Posts by economist

economist

Jun 14, 2009

Grammar, Usage / Vocab: Martinet [12]

This is my first post on this forum. I recently graduated from college with a degree in econ and realized that I need to improve my ability to read, write, and speak. I'm coming to this forum to achieve those goals.

In this thread, I am going to construct some sentences with a word I just learned and I want your feedback. If I am using the word incorrectly, or could have worded the sentence in a better way, I'm hoping you will correct me.

Martinet
Definition: a strict disciplinarian

The nun from the movie Doubt is such a martinet.

My mother wasn't exactly a martinet. She didn't mind when I came home at all hours of the night, smelling of booze and perfume.

My friend Paul is such a push over. His martinet of a wife definitely wears the pants in that relationship. She insists that he only go out with friends one night a week and even gives him a midnight curfew. She won't let him watch sports in the house. On the refrigerator, she even posts a list of chores on the Monday of every week. What is he a teenager?

economist

Jun 14, 2009

Writing Feedback / "People of MTV generation have no patience. They want instant satisfaction." [84]

"People of MTV generation have no patience. They want instant satisfaction."

Does anybody else think this is a poorly worded statement for debate? It's just incredibly imprecise.

"People of MTV generation have no patience." What does this mean? Does this mean that all people of this generation have no patience? Does this mean, the majority of people from this generation lack patience? Or does it mean, they lack patience relative to people of a different generation? The degree to which "people" value patience and instant satisfaction is highly variable from one individual to the next (even when they come from the same generation). The statement above does not indicate exactly what we're debating, it just states an absurd generalization because when interpreted literally would imply that all people of this generation have no patience.

economist

Jun 15, 2009

Grammar, Usage / Vocab: Martinet [12]

Thank you both! I really appreciate the advice and warm welcome.

economist

Jun 15, 2009

Grammar, Usage / Vocab: Martinet [12]

What are some good vocab building websites?

economist

Jun 15, 2009

Research Papers / Your way of writing 10 or more pages research paper (univ or college level) [10]

A key element is picking a topic you are passionate about. Otherwise, it's very tough to put in the necessary time researching and writing.

economist

Jun 15, 2009

Grammar, Usage / Tasteful Thank You [11]

I recently graduated from college and have finished sending out all of my thank you cards, except for one because I just can't figure out what to write. The reason I'm having some trouble is because this relative didn't give me a gift. I don't mind that he didn't give me a gift, it just makes it harder for me to think of what to say. In the other thank you cards, I was able to thank them for the gift and what I'd use it for, which took up about half the space right there. Another issue is that I'm not very close with this relative, so it's not accurate to say "You're support has meant so much to me, blah, blah, blah." I'm trying to find some way to say thank you, without throwing out false and clique statements. Some ideas on this topic would be gratefully appreciated.

P.S. Does anybody think I shouldn't send him a thank you? I wouldn't want him to think I'm sending the thank you in hopes of getting some graduation money, but some might take it this way.

Edit: I forgot to mention that he attended my graduation party.

economist

Jun 15, 2009

Grammar, Usage / Tasteful Thank You [11]

Yeah, I'm a little confused if I'm supposed to send one or not. I don't want to seem rude by not sending him one, but I also don't want to seem weird or like I'm fishing for a gift by sending him one.

economist

Jun 23, 2009

Writing Feedback / "tip the waiter" essay - what have you learnt from a mistake? [9]

...,I decided a rupee or ten wont harm me,...

I don't like this sentence. I would probably change it to something like, "...I decided a rupee or ten wouldn't hurt, so I bought him biscuits."

economist

Jun 23, 2009

Essays / Universities should strive for gender balance between male and female students in every subject [17]

Do you mean equal numbers of males and females?

If so, I would say no. My basic argument would be that individuals should be allowed to choose their own courses and majors. If it turns out this freedom leads to unequal numbers of men and women in certain courses, so be it. We should not force individuals to change courses and majors just because there's an unequal sex ratio. We also shouldn't expect males and females to have the same preferences for courses, so it's probably optimal that there's unequal sex ratios. For example, if more women than men find sociology a fascinating and personally relevant discipline, we should expect that over half the Soc 101 class (and Soc major) will be female.

economist

Jun 23, 2009

Grammar, Usage / In Need Of Writing Resources! [12]

I'm a fairly poor writer, and am hoping that some of you could recommend resources that will help me improve. I'm hoping it's mostly reputable websites or other free materials, because I can't afford to spend any money on books right now. I started reading Strunk's "The Elements of Style" recently, but think it's too advanced for me. He refers to a lot of things I'm not familiar with. It's sad, because I don't even know the basics, like what an adjective is or the components of a sentence.

A little background may help you give me advice. I'm a 24 year old that recently graduated from college. I was born and raised in the US, so English is my first (and only) language. When I try to search via Google, I keep finding ESL resources, which don't seem to be what I'm looking for. I'm looking for resources that will start at the basics, yet are written for someone who's got some knowledge of the language and vocab.

economist

Jun 24, 2009

Essays / Universities should strive for gender balance between male and female students in every subject [17]

Are you implying that the number of males vs. females in a class is not a result of them being interested in different subjects?

economist

Jun 24, 2009

Grammar, Usage / In Need Of Writing Resources! [12]

Your problems don't seem to lie with grammar, judging from the way your post reads. Why do you say you are a poor writer? If this is something you have concluded from low essay marks in the past, then your problems may lie more in your ability to organize a logical argument than in your ability to use English correctly. Your essay writing might also suffer from issues of style that are not really problems of grammar.

Actually, I received pretty good grades in writing assignments as a kid. And in college, I received good writing grades on assignments for English, philosophy, etc.

I should reword my initial claim. I am a mediocre writer and would like to become a good writer. I have some intuitive sense of how to use the language, but I don't explicitly understand what an adjective is, the basic components of a sentence, etc. Before I start reading about style, I feel like I must understand grammar because Strunk uses a lot of terminology that I am unfamiliar with.

economist

Jun 24, 2009

Grammar, Usage / In Need Of Writing Resources! [12]

I am not certain, btw, that the best way to improve your writing is to study grammatical terminology. It's not a bad idea, and will probably be somewhat beneficial, but you might find that writing articles, essays, short stories, and the like, and posting them here for feedback, or submitting them to writing workshops, teaches you more.

I agree. I plan on doing all of those things simultaneously. I just need to know some of the basics that I should have learned long ago.

economist

Jun 24, 2009

Essays / Universities should strive for gender balance between male and female students in every subject [17]

No. I was actually agreeing with you.

Oh, I guess I don't understand Simpson's Paradox. Just out of curiosity, can you briefly explain what you meant.

economist

Jun 25, 2009

Essays / Universities should strive for gender balance between male and female students in every subject [17]

Thanks Sean, that's fascinating.

economist

Jun 26, 2009

Essays / Universities should strive for gender balance between male and female students in every subject [17]

I think it's also that most writers don't really understand empirical research. For example, showing that violent crime declined by 5% since gun control measures were taken doesn't really show much of anything. A statistician would not find that fact convincing in and of itself, as one needs to use regression analyses or other measures to control for the relevant variables. In my experience, most writers don't quite understand these things, so these use simple statistics and facts to support their view point.