Is it possible for a person to be smart AND a poor writer at the same time?

Question

For example, they don't always use proper sentence structure, punctuation, or use proper grammar. Their sentences aren't very complex. Is it possible that this person could be a poor writer, yet be intelligent at the same time? For example, they didn't take many composition/ english courses in college. And they didn't pay attention in the ones that they did take. But they still somehow aced college as a political science major. And some of their instructors would state, "the writing seems to be the problem here" on their essay tests that they returned to them. They had a good understanding of the lectures and text, had good critical thinking skills, but they couldn't express their thoughts in a well written manner. And in personal letters/ emails they find that folks that didn't attend college or have take few courses have better writing skills than them. Yeah, let's use that as a HYPOTHETICAL example. Haha.

typo- have TAKEN

Answer 1

Yes. I think it is totally possible. I am a sophmore in college now and i feel that way excatly. I am an education major but i have a hard time with writing papers. I have no problem in having ideas but my way of writing is not seen as "the way to be writing" at all. I understand everything i learn but I can't write like everybody else. I have great discussions in class and with my professors but it doesn't always show in my papers. What i do is write it all out how i would normally write then have a friend or professor read it and tell me what corrections should be made. Don't feel bad! I love to write my own ideas but the words never come out right! It's ok! Nobody is perfect.

Answer 2

That is a well detailed question. I suppose it is possible to be a college graduate and still submit papers with poor grammar. Most colleges only require two courses of study in English and grammar. Many students have friends write papers for them and submit as their own to receive higher grades and then lack the proper training and experience. Others simply don't care about grammar when sending a quick email or note. I tend to use spell check on any electronic messages.

Answer 3

Well, for starters your writing looks pretty good. In my opinion people that are good writers tend to like text and they read everyday. I may add that some people are too complex in their messages. If your message is simple the manor in which you write should be the same. I don't know about college, because I am just a poor working class primate but I would imagine that being able to write your thoughts down is a learned gift that isn't for everyone. I wouldn't be too judgmental of Yahoo answers, it is a resting perch for many of us. A stop and a get away from our reality.

Answer 4

I think writing and communication is a skill that anyone can learn. For some, it takes a lot of hard work and practice to get there and just a lot of general life experience.
I'm sure you're smart but there is little point in having that if you can't share it with the world. Use your smarts to improve your communication skills else people will not respect or believe you to be intelligent.

Answer 5

I think that it is possible to be a poor writer and be smart at the same time. People are good at different things. That is just the way things are. People can be really good with science, math or anything other than English and still be smart. My math teacher for example loves to teach math and I think she is pretty good at what she does and I think she is really smart when it comes to a lot of things like math, but she says she doesn't like to write down anymore words than she has to so she uses abreviations for a lot of terms. I am sure there were also lots of scientists, or other genious in the past that didn't like to write papers and even did poorly in English.

Answer 6

Of course - different people have different talent. And, as you mentioned, good writing is also a learned skill - it is not something people are born with.
Take me, for example: I can write quite well, am a decent chess player, I can read three languages and I am good at math. I consider myself a smart person.
However, don't ask me to fix your car. I wouldn't have a clue. A mechanic has learned the skills necessary to do that and can do it quite well. It is also possible that same mechanic can't write very well. Shall I say he is not smart because of that? That would be pretty presumptuous of me, since he's obviously smart enough to do something I can't.

Answer 7

Hypothetical???? I think not as you suggest.

You are a very good writer as witness your post. All those grammatical issues you express are absolutely well done as well.

Why are you so clearly able to express thoughts and ideas in this post and not on an exam? Does the exam sort of freak you out and you get scared? And as a result cannot write well?

This is a mystery.

Keep on writing and perhaps setting up role modelling exams to help you relax in stressful situations.

Good luck.

Answer 8

While I would concur that ones use of language is an indicator to an extent of their intelligence, its not conclusive. For instance someone who is speaking or writing in a second language could still be a very intelligent person who just hasn’t mastered the second language well enough to articulate their thoughts. I am sure there are other exceptions as well. I think it takes more than just evaluation of someone’s writing abilities to truly identify a person’s intelligence level. IMO

Answer 9

Hmm, you did a good job of disguising this mystery person. While I would agree with your argument that poor writing does not necessarily make one less intelligent, the ability to write would make this person a more well-rounded individual. Don't discount the ability to communicate, verbally or in writing. It will help throughout the mystery person's life, regardless of his/her career choices. It sounds like this person would like to become a better writer, and if so, I'd say do lots of reading, and practice writing as well. Sounds like this person's in college: I took some creative writing courses in college, and this really helped me learn the ins and outs of getting my ideas on paper. Good luck to the person you're talking about!

Answer 10

Yes. There are many different types of "smartness". Some people can be great at math, and really smart. Some people can be wonderful with English and writing and be smart in those subjects. Not every smart person is great at everything. And of course, some people just aren't smart at all. But you don't need to be great at writing to be intelligent.