ESL Podcast 685 – Getting Feedback on Writing

　　Xica: I just got my paper back from Professor Rodriguez and it’s all marked up.
Lucas: Let me see. It doesn’t look too bad. This is a draft, right? His note at the top says to make revisions before handing in a final version. He’s trying to help you get a better grade.
Xica: Maybe, but there’s nothing he likes about the essay. Look at all of those comments in the margins¹. He underlined the entire introduction and wrote “run-on sentence” next to it.
Lucas: That’s easy to fix, and it is a run-on sentence, you know.
Xica: And in the body, he wrote that I had no transitions and that my arguments weren’t well supported.
Lucas: Well, transitions are easy to put in and you just need to cite a few more sources -- that’s all.
Xica: Yeah, but that’s not all. Next to the conclusion, he wrote that I didn’t properly summarize my main points. See what I mean? There’s nothing he likes about this essay.
Lucas: I think you should take the constructive² criticism as it’s meant – to help you.
Xica: It’s easy for you to say. You’re done with college. It’s kind of demoralizing to get your paper back all marked up.
Lucas: True, but you forget that I have my own battle wounds – lots of them!
Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

1 margins   

边( margin的名词复数 )； 利润； 页边空白； 差数

参考例句：

• They have always had to make do with relatively small profit margins. 他们不得不经常设法应付较少的利润额。
• To create more space between the navigation items, add left and right margins to the links. 在每个项目间留更多的空隙，加左或者右的margins来定义链接。

2 constructive   

adj.建设的，建设性的

参考例句：

• We welcome constructive criticism.我们乐意接受有建设性的批评。
• He is beginning to deal with his anger in a constructive way.他开始用建设性的方法处理自己的怒气。