My mother worked in a publishing company for many years, so as I was growing up she tried very hard to teach me the correct ways to use grammar. I think that I am quite good with my grammar and spelling, but of course I always make a few errors. I think that throughout this year I have gotten better at using MLA in my work and using it correctly. I feel confident in all my works cited pages, but am not as confident that my essays are free of grammar and spelling mistakes. I always go through my essay before turning it in but sometimes it can be hard to catch my own mistakes. In my Significant Writing Project I feel that I was able to use MLA correctly and I also keep spelling and grammar mistakes to a minimum.

During class time, we would sometimes watch videos on grammar. I learned a lot from watching these videos and after watching them I would try to use what I learned in my work. We also talked about how to correctly cite quotes in our essays. I have been citing my quotes incorrectly. By incorrect, I just mean that I give the author a lot of credit. “Steven Pinker, a professor at Harvard University believes that science maybe doesn’t get enough credit. He believes that science is the core of what makes us care for ourselves and others. He writes, ‘The facts of science, by exposing the absence of purpose in the laws governing the universe, force us to take responsibility for the welfare of ourselves, our species and our planet.’ (Pinker 6)” This is an example of where I made a mistake. I didn’t realize that if you introduce the author before, you do not have to put his name and the page number at the end of the quote. My professor left comments about this part of my essay in my final draft. “Julie Beck, a senior editor at The Atlantic would agree, “Though perhaps the facts of someone’s life, presented end to end, wouldn’t much resemble a narrative to the outside observer, the way people choose to tell the stories of their lives, to others and—crucially—to themselves, almost always does have a narrative arc.”’ In my final essay of the semester, I correctly cite this quote. I introduced the author before hand, so I don’t have to include her name at the end of the quote. I learned from my professor in class how to correctly cite quotes. I have been using MLA for awhile now, and have been taught well how to use spelling and grammar in the right ways. I feel that my knowledge was both tested and improved during my time in English 110.