Grade:11 (English) Unit-2 Communication: Freewriting- by Peter Elbow (Part-I)
Unit-2
Communication
“Good writing does not succeed or fail on the strength of its ability to persuade. It succeeds or fails on the strength of its ability to engage you, to make you think, to give you a glimpse into someone else’s head.” - Malcolm Gladwell
About the author:
Ø Peter Elbow is a Professor of English Emeritus at the
University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he also directed the writing program
from 1996 until 2000 AD.
Ø He writes about theory, practice, and pedagogy and he
has authored several books and papers.
Ø He is one of the pioneers of free writing.
Ø He was born on
14th April, 1935 AD at New York, the USA.
How to Freewrite: Peter Elbow
Basic techniques:
Ø Simply write without stopping for a
set amount of time (usually 10-15 minutes).
Ø You can write by hand or type on a computer. However,
there is no need to rush: write as fast or as slowly as is comfortable
for you, just keep the writing fluent.
Ø So don’t correct types, and don’t go back to read what
you have written.
Ø Use a timer to measure the time, so you
can fully concentrate on writing.
Ø Let the words come out as they wish — don’t judge or
evaluate them. Remember, the practice itself is the
sole goal here. It doesn’t matter whether what you write is great or
crap. Just continue & enjoy the process .
Ø You are free to write about anything that
comes to your mind. What you write is strictly private, so relax
the control and allow your hands to write whatever they want.
Ø If you get stuck and have nothing to write about, you
can repeat the last word or type nonsense until an idea pops into your mind.
Ø You can also reflect on the fact that you have nothing
to write about (like “It’s funny, but now my mind is blank. Why is it so? …”)
Ø The main point is really just to keep your hand or
fingers moving, producing word by word till the time is over.
Ø You are free to write about anything that
comes to your mind. What you write is strictly private, so relax
the control and allow your hands to write whatever they want.
Ø If you get stuck and have nothing to write about, you
can repeat the last word or type nonsense until an idea pops into your mind.
Ø You can also reflect on the fact that you have nothing
to write about (like “It’s funny, but now my mind is blank. Why is it so? …”)
Ø The main point is really just to keep your hand or
fingers moving, producing word by word till the time is over.
About the essay: Freewriting
Ø According to the author, the most effective way to
improve the writing is to do freewriting exercises regularly without any stop
at least three times a week to what he calls ‘automatic writing’ or ‘babbling
exercises.’
Ø Go quickly without rushing and any worry about
spelling or repetition, just put down something whatever comes in your mind
with only requirement that you never stop till the time completes.
Ø Freewriting exercise is important even if someone
reads it and does not send any ripples back or provides no feedback at all.
Ø Freewriting may seem crazy but it makes simple sense
as it comes through spontaneous overflow and it permits more editing.
Ø Freewriting is not just “mistakes’ or “bad writing” as
we edit it later and remove unacceptable thoughts and feelings as same as in
speaking. But the difference is that in freewriting, editing is heavier than in
speaking.
Ø Editing is usually necessary if we want to end up with
something satisfactory but the problem is that editing goes on at the same time
as producing as it contains unnecessary, incoherent or unmatched words in the
writing.
Ø The main thing about freewriting is that it is
none-editing as its aim is to produce words and put them down on the page
without any worry of editing which makes writing less blocked resulting use of
more papers and chew up fewer pencils.
Ø The quickest way to get into good writing is to start
away with lousy beginnings to grab hold of words easily.
Ø The habit of compulsive and premature make writing
dead as it rises many interruptions, changes and hesitations on the page. Natural way of producing words (a sound, a
texture, a rhythm, and a voice) is the
main source of power in writing.
Ø He concludes his writing saying that freewritings are
vacuums.
B. Use the following words in sentences of your own.
a.
Massive:
(large
in size or number)- They have got a massive house.
b.
Consciousness:
(state
of understanding or realizing sth.)- Political consciousness is required for
good governance.
c.
Catch-as-catch-can
(a
state of using whatever is available):- Freewriting requires the
catch-as-catch-can way to accomplish work on time.
d. Give up:
(leave)-
She gave up smoking for healthy life.
e. Abandon:
(leave
place or thing)- The baby has been abandoned by her mother.
f. Lousy:
(very bad)-
He had a lousy weekend.
g.
Editing:
(removing or adding sth.):-Editing is one of the
significant parts of writing.
C. Word Formation: Adjectives and Adverbs
Ø Add suffix ‘-ly’ to an adjective to form Adverb.
Ø Add suffix ‘-y’ to a noun to form Adjective.
Ø Add suffix ‘-ly’ to a noun to form Adjective.
For example:
-
Quick (Adj)-
Quickly
-
Regular (Adj)-
Regularly
-
Friend (N)-
Friendly
-
Beast (N)-
Beastly
-
Month (N)-
Monthly
-
Cloud (N)-
Cloudy
Write the following words in the right columns. Change the
adjectives into adverbs and nouns into adjectives, as shown in the example.
Adjectives |
Adverbs |
- Careful - Perfect - Automatic - Certain - Fair - General - Heavy - Proud - Rapid - Proper - Final - Common - Beautiful - Frequent - Hungry - Ease |
• Carefully • Perfectly • Automatically • Certainly • Fairly • Generally • Heavily • Proudly • Rapidly • Properly • Finally • Commonly • Beautifully • Frequently • Hungrily • Easily |
Nouns |
Adjectives |
- Rain - Bush - Spice - Snow - Blood - Cloud - Bag - Mood - Noise - Air - Cream - Dust - Ice - Oil - Fun - Hand - Greed - Hill - Health |
• Rainy • Bushy • Spicy • Snowy • Bloody • Cloudy • Baggy • Moody • Noisy • Airy • Creamy • Dusty • Icy • Oily • Funny • Handy • Greedy • Hilly • Healthy |
Same word can be Adverb or Adjective:
For instance, - High(Adj./Adv.)/-Highly(Adverb)
He is in a high
position.(adj.) -Noun
The bird flew high.(adv.) -Verb
High- to
an elevated position/ great height.
Highly-
very, extremely/greatly
1.
The plane flew
high/highly in the sky.
2.
His remarks were
high/highly objectionable.
3.
He was the most
high/highly paid member.
4.
His desk was
piled high/highly with papers.
C. Fill in the gaps with the
appropriate adjective or adverb.
i.
Pramila is playing……(quiet/quietly).
ii.
Hari speaks very……(loud/loudly).
iii.
Mukesh is a …..(careful/carefully) driver.
iv.
The test was …..(easy/easily) and we finished in time.
v.
He is fitting the ……(automatic/automatically) door in my house.
vi.
My uncle speaks…..(perfect/perfectly)Chinese.- perfect
vii.
It was raining very ….(heavy/heavily).
viii.
She looked very….. (calm/calmly), but I am sure she was feeling very
nervous.
a. Why is freewriting also called ‘automatic writing’?
Ø Freewriting is also called ‘automatic writing’ in the sense it is written quickly without stopping for anything in spontaneous way.
b. How do you differentiate writing from speaking?
Ø Writing varies from speaking as in it, editing is heavier than later.
c. What is the biggest obstacles in the writing process, according to Elbow? Do you agree with him? Why? Why not?
Ø The habit of compulsive and premature editing is the biggest obstacles in the writing process according to Elbow. I agree with his statement because our voice/thinking is damped by all interruptions, changes and hesitations between the consciousness and the page.
d. How can freewriting overcome ‘writer’s block’?
Ø Freewriting can overcome ‘writer’s block’ through regular practice. (helps to come words more easily)
e. What do you mean by ‘voice’ in writing?
Ø The term ‘voice’ refers to thoughts or words in writing.
f. Elbow uses a simile to explain that freewriting “is like writing something and putting it in bottle in the sea.” What does this mean? Explain.
Ø Elbow uses a simile to explain that freewriting “is like writing something and putting it in bottle in the sea”. By this he means to say that the field of writing is very broad where freewriting’s only requirement is one should never stop.
Critical Thinking
a. How does the author persuade readers in this essay? What is he trying communicate?
Ø In this essay, the author persuades readers saying that the effective way to improve writing is to do freewriting exercises regularly.
Ø He further states that writing without any worry about the formal structures, mechanics or grammar, initiates to contemplate on ideas and approach the task at the best level.
Ø By asking readers to practice freewriting, the author is trying to communicate readers that practising freewriting is the best way to develop ideas, contemplate on works, enhance vocabulary power, recycle the task, write faster with less struggle, develop scientific voice, improve active language skill and many more.
B. Elbow said, freewriting “is an exercise in bringing together the process of producing words and putting them down on the page.” Do you agree with his statement? Why? Why not?
Elbow said, freewriting “is an exercise in bringing together the process of producing words and putting them down on the page.”
I agree with the given statement because freewriting certainly brings together several sorts of thoughts in graphic forms with out any obstructions which are essential in writing.
It is so in the sense the author doesn’t feel hesitations or get interrupted by the fear of making mistakes during writing process and ideas flows spontaneously on the paper.
Obviously, it is an practice of producing words and putting down them on the paper as it removes unnecessary burden of thinking consciously and worrying about making errors/mistakes.
C. How did you learn to write? What was particularly difficult in writing? What inspired you to write? What are some of the challenges that you still face while writing?
§ I learnt to write reading several books, newspapers, magazines and so on and then practising freewriting several times.
§ Putting the ideas in the right order was particularly difficult part of writing.
§ My best friend,……who is a researcher as well, inspired me to write.
I still face following sorts of challenges while writing:
Ø Finding out the title.
Ø Associating the ideas.
Ø Organizing paragraphs.
Ø Selecting the topic sentence.
Ø Selecting the concluding sentence.
Ø Removing repetitions and arranging mechanics and grammar.
Write a paragraph on any one of the following topics.
a. My school library
A school library is a structure within the school that houses a collection of books, audio-visual material and other content that serves common use to meet the educational, informative and recreational needs of the users. The chief objective of libraries is to meet the academic needs of the particular educational institution which it serves. It provides us with quality fiction and nonfiction books that encourage us to read more for pleasure and enrich our intellectual, artistic, cultural, social and emotional growth. School library is helpful to every member of the school community whether its students, teachers or any other staff members for their personal and professional development. The library facilitates each student with access to essential resources and learning material for a smooth learning process. The library is thus a leap in the advancement of the literacy provided in classrooms and an essential part of the educational system.
b. Moral values I like most
Moral values are the positive teachings provided to help us and tread the right path in life. Every parent wants his child to imbibe these. These can even be referred to as good qualities. A person who imbibes good values grows on to become a responsible individual and he is capable of demarcating right and wrong. Also, he is able to make wiser decisions in life. For instance, Buddha made use of the essence of these values in his teachings. Moral values form the basis of all religious practices. Moral values establish good relationships and helps to resolve conflicts. A student’s life is a cycle of challenges and changes. Therefore, it is highly essential to inculcate moral values in students’ lives as their hands lie in the future. Moral values aid a person to make the right choices and decisions in life. It directs an individual’s behavior and makes him or her make clear goals. A person embracing moral values such as loyalty, honesty, compassion, consistency, kindness, reliability, efficiency, courage, and determination, build a better character.
Grammar: Position of Adverbs
v Adjectives and adverbs are the ornaments of English language.
v Adjective is a word which describes a noun.
v Adverb is a word which modifies a verb, an adjective, an adverb, a preposition, and so on.
She writes well.
She writes clearly.
My friend is very tall.
She threw a stone perfectly on the beggar.
Adverbs often answer the questions in “How?” and “ In what way?”.
General rules for placing an adverb in a sentence:
1. Don’t place an adverb between a verb and its object
For instance,
- I carefully painted the house. =correct
- I painted the house carefully. =correct
- I painted carefully the house. = incorrect
I sometimes read a book before bed. = correct
Sometimes I read a book before a bed.= correct
I read a book before bed sometimes. OK, but informal.
I read sometimes a book before bed. = incorrect.
2. Three normal positions for adverbs.
v Front Position: At the beginning of a clause
Suddenly the phone rang.
Fortunately, nobody was injured.
May be I’ll go for a walk.
v Mid Position: Next to the main verb
I always exercise before work.
They have completely forgotten about our appointment.
She slowly began to recover.
v * If ‘Is/am/are/was/were’ used as main verb, put adverb after it. For instance,
◦ He is always happy.
◦ He was probably late for the interview.
◦ End Position: At the end of a clause
◦ You speak English well.
◦ Please sit there.
◦ They ate dinner quietly.
3. Position of adverb depending on their types. – MPT- Position
v Adverbs of Manner: Example- quickly, slowly, easily, happily, badly, seriously, well*, fast*, hard*- Adverbs of Manners ending in ‘–ly’ can be in mid position or end position.
She easily passed the test.
She passed the test easily.
v Adverbs of Manner that do not end in ‘–ly’ like well, fast and hard occur in end position after the main verb.
They dance well.
He’s working hard.
She runs fast.
Adverbs of Time and Frequency: Front or end position.
We went to Australia last year. =correct
Last year we went to Australia. =correct
We went last year to Australia. =incorrect
Adverb of Time and Frequency ending in ‘-ly’ comes in mid or end position.
Let’s meet weekly to discuss this.
I call my mother daily.
Adverb of Time and Frequency- Always/ Never - go in mid position before the verb.
I always wake up early.
He never gets angry.
v Adverbs of time and Frequency: others can go in various positions:
Soon you’ll be finished with school.
You’ll soon be finished with school.
You’ll be finished with school soon.
Occasionally we drink wine.
We occasionally drink wine.
We drink wine occasionally.
We drink occasionally wine. =incorrect
v Adverb of Place: End or Mid Position.
The children are playing outside.
The glass shattered and the pieces flew everywhere.
They drove south/southward on the highway.
He walked towards the police station.
B. Rewrite the following sentences with the adverbs in the appropriate places.
a. I watch often television. (often)
b. Have you ever been to Janakpur? (ever)
c. They sometimes play football on Saturdays. (sometimes)
d. The weather is always bad in November. (always)
e. We seldom have fish for dinner. (seldom)
f. Pritam doesn’t usually get up before seven. (usually)
g. I was very tired and I was also hungry. (also)
h. Did you both enjoy the flight? (both)
C. Rewrite the following sentences placing the underlined words in the right position.
a. I never have understood her.- I have never understood her.
b. We are often invited to the parties. √
c. We all were tired, so we all fell asleep.- We were al tired, so we fell all asleep.
d. Rajan drives always to work.- Rajan always drives to work.
e. Pradeep hardly ever watches television, but he reads newspapers a lot. √
f. We enjoyed very much the party.- We enjoyed the party very much.
g. My brother speaks fluently English.- My brother speaks English fluently.
Speaking: Expressing agreement/ disagreement
Agreeing |
- I agree. /Yes, I agree. - I think so, too. - That’s for sure. - Certainly/ Undoubtedly. - It’s a deal. - That’s quite right/ true. - How true. - I absolutely/entirely/ totally/ completely agree… - Well, that’s it. - Right/Exactly. - You’re right. - I’m with you. - Of course/Absolutely. - That’s exactly what I mean. - You are absolutely right. - There is no doubt about it. |
Partly Agreeing |
-That’s partly true, but… - That may be true, but… - I see your point, but… - I guess so, but… - I’m not so sure about that. - I agree up to a point, but… - Agreed, but… - Ok, but… - I can see that, but… - I see what you mean, but… |
Disagreeing |
- That’s not right. - I totally disagree. - I don’t agree. - I don’t agree with you. - I’m sure, but I disagree. - Absolutely not! - A complete ‘No’ - I am afraid I can’t agree with you. - That’s no always true. - I don’t think so. - No, that’s not true. - No way! - No deal. - I refuse. - Rubbish ! - Nonsense! - You must be jokking! |
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