tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3790062.post-80960982624701271992008-04-09T10:21:00.005-06:002008-04-10T22:42:23.568-06:00Behind me there's a consultation that's become a heated debate. I'm pretty sure that they're not even having the same conversation.<br /><br />Have you ever . . . had a consultee get defensive? Perhaps he takes offense to the accusation that his sentence is a fragment. But it's not an accusation--it's a fact. However, before you can explain <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">why </span>it's a fact, he/she sits back and his eyes glaze over and he puts his fingers in his ears and begins to sing, "Of course I know how to write a complete sentence, I'm not listening, I can't even hear you, la, la, la." Okay, well, minus the song.<br /><br />So what do you do?<br />-I compare it to a good example in the paper to put the emphasis back on something they are doing "right".<br />-Consult a source (handbook, another consultant, the assignment), in case it has a clearer explanation or just because maybe he/she would rather listen to someone else.<br />-OR I talk to the hard stare until I reach a point where I gloss over it and move on (read: fail).<br /><br />I can't say I'm especially fond of the last option. Any other suggestions? Perhaps I should add some snazzier choreography to my grammar dance?Sarah M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07171539230847753842noreply@blogger.com