Outcome 1

            Writers must be aware of the moments when it is necessary to adapt their writing for different situations and tasks, so that they can successful achieve the demands criteria for certain contexts. They can do this by altering their style, tone, or simply even the format of their text. I learned how to use different writing strategies while taking English 131, as throughout the quarter we had to complete various writing assignments. This caused me to be exposed to many different forms of writing and has since then expanded my knowledge on how to write for different classes and outside of school. Short assignment 1.3 demanded that we write a memo addressing our teacher Leah. The memo was meant to illustrate our experience with the interviews that we had previously conducted. A memo is similar to an email or letter as it must have your name and be addressed to an individual or group of individuals, as well as have a date and a title. Furthermore, it must be concise and short, usually no longer than a page or two. Since I am addressing my teacher as an audience, I wrote in the first person narrative. I used a rather optimistic tone by explaining that in Amy’s interview I “learned some interesting information about the Chinese language.” I also showed this with my perseverance in explaining the questions to interviewees, as they often did not understand some of the more broad questions. I did this by rephrasing the questions and using more simple words and examples. I wanted them to understand and answer all of the questions, as opposed to just skipping over them. My style of writing for the memo was similar to if I had explained how the interviews went to my teacher, but by only having a one way conversation without any interruptions. This was due to the fact that I did not use a complicated vocabulary and that I followed a simple chain of thought. I first reveal, using only a few lines, what I was going to be discussing in this memo. Then I went on to illustrate how each interview had gone, and finally I ended it with a short reflection on the entire interview process and how I would be able to use the information I gathered. This memo achieved its purpose of illustrating the complications I encountered throughout the interview process, to my teacher Leah. It also explained what had worked well and what I thought of all of their answers. This memo represents only one part of the numerous methods and forms of writing I have used throughout the quarter and that I will continue to learn throughout college. Other assignments as well, required that I use various strategies and forms of writing to accomplish their requirements and to be able to address different kinds of audiences. We wrote analytical essays at home that were at a scholarly level of writing, we wrote comments to online discussions, and we even worked in groups to make produce a presentation for our peers. Creating the presentation required that I summarize my thoughts into bulletin points and performing it demanded that I fulfill the audience’s needs by answering questions and providing clarification. This exposure to multiple contexts and types of literature has taught me how to be aware of signs that will reveal which method of writing is the most appropriate for the context of the assignment, as well as successfully meeting its requirements. By adapting and revising my structure, tone, style, sentences, conventions, and word choices, I am able write in a manner that is most appropriate for any given course or situation in the future.