1. How important is formal writing as a University Student? Would formal writing help you progress in your career? 2. What kind of writing will you do in your job after university? How important is it that you write formally in this context? How would you feel if you received a work email full of spelling mistakes? 3. Do you find any differences between formal English and your own language? 4. What are the most important lessons for you from Week 6? How will you write differently from now on? And do you have any advice to share with your peers? 5. What are the preconceptions around spelling mistakes and poor grammar? Do you agree with them? To what extent?
Please give answer in 300-400 words.
As a University student, formal writing is extremely important. Good writing skills are crucial to succeeding in academic and professional settings. Effective writing skills can enhance your critical thinking abilities, lead to better grades, and open up more opportunities in your future career. Formal writing allows you to communicate complex thoughts clearly and logically, making it essential in academic settings where you are expected to demonstrate conceptual understanding and convey your ideas to your readers. In the professional world, formal writing skills also play a significant role in career success. Employers expect their employees to be able to communicate effectively in writing and often judge colleagues’ abilities based on their written communication skills.
In my future job, I will be expected to write emails, reports, and project proposals. These forms of writing require formal language, as they are usually written for professional use by other employees, management, or external stakeholders. It’s crucial to convey the right message, and this cannot happen with low-quality written material. A reliable and credible impression is of utmost importance in the workforce, and you cannot achieve that with a poorly written email full of spelling mistakes and grammatical problems. As the standard of written communication is high in the business world, failure to meet this standard can have consequences on your career.
There are differences between formal English and my own language, which is Hindi. Although we have a formal version of Hindi that is used in literature, everyday conversations use informal language. In English, there is a clear distinction between formal and informal language, which makes it easy to switch between the two when necessary.
The most important lesson from Week 6 for me is knowing the importance of proofreading and editing. The course highlighted the significance of proofreading to improve the quality of written material. I will take time to revisit my writing, making sure that my language, grammar, and spelling are correct, and that my text is clear and logical. I will also focus on using more formal language and appropriate tone in my academic and professional writing.
To fellow students, my advice would be to improve their writing skills through practice and reading. Writing regularly about different topics can tremendously improve writing skills, as well as reading articles on topics similar to those that you are writing about.
Preconceptions around spelling mistakes and poor grammar on written communication are mostly negative, and I agree with them. Poor spelling and grammar can significantly impact the reputation of the writer and the credibility of the write-up. It signals carelessness, ignorance, and lack of detailed thinking. Though the reader may not judge a person by one poorly written email, a pattern of such writing could evoke negative thoughts about that individual's ability to pay attention to details.