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writingprof
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« on: December 13, 2009, 12:04:52 PM » |
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A comp student of mine used the word "clever" in a paper. Not "smart" or even "intelligent" but "clever." Not only was I certain that the sentence was plagiarized, I found the source in thirty seconds. No freshman here would ever use that word.
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iclaudius
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« Reply #1 on: December 13, 2009, 12:15:11 PM » |
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I once had a student use the word "dolt" in a history paper. I have never used that word in writing, so I was pretty sure the student had plagiarized. I found the internet source the student has used very quickly.
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choirguy
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« Reply #2 on: December 13, 2009, 12:19:19 PM » |
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In freshman writing, any word containing more than three syllables that is actually used correctly makes me suspicious.
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astronomygal
Tough but fair
Senior member
Posts: 823
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« Reply #3 on: December 13, 2009, 12:22:34 PM » |
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"Auspicious" or "hydrodynamics."
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"If you ever fall off the Sears Tower, just go real limp, because maybe you'll look like a dummy and people will try to catch you because, hey, free dummy." - Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy
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generic_handle
Inconsequential drone and
New member
Posts: 33
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« Reply #4 on: December 13, 2009, 12:30:16 PM » |
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Twofold.
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present_mirth
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« Reply #5 on: December 13, 2009, 12:33:01 PM » |
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"Bibulous." (The student in question turned out to have plagiarized from the introduction of a course text.)
"Presentism" and "historicism."
To play devil's advocate, though, I think it's risky to assume that no freshman would use certain words (although reasonable to assume that a particular student wouldn't, based on prior knowledge of the student's writing). I was a socially awkward kid who read a lot of books, many of them old-fashioned or British or both, and I'm sure my vocabulary at eighteen included plenty of words and phrases that sounded a bit odd coming from an American teenager. I'm actually surprised that I didn't ping any of my professors' plagiarism radar (although I was lucky enough to attend a college where there were lots of other bookish, nerdy kids, so my writing probably didn't stand out too dramatically).
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theatremom
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« Reply #6 on: December 13, 2009, 12:40:14 PM » |
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Woebegone.
Used out loud, in a speech. Correctly, too. Stuck out like a sore thumb, and sure enough, I found the plagiarism within a minute or two.
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jwormold
Gin-swillin'
Senior member
Posts: 706
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« Reply #7 on: December 13, 2009, 01:52:55 PM » |
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Furtive.
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Be Bulgarian, Jeeves.
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geoteo
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« Reply #8 on: December 13, 2009, 01:56:04 PM » |
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The first time I realized one of my students at this school was plagiarizing was when she used the words "tart" and "pungent" in the same sentence: "This apple has a tart and pungent juice." When I asked he about this, she said she was under the impression that this was the way I had told the class to do the assignment.
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"Since the beginning of time, mankind has longed for non-stick cookware."
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geheimrat
Junior member
Posts: 72
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« Reply #9 on: December 13, 2009, 02:13:26 PM » |
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I don't teach a writing intensive course, so I don't have much experience with this, but a student using the word clever correctly wouldn't raise any flags for me.
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larryc
Hu hatin'
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 17,565
Eschew the hu.
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« Reply #10 on: December 13, 2009, 02:25:52 PM » |
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"Of the dozens of biographies of Napoleon that I have read in last decade, this is the most deeply researched of the lot."
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geheimrat
Junior member
Posts: 72
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« Reply #11 on: December 13, 2009, 02:31:45 PM » |
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Ok, now that would definitely raise a flag.
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thrillcheese
Award-winning Alpha Bitch. Yes, I really have a medal for that.
Senior member
Posts: 468
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« Reply #12 on: December 13, 2009, 02:41:17 PM » |
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Flotsam
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My tuition dollars pay your salary, you know! And stay out of the liquor cabinet. (post-functional)
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gennimom
Somewhat Southern (Have I really posted that much?)
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 16,764
Let's get summer over with! Me want snow!
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« Reply #13 on: December 13, 2009, 02:49:57 PM » |
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It isn't so much one particular word as it is a collection of words that tip me off. One student sounded like he had written an advertisement for a particular object. Hmm. Found the website within 5 minutes.
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...only after reading gm's post, my new mantra is "always listen to gennimom".
Monday reeks! - Garfield The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a person (or something like that). |
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eumaios
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« Reply #14 on: December 13, 2009, 02:53:44 PM » |
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Fortnight.
Dustbin (plagiarists seem not to notice when they're stealing stuff from UK sites).
And my all-time favorite, ubermensch, in the the first paragraph of an essay turned in by a young man whose previous work hadn't been within several light-years of literacy.
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