness?

These sentences make no sense.

[waloshin]

Is this better?

Hayden understands his parents social class, therefore, his class consciousness would motivate him to attend university.

What I am referring to in this sentence is how Doug's parents do not a university education; therefore, knowing this Doug must get a degree in order to be successful.

[robsoles]

Is this better?

Hayden understands his parents social class, therefore, his class consciousness would motivate him to attend university.

What I am referring to in this sentence is how Doug's parents do not a university education; therefore, knowing this Doug must get a degree in order to be successful.

That is much better prose. It isn't a good grasp on sociology in my humble opinion but it is a better expression of your idea. Your explanation of the idea isn't as good in prose just because "parents do not *** a university education" needs a word where I have put asterisks.


I understand that this is for an essay and I don't mind if your work can benefit from beating us up a bit but ultimately any mod may recognise it as a basic form of homework and close it - my 2 cents says it is an advanced form of homework and merits some little discussion.


If Hayden/Doug has had such influence, by way of good junior and teen education, to know clearly that the social plight of his parents is based on their lacking diplomas and degrees then it is much more likely he will strive to achieve such academia.



Tip: Dictionaries make short work of knowing what is really being said and making sure your choice of words is what you really mean is worth it.

[waloshin]

That is much better prose. It isn't a good grasp on sociology in my humble opinion but it is a better expression of your idea. Your explanation of the idea isn't as good in prose just because "parents do not *** a university education" needs a word where I have put asterisks.


I understand that this is for an essay and I don't mind if your work can benefit from beating us up a bit but ultimately any mod may recognise it as a basic form of homework and close it - my 2 cents says it is an advanced form of homework and merits some little discussion.


If Hayden/Doug has had such influence, by way of good junior and teen education, to know clearly that the social plight of his parents is based on their lacking diplomas and degrees then it is much more likely he will strive to achieve such academia.



Tip: Dictionaries make short work of knowing what is really being said and making sure your choice of words is what you really mean is worth it.

Thanks,
I do not believe this is homework help as it is only one sentence out of a whole essay; I am looking for reinsurance more then homework help.

[robsoles]

waloshin, the word you are looking for is reassurance, not reinsurance. I'm betting you had the slightest doubt and I wish you would seriously check a few of the 'bigger' words you've heard in a dictionary soon.

To answer your original question about the statement: Not entirely. The statement shows the most negative edge of class consciousness on the individual scale where one seeks merely to improve their own social status. Group, or "individually reasoned for the masses" social consciousness has motivated some very excellent people to engineer ways of raising the standard of living (and lowering the lords from silly pedestals) for everybody and more excellent people will turn up as the future turns into history.


At least that is my take on things and I can stand to be (actually) proven wrong.

[yakimabelle]

I am writing an essay for Sociology and I was wondering if this statement is true.

"Doug being class consciousness would help motivate him into attending university." Would this be considered class consciousness?

Now onto the grammar question my professor states, "Big Words, a Lot of Words: Some students believe that instructors are impressed by fancy words.
They are not! The trend nowadays is to use simple English. Two general rules apply here: (i) never use
a big word when a short one will do; and (ii) never use two words when one will do"

So does this mean we have permission to use contractions such as don't instead of do not.

Also I was wondering if this is good or bad.

I ran my essay through the Gunning Fog Index and got 14 is that bad or good? And a Flesch readability score of 44.

:confused:

Is Doug "class conscious" in the sense of being aware of his social class - or is Doug himself "class consciousness", some sort of concrete manifestation of an abstraction? I suspect you need to talk to an English teacher to help you with the grammar here. Professors can be impressed by polysyllables - but only if they are used correctly in a grammatical sentence.

[yakimabelle]

As for using contractions and slang - sit down and read "The Great Gatsby" and then compare it to any of A. Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories. The works of F. Scott Fitzgerald have not held up as well as those of Doyle. What was contemporary in the 1920s seems far more antiquated than Doyle's vision of Victorian London because Fitzgerald favored too many contractions and way too much now dated slang in his work.

23 Skidoo?