Pinker's critiques by Sparkle Gibbs

Metadiscourse

sgib024 — 2025-03-19 22:20:21 UTC

Define the term 'metadiscourse'. Why do academic writers rely on it? What difficulties does metadiscourse present for a reader and how can we eliminate it or reduce it in our writing?

Regarding 'shudder quotes'

sgib024 — 2025-03-19 22:22:47 UTC

What are they (and what's another word for them)? In what ways are they useful to writers and what do they usually indicate when they are used? When do they become a problem in our writing? Provide an example of how to use a shudder quote.

The Curse of Knowledge

sgib024 — 2025-03-19 22:28:51 UTC

What is 'the curse of knowledge' and how does it affect academic writing? According to Pinker what can writers do to overcome this problem?

Step away from the hedge...

sgib024 — 2025-03-19 22:31:27 UTC

In your own words define 'hedging'? Why do academic writers use it and how/why is hedging problematic? Find an example of hedging in the article OR create your own example of how hedging works.

On academic writing

sgib024 — 2025-03-19 22:49:05 UTC

Collectively brainstorm and create a comprehensive list of the characteristics of academic writing. (What does academic writing look like to YOU?)

Hedging is trying not to make an overly definitive statement to be more cautious, to be polite or reflect uncertainty.

2025-03-20 22:31:42 UTC