Just about done with school. I got my Rocky grades in on Tuesday, after having to spend a few hours tracking down a plagiarism case. It was a good reminder why I would have been a lousy detective. Once the thrill of the chase is over, I just felt dragged down by it all. I already know too many things I don't want to know. Why learn one more?
Now I just have to grade my German finals and get those grades in by Wednesday. Then in the spring, I'll be teaching two German courses at MSU-Billings, and I have a whole month to get ready for it. Maybe I'll get it done right this time.
In the meantime, I'm compiling a list of the most common errors students make in writing (English, not German). I'll add to it as they come to me, but here are a few, in no particular order:
1. Comma splices. Not quite universal but very, very common.
2. Leaving out the comma after the year in a complete date. Almost every student will write, "I was born Jan. 1, 1980 in Billings" instead of "I was born Jan. 1, 1980, in Billings." It's so universal an error that obviously their high school and junior high teachers didn't know the rule either.
3. Pronoun agreement. Nearly universal. "Their" has become the default pronoun for all purposes, regardless of gender and number.
4. Use of "then" for "than." Odd, but quite common.
5. "Affect" vs. "effect." Wrong more often than not.
6. Punctuation outside quotation marks. Students put commas and periods outside quotation marks far more often than they would if they were just guessing. Somewhere along the line, they’re being taught to do it the wrong way.
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So, Dave, I know you're from Texas, and now I know that you teach German. That means that you must like beer!!! (I HATE when someone uses too many, or is it to many, or two many, anyway, when they use alot (ain't that 2 words?) of exlamation marks at the end of a sentence! Back to my original thought. Have you ever drank (drunk, drinked??) CONSUMED a beer called Shiner Bock? I had my first one the other night, and DAMN that's good beer! Your German pals in the lone star state sure know how to make a good beer! When I was there for a year in the military, I wish I'd have known about Shiner. It beats the crap outta all that Lone Star and Grain Belt whiz that I drank!
Larry, I'm not sure when you were in the military, but Shiner Bock may not have existed then. I drank regular Shiner in college back in the '70s, partly out of loyalty to a Texas brewery, partly because it reputedly contained a dollop of honey and partly because I really liked it (except for a bit of a rough finish).
When Shiner Bock was introduced sometime in the mid-80s, back before a lot of microbrews were available, at least in Texas, it was a revelation -- all of the flavor of the original, and smooth all the way through. It has been my beer of choice ever since (just bought a six-pack last night).
In those days, I used to say that if I had a million bucks, I would invest it in giving Shiner a national presence. But of course I didn't, and Shiner had to make it on its own. It took a while, but I'm glad to see it here now.
I arrived in Texas in Jan., 1970. Spent my first year there in training before heading overseas. And my Shiner Bock, was part of a mixed package of microbrews I recieved for Christmas, was indeed a revelation for me too. I had pretty much given up on American beer except for a few microbrews. Thanks for the history lesson. I find it fascinating that there existed a beer of such quality BEFORE the microbrews came along.
I'm not sure, but I think they now make Shiner Bock year round, which is not quite right. It used to be that Bock was called "Easter beer" because the brewers made it only briefly, about that time of year. It had something to do with cleaning out the vats and making beer with the stuff left in the bottom -- though more than likely my understanding of the process is hilariously wrong. But it was strictly a seasonal beer. In Minnesota and Wisconsin, Leinenkugel, like Shiner, was a great, cheap beer, but its Bock, available only on tap and only for a few weeks around Easter, was a treat that we looked forward to immensely. And David, speaking of German, I know that "lager" means "to store" (which is why the Nazis, those great humorists, called their concentration and extermination camps "Lagers"), but what does "Bock" mean?
Ed,
Bock means "goat," and I think I once heard how it got connected to bock beer, but I have forgotten.
You're right, though: Traditionally it has been a seasonal beer. In Munich, it was served during "Starkbierzeit," or "strong beer season," which is held in March. The theory, I think, was that Starkbier would give you the strength to get through Lent.
I went once to the Nockenberg in Munich during Starkbierzeit. As at Oktoberfest, bock beer was served by the liter, accompanied by dirndls, lederhosen and oompah music.
How strong was it? Strong enough that drinking two liters was enough to make me think I could drink three. But No. 3 was definitely a mistake.
Dave, I've got a confession. I tease Texas a lot, but ya know, some of the nicest, most down-to-earth people I ever met where from there. Oh sure, coming from the mountain west, I thought Texas was ugly as hell back then. But upon reflection, there was some beauty there too. I've always wanted to go back and explore that Big Bend region.
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