October 13, 2006

Common Problems in Writing by Students and Others

To the Editor:

Ben Yagoda mentions that with proofreading, students might catch many of their errors ("The Seven Deadly Sins of Student Writers," The Chronicle Review, September 8). In other words, perhaps many of them know how to write better but are too lazy to take the trouble to do so. Here's a relevant anecdote.

In one evening course I taught, I found many language errors in the first of three assigned papers. I decided to circle without comment the errors I recognized. If

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