Got an F on a college essay for swearing?

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I checked the assignment, which more than filled the criteria and used the word fuck and shit twice to make my feelings clear and add extra concern to the topic (abuse of elderly people by whoever) and I had a lot to say about that honestly.

She commented this "name here--Cursing and swearing in your written work is not acceptable. Learn to use regular written language."

My problems with this are both words are proper English and in the course syllabus it is never stated curse words are grounds for lower grades. In my English 104 course I've used swears multiple times without penalty. Is this bias on her part or am I really supposed to censor my writing?
 

carlsojo

Member
I checked the assignment, which more than filled the criteria and used the word fuck and shit twice to make my feelings clear and add extra concern to the topic (abuse of elderly people by whoever)

She commented this "name here--Cursing and swearing in your written work is not acceptable. Learn to use regular written language."

My problems with this are both words are proper English and in the course syllabus it is never stated curse words are grounds for lower grades. In my English 104 course I've used swears multiple times without penalty. Is this bias on her part or am I really supposed to censor my writing?

You should definitely upload your essay on here. Copy and paste that shit
 
Apologize and ask if you can resubmit it after some editing. It's not worth your time getting into it with a teacher who can just grade you down for pissing them off in the future. You're gonna run into other professors like this, as well as people in employment who won't tolerate certain language use. It's just part of life.
 

Kusagari

Member
I would think not using curse words in a college essay was common sense.

I've never gone further than using damn.
 
Wow, I have never cursed in any academic or professional written material or even know of anyone who has.

Where did you learn that was accepted and regular practice?
 

SkyOdin

Member
Not all language is appropriate for all circumstances. Most college papers tend to require a more formal and academic tone, which precludes informal and casual language such as swear words.

Using swear words casually in a paper will likely cause problems with any number of professors and instructors.
 
Refraining from using swears is probably the safest bet in most courses. Probably an alright look in a creative writing class but not much else.

Varies from instructor to instructor; clearly this one doesn't appreciate/approve of it.
 

sakipon

Member
Have to admit I never even thought to use curse words in my school work. Is this a millennial thing?
 
Unless you are doing some sort of creative writing, swearing isn't something you do when writing in college. What kind of essay was this supposed to be?

Edit: "Censor my writing". Oh good grief.
 
In general, you want to treat college essays as professional writing. Would you swear in a report that you would hand in to your CEO? Do you see the New York Times writing about "this fucking bullshit" that Trump did? Yes, you should learn how to properly censor yourself, because unless you go into certain very specific fields (most of which don't require a degree), you're not going to be able to do that in your professional life.
 

Hypron

Member
I mean using swear words in a uni assignment is something that never even crossed my mind. I suppose it might fly in some very specific circumstances (e.g. creative writing, or specific quotes from a work you're analysing), but the mast majority of the time it's the opposite of academic writing.
 
I checked the assignment, which more than filled the criteria and used the word fuck and shit twice to make my feelings clear and add extra concern to the topic (abuse of elderly people by whoever) and I had a lot to say about that honestly.

She commented this "name here--Cursing and swearing in your written work is not acceptable. Learn to use regular written language."

My problems with this are both words are proper English and in the course syllabus it is never stated curse words are grounds for lower grades. In my English 104 course I've used swears multiple times without penalty. Is this bias on her part or am I really supposed to censor my writing?

LOl censor your writing... That's not censoring your writing, it's knowing your audience.
 
College writing is about putting what the person reading it wants to see on the paper.

If you learn this right now you'll save yourself a ridiculous number of rough patches going forward.
 

NH Apache

Banned
You don't need swears to make your 5 paragraph essay edgy. Make a goddamn point and show three major pieces of evidence for.

EZPZ

It isn't a creative writing piece.

Edit: Talk to the prof. They'll most likely let you resubmit.
 

nekkid

It doesn't matter who we are, what matters is our plan.
The only time this would be acceptable would be during creating writing assignments.

Conveying your personal opinion on a subject matter on an academic paper, though? What the shitting fuck were you thinking?
 

Keri

Member
You obviously shouldn't swear in a college essay. The point of essays is to teach you to formulate your thoughts and convey important ideas in a professional manner. Adding curse words doesn't make you seem more serious about the topic, it does the exact opposite.
 

Rosstimus

Banned
OP, Would you mind posting the offending excerpt from your essay? I'm curious, I have to say. And while, imo, an F is too strong a reaction from your professor, you absolutely should not be cursing in academic writing unless you're quoting a primary source. I'm honestly a little surprised that you thought it was a good idea.
 

1upsuper

Member
99% of the time, swearing in a college essay is poor form. I do think failing the essay for swearing is a bit extreme, however.
 
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