The reading forms an integral background for insightful discussions about the particulars of sentence-level pedagogies. The author enables the reader to understand the fact that “error” and “grammar” are often used in a slack way. The following passage captured my attention.
“In short if we read any text the way we read freshman essay, we will find many of the same kind of errors we routinely expect to find and therefore do find. But if we could read those student essays unreflexively, if we could make the ordinary kind of contract with those tests that we make with other kinds of errors, then we could find many fewer errors” (Williams, 159).
In this passage, Williams implies that people hardly find errors unless it is something they are looking for. For example, when one is reading an essay written by a freshman, they expect to find spelling, grammatical, stylistic, and syntax errors. Therefore, they will be keen on identifying or locating such errors in the entire essay, and they may end up finding many errors. On the other hand, when one is reading an essay written by an established writer, they do not expect to find many errors. Subsequently, they may fail to recognize some of the flaws in the essay. The writer also implies that errors are overemphasised because individuals are always ready to overlook or ignore some grammatical errors based on the writer’s level of hierarchy in the society. Moreover, the author suggests that people vary in the way they define and treat errors as well as in the way they condemn them (Williams, 159).
Ideally, this passage offers insight into the author’s arguments because it outlines his belief that people interpret errors differently. From the passage, it is evident that the author believes that the identification of errors in a particular text is based on the reader’s interest and the perceptions that they have about the writer.
Questions
Are people imprudent about the idea of grammatical errors?
What is the difference between stylistic choices and true errors?
Should stylistic grammatical choices be regarded as errors?
Works Cited
Williams Joseph. “The Phenomenology of Error.” College composition and communication, Vol 132 No. 2 (1981), pp 152-168.
