For this Assignment, read the passages provided and compare the original passages to the student writing samples.

Passage 1:

Reference: OConner, P. (2003). Woe is I: The grammarphobes guide to better English in plain English. New York, NY: Riverhead Books.

A good writer is one you can read without breaking a sweat. If you want a workout, you dont lift a bookyou lift weights. Yet were brainwashed to believe that the more brilliant the writer, the tougher the going.

The truth is that the reader is always right. Chances are, if something youre reading doesnt make sense, its not your faultits the writers. And if something you write doesnt get your point across, its probably not the readers faultits yours. Too many readers are intimidated and humbled by what they cant understand, and in some cases thats precisely the effect the writer is after. But confusion is not complexity; its just confusion. A venerable tradition, dating back to the ancient Greek orators, teaches that if you dont know what youre talking about, just ratchet up the level of difficulty and no one will ever know.

Dont confuse simplicity, though, with simplemindedness. A good writer can express an extremely complicated idea clearly and make the job look effortless. But such simplicity is a difficult thing to achieve because to be clear in your writing you have to be clear in your thinking. This is why the simplest and clearest writing has the greatest power to delight, surprise, inform, and move the reader. You cant have this kind of shared understanding if writer and reader are in an adversary relationship (pp. 195196).

This last passage was written by a student who wants to use the OConner resource in a paper and is trying not to plagiarize. Analyze the students work for evidence of plagiarism and/or paraphrasing.

Passage 2:

Some people think the most intelligent writing should be difficult for readers to comprehend. However, this is a misconception about writing. Complicated sentences create unnecessary confusion and prevent readers from understanding the main ideas. Instead, simple and clear writing helps readers understand even the most difficult concepts. Therefore, writers have an important responsibility to express their thoughts and ideas in a way that is succinct, comprehensible, and engaging. A good writer should be mindful of who the target readers are and then use simple and clear language to communicate ideas (OConner, 2003).

Identify and explain any evidence of plagiarism and/or paraphrasing that is found in the student passages provided.