1. At the beginning of this video, grammar errors are compared to social errors on a date. Both are clumsy, distracting, and damaging to your goal. Make your own new comparison to describe grammar errors and their effect. What do you think of grammar errors and what they do to your writing? Invent another comparison that illustrates the effect of grammar errors on your reader.

2. In the video, mystery novelist Sue Grafton says that, as she writes, she knows that she often over-uses certain pet phrases like "anyway" and "at any rate." She would like to break herself of this habit because it creates an annoying, repetitive effect in her drafts. Describe some weak spot in your writing that you would like to change. The weak spot might be certain grammatical errors that you notice you keep making. (Do you struggle with fragments, comma splices, subject-verb agreement problems, or shifts in verb tense?) Or the weak spot might be certain phrases or misspelling that you keep repeating. It might be something else. Whatever it is, write about what steps have you taken or intend to take to overcome these tendencies. Note: If you do not know your grammar tendencies, start paying attention to your instructor's corrections and notes on your papers, or ask your instructor or your peers for help identifying recurring errors in your writing.