Looking to ge smarter

Hi, its your loyal user and friend Frank, and Im looking to broden my horizion and focus on learning as much as I can. I am a sophmore at Walled Lake Central and its a tough school, and I really want to get into college. You see I did something really bad, so bad I dont think Ill be able to get into college without at least achieving a semester or two with a 4.00 and keep with it.

As you all have seen and read throught my past post, I suck at writing and placing commas, etc. I barley read, and my vocabulary knowledge sucks. Do you have any books I you think I should read, or any advice on my quest please tell me. I have to go to college I just have to I dont want to end up like my mom and dad, working for living at the age 50 and 49.

Crap you see I misspelled get and put "ge" ,Jesus, siigh I also need to work on proofread(get use to it) and stop being lazy.

Skrunk and White.

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r66-The member who always asks WHY?

thanks but what is it? I searched on amazon, and borders.

Frank...

If you are looking to improve your grammer I would suggest enrolling in a college/university prep class. They will help you develop grammer skills that are necessary and essential at the college level. Also one book that my boyfriend has that was required for his first year english course at University is The Little Brown Essential Handbook For Writers by Jane E. Aaron & Elaine Bander. Now this book is a Canadian book and of course some of the spelling is a bit different than the way American spelling is because of the french connection... for example "behavior" and "behaviour" and "color" and "colour". I assume most colleges and universities would have a prep course. Or maybe ask your guidance councelor at school about this.

Thanks gummo, will do.

I've never heard of the book gummo recommended, but definitely agree with the concept. The only way I know to improve at writing is to read as much as you can and to actually write. It doesn't matter what you write as long as your write something. Heck, find some movie reviewers you enjoy and read what they write, paying close attention to how they write. Also, if you start writing find a writing group to help criticize your work.

The first step is to admit you have a problem, then you can go about fixing it!

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Yeah thats about all I can do. Its going to be a new Toni starting now!

I really hadn't taken the initiative to write on my since since High School and it's taken me awhile to get back into the swing of things. There's nothing scary that that blank piece of white paper (or monitor), but after you get something down it will start to flow. Then all you have to do is go back and purty it up

Ahhhh. . .yes. Strunk and White. Two men whose pearls of wisdom in their book The Elements of Style, have made affected todays writers and english students (high scool and college) much like Wordsworth and Coleridge's Lyrical Ballads did to the writers of the romantoc age. Definitely a must read. I try and keep a copy with me wherever I go, and continually find myself referencing it on needed occasions. I have the fourth edition, but I am not sure if there are any new editions.

I have always been of the school that while such things like street smarts and shrewd capabilities are best learned through personal experience, there is nothing wrong in gaining scholarly knowledge through books. Expanding your horizons by reading all sort of books will provided you with a larger vocabulary, a better understanding of writing styles, a broad look at literary tools and you will find a heightened quickness in analysis and contemplation. Read, read, read. Reading supplements life in a unique way.

The same goes for improvong your writing skills. The two laws in that being the one we have already covered, which is read and the second being write. Write, a lot. Experiment with different types of writing, and while writing focus on not only the heart, but the best syntax and word choice for bringing out the heart. Not everybodys is born to be a gifted writer, but that shouldn't prevent us from being able to write decently. Writing is an art, don't be misunderstood on that, but it is also a highly subjective and technical art that can and should be learned.

As for looking at colleges, the only piece of advice I feel free to give you, not knowing specifcs is to take a look at the Princeton Reviews website. It supplies a welth of information on almost any college, private or public, and provides tips on such tests like the SAT, SAT II. ACT, PLAN and PSAT tests.

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I am moved by fancies that are curled
Around these images, and cling:
The notion of some infinitely gentle
Infinitely suffering thing.
T.S Eliot, "Preludes"

in terms of actual grammar, i'd recommend the "elements of Language" textbook, it's an MLA guide and very useful, I once had trouble with my vocabulary, i just opened the dictionary up to a few random words every day and in a few months my vocabulary had broadened a great deal. See if that works for you.

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My advice to you would be GET OFF THE INTERNET as it is probably to blame for your situation. Take extra curricular classes if you really are that serious about college its a sacrifice worth making. You may not think you are 'smart' but believe me you sound a damnsite more intelligent than most 'clever' people I know.

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