English, retrospect: a need for economical writing, part 1

Self-tutoring about English: the tutor recalls when too many words was unacceptable.

Over ten years ago I had to take an English course to get into a new program. I hadn’t taken an academic English course for a long time. It was a lit course.

My professor didn’t like me – not the only time that’s happened. Yet, I knew I’d get a B+ if I put the time in. I had to do a lot of reading, then a lot of essay writing, which I enjoyed anyway.

Back at UVic, for my original degree, which was math, I only took one English course – a composition one rather than a lit one. The understanding therein was that a word count meant plus or minus ten percent: a 1000 word essay could be 900 to 1100 words without penalty. That had been over twenty years prior to the lit course I now found myself in.

The lit course wasn’t at UVic, and the professor saw things differently, too: 500 words meant not a word more. The first time I submitted an essay, 540 words for a 500 word assignment, they sent it back: too many words. Since my submission was much before the deadline, they didn’t mind giving me the chance to make things right. The message was clear, though: the word count of an assigned essay meant a hard upper limit.

From then on, I had to keep my eye on the word count when I was writing an essay. It was so easy to go just a bit over, but there was no grace. Moreover, their word counter and mine didn’t always agree. I submitted a 500 word essay which my word counter said was indeed 500 words, but they sent it back: their word counter said 505 words. I couldn’t believe it. As I said, though, they didn’t like me….

Eventually I engineered my essays to be about one percent under word count, which seemed to work. As time went on, the professor did seem to dislike me a little less, but was never friendly.

I knew an A in that course was impossible for me, but I did get a B+ in the course, which was easily good enough.

Even in the academic world, things change. Between 1990 and 2013, it seems, a few more words became unforgivable; a few less was the preference.

How I learned to reduce my word use I hope to describe in some future posts:)