More Helps for Responding to Papers

SOME QUESTIONS TO ASK TO GET AT THE QUALITIES OF GOOD WRITING

(Not all questions will apply to every paper--use those that apply)

  1. Does this writing have voice?

  2. Does this writing use details well?

  3. Are strong feelings displayed in this writing?

  4. Does this writing show spunkiness, use colorful language, exciting words and phrases?

  5. Does this writing elicit strong feelings from the reader?

  6. Does this writing show an awareness of audience?

  7. Does this writing show the writer "playing with language" or having fun with it?

  8. Does this writing show fluency or does the writer seem to have a hard time putting down thoughts?

  9. Is it clear where the writing is going?

  10. Is there evidence of clear thinking in the writing?

  11. Is the writer grappling with ideas/thinking through the writing?

  12. Does the writer share self, thoughts, ideas, feelings?

SOME KINDS OF FEEDBACK WHICH GOES BEYOND SPELLING AND GRAMMAR

GENERAL

  1. Strong writing voice--I can hear someone behind those words.

  2. I can picture this.

  3. I know what you mean--I've felt this way too.

  4. You're losing my attention--make this part a little more specific.

BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS

  1. Strong introduction--it makes me want to read this paper.

  2. Your ending came so quickly I felt I missed something.

  3. Your wrap-up really captured the whole mood of the paper.

  4. The conclusion seemed a little weak--I felt let down.

ORGANIZATION

  1. This was very well organized. I could follow it easily.

  2. I'm confused about how this fits in.

  3. I'm not sure what the focus of the paper is.

  4. How is this connected to the sentence or idea before it?

  5. This sentence or paragraph seems overloaded--too much happens too fast and I can't follow you.

CLARITY

  1. Can you add detail here? I just don't see the whole picture.

  2. Good description--I could make a movie of this.

  3. Adding some physical description would help me see this more clearly.

  4. Tell me more about this--I need more information.

  5. An example here would help us support your case more willingly.

  6. The use of dialogue here would help me see this person more vividly.

  7. I'm not sure what you mean. Let's talk.

STRUCTURE AND LANGUAGE

  1. Notice that you've got a number of short sentences here--can you combine them to smooth the flow?

  2. This sentence is a whopper! Break it up, please.

  3. Good word choice--it really captures the essence of what you are talking about.

  4. Your language seems a bit overblown. I don't hear you talking and that distracts me.

USAGE AND MECHANICS

  1. Oops--you changed tenses and confused me.

  2. You switched from the third person to the first. I can understand it, but it does distract.

  3. You capitalize words randomly. Let me sit down with you in workshop and show you some things.

  4. Break your work into sentences so I can more clearly see which ideas are related.

(Source: Explorations in the Teaching of English Third Edition. Stephen Tchudi and Diana Mitchell. New York: Harper & Row, 1989. pp. 225-7, 231-2)