Usage
Project Final Paper
Your final paper
sums up everything you have found out about the status of the usage
error or dispute you have researched this semester. It should include:
- an explanation of the usage error or dispute
- a detailed summary of what various usage guides, dictionaries, and encyclopedias say about the error or dispute
- a
discussion of the examples of incorrect uses you found in published
writing, including, perhaps, why you had a hard time finding any
- a report
of the results of your interviews, including the sentences you used in
the interviews, data on the people you interviewed, and details of
their responses to the sentences
- a discussion of what the results of your interviews tell you about the status of the usage dispute
- a
conclusion in which you consider all the information you have gathered
and offer advice about the appropriate usage of the term or structure
in dispute
- anything else you find interesting or important to report
- a list of works consulted, including all bibliographic information (in any standard format—MLA, APA, AP)
You can re-use
any parts of your preliminary report or your presentation (including
print-outs of visuals) in your final paper, although you probably will
want to do some revision on them.
With your final
paper, please hand in the copy of your preliminary report that I
commented on. I will take into account the work you did on the
preliminary report and the presentation (on which I have notes), but I
will consider your final paper as the best representation of the
quality of your work on this project. Remember that the usage project
counts as 25% of your final grade.
The paper is due in class on December 11.
Return to Usage Project