Mastering Formal Writing

When I was in elementary school, I attended a private school that had a strong emphasis on language. The school offered English and creative writing courses to 3^rd and 4^th graders. It also offered Arabic, German, French, and Italian to students who were interested in languages. I grew up in a household where my father spoke 3 languages and aspired to be like him.  Although this was the case, I felt that the only way I could get to that level was to master and perfect the sole language I spoke, English.

My teachers throughout elementary and intermediate school had a strong emphasis on grammar and sentence structure. One of my teachers would always say, “If you are unsure of a comma is needed then it’s most likely needed.” Although now I know that her statement is not entirely true, I have a habit of adding additional commas where they are not needed.  Ms. Tracy, my 6^th grade teacher would push for me to be more creative when I write. She explained the best way to do to this was to add as many adjectives and adverbs as possible to describe a situation. 

This is also another reason why I tend to have really long sentences when I write.  Up until my last year of high school, my Advanced  Placement English teachers would stress the importance of warranting a claim you make right after you make it. For example, when I make a bold claim, I will provide evidence as to why this is true immediately after I draw the claim.  This isn't always the case but this is the way that I learned how to construct argumentation.

In my experience, my English teachers have had a positive experience on my ability to learn to perfect my writing style. I do believe that a person’s parent play a significant role in the development of a person’s writing style.  My father would purposely use words I didn't understand so that I would be forced to look them up in the dictionary and embed them into my vocabulary.

What do you guys think? Who has impacted your writing abilities and style? Is your situation different or similar to mine?