When it comes to offering criticism of other people's work, I think I can offer it in a decent way. I'm not the best at it because I do not want to say anything that will hurt someone's feelings or offend them. I can very easily point out grammar and spelling errors and other practical things like that, but commenting on the body of the paper is hard for me. I am always fearful of saying too much, or being too harsh and judgmental. I have gotten over that more than I used to be because in high school, my English teachers made us all peer review each others’ papers. I have been doing it for awhile, so I think it will continue to get easier and easier with time.
My idea of good constructive criticism comes from my previous English teachers' comments when they critiqued my papers. They always offered really good advice, but in a nice way. All the advice was simply given to make my papers better, not because of their personal opinions. I try to give advice like that whenever I critique another person's paper.
The most useful criticism I think someone can give me is if I sound confusing at some point in my paper. If one of my points doesn't make sense to the reader or is not clear, I want to know about it. It is better for me to know that ahead of time, instead of when I turn it in for grading. I appreciate when someone kindly but honestly points out places where my writing is not clear. That above everything else, is the most helpful.
Based on what others have told me about criticism, I think I can offer valuable critiques. I try to find things in every paper to praise as well as correct. The papers I read in my peer editing group did not have that much that I would correct. I thought that each person presented something unique and different. Besides small, things I did not have too much to say about each person’s paper. Overall though, I try my best to give valuable advice to each writer.
I also think it is helpful to know if I sound confusing in my first draft so I can revise it before it is graded. I like to know what other people think about my paper so I can decide whether or not I agree with them, and I think that the reader should criticize in a friendly and honest way also. i also try to give valuable advice to writers because i know that when other people do it for me, it helps a lot.
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