Did you actually pass the courses you used it for? Sparknotes definitely isn't at a university level...
Using secondary sources is fine as long as you cite your sources, although it's not usually necessary for English coursework (except for some upper-level university courses). But if you do use any secondary sources, hopefully you can do better than Sparknotes.
Yes I did pass thanks and with quite a high grade as I recall. I'm not saying that I used it as my sole reference but it was definitely useful as an additional study aid to encourage you to consider point you might not have thought of before.
I don't want to cause an argument but I kind of wish I hadn't even tried to offer help to the OP now if this is the sort of reponse I get from people where I'm made to feel that somehow I'm a failure for using something that others seem to think is beneath everyone. I had hope that this site wasn't that kind of place.
Yes I did pass thanks and with quite a high grade as I recall. I'm not saying that I used it as my sole reference but it was definitely useful as an additional study aid to encourage you to consider point you might not have thought of before.
I don't want to cause an argument but I kind of wish I hadn't even tried to offer help to the OP now if this is the sort of reponse I get from people where I'm made to feel that somehow I'm a failure for using something that others seem to think is beneath everyone. I had hope that this site wasn't that kind of place.
I'm studying for a post-graduate degree at the moment, stuck in the reseach part... which is 90% reading what other people have said about the topic and deciding whether you agree or disagree. Only about 10% of it will be original research. Some people aren't even doing that 10% - what matters is the information they select and the way they use it to present a possible solution to a problem.
One of the most useful starting points for me was a brief (6 page) summary of key concepts in this particular field. Obviously I'll need to read in more depth about some of those key concepts, and reference the paper in my final report.
But anyone who suggests this is 'wrong' or 'beneath' them doesn't understand studying...
Congratulations! I'm not trying to take away from your acheivement.
But this isn't a competition...
And the further you get with your studies the more you realise it's not about 'listening in class' - you get less and less given you in class (and spend less and less time in class) - it's about how you find and use the information you need for yourself, choose what you think is relevant, and make a coherent arguement out of it.
I've never been good at listening in class, it just doesn't work for me. That's why I study with Open University (also so I can earn a living at the same time). And as I said, I've nearly finished a post-grad degree. We all learn differently
And the further you get with your studies the more you realise it's not about 'listening in class' - you get less and less given you in class (and spend less and less time in class) - it's about how you find and use the information you need for yourself, choose what you think is relevant, and make a coherent arguement out of it.
While I agree that learning is about finding information for yourself, I have to disagree with what you said about listening in class. Like you said, everyone learns differently. Personally, I struggle with reading because my dyslexic, but I go to a school with lots of extremely intelligent and knowledgeable professors, so listening in class is one of the most important things for me. So while I agree with you overall, I don't agree that listening in class isn't sometimes important -- for some people, listening to lectures is one of the best ways to learn, even though that's definitely not true for everyone.
Sorry, I know that's totally off topic, but it still interests me...
Emily
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While I agree that learning is about finding information for yourself, I have to disagree with what you said about listening in class. Like you said, everyone learns differently. Personally, I struggle with reading because my dyslexic, but I go to a school with lots of extremely intelligent and knowledgeable professors, so listening in class is one of the most important things for me. So while I agree with you overall, I don't agree that listening in class isn't sometimes important -- for some people, listening to lectures is one of the best ways to learn, even though that's definitely not true for everyone.
I didn't mean to say no-one should listen in class! Or that I have never learnt from being in class - I have... just that it's not the only way...
thankyouu everyone that helpedd, ive got startedd, and your advice has really helpedd :)
sorry if its cheating...my teacher is crap and really, even if i did listen, i wouldnt learn much.
and sorry for causing any arguements between peoplee :$
xxx
and say it for me, say it to me;
and i'll leave this life behind me say it if its worth saving me
Personally I'd recommend some york notes...Then some more york notes, and finally, to top it off, some more york notes. Got me through the painful times.
Good luck.
I'm also sufferring with English Lit coursework.
God I hate Willy Lowman...
This is a gift, it comes with a price
Who is the lamb and who is the knife
Midas is king and he holds me so tight
And turns me to gold in the sunlight
And in the spring I shed my skin
And it blows away with the changing wind
The waters turn from blue to red
As towards the sky I offer it
I've posted here in the past about homework, asking for ideas on where to look and that sort of thing. I never considered it cheating - I wasn't asking for any answers or expecting any answers.
You're saying this to someone who got A* on their english coursework on their own even though they didn't understand it by simply listening?
No offense, but that would be considerably more compelling were it stated using the correct pronouns and punctuation. "Their" and "they" are third-person plural pronouns, but the antecedent "someone" is singular, and so requires the use of appropriate third-person singular pronouns, which in this case would be "her" and "she."
Question marks are properly used only at the end of an interrogative sentence. There are three types of interrogative sentences. The first, the polar question, is formed by placing the verb in from of the subject if a modal or auxiliary verb, or a form of the verb "to do" is present in the sentence, or by placing the appropriate form of the verb "to do" in front of the sentence if such a verb is not present. The second type, the information question, begins with an interrogative pronoun. The third type, the disjunctive question, consists of a statement followed by a tag, where the tag adheres to the form of a polar question.
Academic achievement is far more than test scores.
Emily
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I have the Reduced Shakespeare Company on DVD, it's ACE
I also have their Complete history of America Reduced.
Well it breaks my heart to see you this way,
The beauty in life, where's it gone?
And somebody told me you were doing okay,
Somehow I guess they were wrong.
I don't think it's as well done as their Shakespeare one because they don't get into character as much, but it's still really good. If the Shakespeare one is a 9/10, the History of America one is like a 7.5/10
Well it breaks my heart to see you this way,
The beauty in life, where's it gone?
And somebody told me you were doing okay,
Somehow I guess they were wrong.
I watched a five minute film summary of the tempest. It was awesome. Helped me with my coursework.
Well no, it didn't but provided apt distractions and procrastination from work.
thankyouu everyone that helpedd, ive got startedd, and your advice has really helpedd :)
sorry if its cheating...my teacher is crap and really, even if i did listen, i wouldnt learn much.
and sorry for causing any arguements between peoplee :$
xxx
I'm glad we could help
And it's not cheating at all. There's no reason you should only learn from your teacher, especially if he or she is crap, but even when you have a good teacher, you can still learn even more by listening to other people as well. You've nothing to apologize for. I'm sorry you had people jump on you for "cheating" when you're actually showing maturity as a student by asking for help with an assignment you're struggling with, and by using the advice you're given to figure out how to approach the assignment, rather than looking for a way to hand in someone else's work. Don't be put off by the negative responses -- being able to ask for help with assignments (from classmates, friends, and older students as well as teachers) will serve you well through your later years of school, and especially when you get to university.
Also, if you want some feedback on your paper when you have a first draft (or a final draft, or anything in between), feel free to post it here (or PM me if you'd prefer). The feedback you get on the papers you write is extremely valuable, not only for improving the paper before you turn it in, but also for improving your writing overall if you try to apply advice you've received on previous papers to future papers. And especially since your teacher isn't very good, you could probably benefit quite a bit from getting feedback from people on here as well, even if post your paper here after you've handed it in.
Emily
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(> < ) This Is Bunny. Copy Bunny into your signature to help him on his way to world domination.
Candy Tetris
Mahjong
Othello
Mumu
