Prompt: Think of a time when you or someone you know used informal language in a situation where formal language may have been more appropriate. What happened? Looking back, what could have been said differently, and what did the situation teach you about choosing your words carefully?

 Prompt Response: My brother once told me a story about how he had joked around with a teacher at a rather inappropriate moment. He explained that he had gotten to his class during transition time, and dropped his bag off in the classroom and left to go to the bathroom. By the time he returned to the classroom, the bell was actively ringing, signaling that he would have been considered late to class. The teacher commented on this, and simply said “Liam. The bell is ringing.” My brother responded to this comment in a sarcastic manner, saying something along the lines of “Yes, the bell is ringing. Good job.” From what I know, I don’t believe my brother got into serious trouble, however I don’t doubt that the teacher was very likely offended by my brother’s response. Instead of using informal language, my brother could have remained professional and respectful and he could have used formal language to explain the situation. This story taught me that it is very important to choose your words wisely, and that you should always try to be respectful when conversing with someone because you never know what could happen if you say the wrong thing.

Summary and Reflection: In class on September 9th, we worked with our groups to revise and edit our argumentative paragraphs. Once we had finished editing, we submitted our paragraph before the end of the class period. By coordinating with my group members to edit the paragraph we created, I was able to observe the different ideas and perspectives one can have when editing a piece of writing, and I learned why it is important to approach certain aspects of a paragraph differently.