August 13, 2007
Online writing lab's top five grammar requests
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue University's online writing lab receives millions of visitors a year, and here are the questions people most frequently ask."Without a doubt our No. 1 request for help is about formatting research papers for college or high school students," says Tammy Conard-Salvo, associate director of the Writing Lab, which is housed in the Department of English. "The most common questions are about citing sources, especially electronic sources.
"People may be surprised to learn it's not just students asking questions. Our tutors and educators are even asked to settle bets between colleagues, friends or spouses about everyday grammar questions."
Here are the other questions that round out the top five queries received by the Online Writing Lab, known as OWL:
* The difference between "affect" and "effect." Affect is a verb and effect is a noun.
* Questions about subject-verb agreement, especially with indefinite pronouns such as each, every and any, which are singular and require a singular verb.
* Questions from English-as-second-language students about idiomatic expressions or exceptions to grammar rules. For example, one student recently submitted a question about whether the word "data" is singular or plural. The answer is based on the context because "data" can be both.
* A number of questions are from nontraditional students who are working on a writing assignment. Conard-Salvo says many requests start with a phrase like, "I haven't taken an English class in many years. How do I get started on writing an argument essay?"
The online resource, located on the Web at https://owl.english.purdue.edu , provides more than 200 printable resources on starting and revising a writing project, business and technical writing, Web research, and research papers. These resources provide punctuation and grammar rules, guides to effective organization, tips on the writing process and how to cope with writer's block. The site also includes style guides for the popular Modern Language Association and American Psychological Association citation formats.
The lab also offers a grammar hotline, at (765) 494-3723, staffed by writing lab specialists. Questions also can be submitted online from the Web site. Tutors will respond to questions from anyone in the world, Conard-Salvo says.
Writer: Amy Patterson Neubert, (765) 494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu
Source: Tammy Conard-Salvo, (765) 494-4102, tcsalvo@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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