2.5
Quality4.1
Difficulty50%
Would Retake116
Reviews50%
Would Retake
116
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
20
4
17
3
26
2
11
1
42
What Students Say
“Graves is a horrible teacher”
ENGL111 - 1.0 rating“Worst teacher I've had in my life”
ENG111 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
100%
Textbook Required
80%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.21 avg changeRatings by Course
250
5.0
(1)260001
4.0
(1)ENG251
4.0
(1)ENGL250
4.0
(1)ENG250
3.5
(4)Difficulty by Course
ENGLISH11
5.0
COMP2
5.0
ENGLISH112
5.0
ENGLISH100
5.0
ENG261
5.0
Reviews (116)
Unrealistic Expectations
terrible class, not helpful at all, assigns work he hasn't even read
I heard he was aweful! Was told to drop his class. Take another teacher!
I like him, I just dont like his class. British Literature is just a hard subject no matter who teaches it.
His classes are boring and unhelpful. Is it me or does he give everyone a 'd.' He makes the class much harder than it needs to be. Picks out stupid erros in papers. I was stuck in his class but get out b4 its too late...Worst teacher ever!
He is a keen teacher.
Not the easiest teacher but quite OK. Some had problems with his expectations but hey- this is college and not high school anymore. Be prepared for some work - it will be worth it.
This man is a horrible teacher.
expects too much. class is too hard
I think that Dr. Graves is a very fun and helpful teacher!
he is wonderful he wants to help his students and is willing at anytime to give help to anyone he has a passion for english and know everything about it he is a wonderful teacher!!!!
He is soooo boring, corny, difficult to understamd, hard to please, and he never lets class out early!
He is a great professor. It can be hard to pay attention sometimes, but he is very thourough. He explains exactly what will be on the test. I have made an A on everything.
Very good teacher. He has an honest love of English, and is willing to help you with anything from how to go about writing a paper to catching you up if you miss class. Just do the assignments and you'll do fine.
Dr. Graves is probably the most intellectual teacher at Martin. With that said, I thought he was a good teacher, and he really gets into his work, BUT for me, it was extremly hard. He taught as if everyone were a English Major in a upper divison class.
he's not an easy teacher, but gives good direction in writing.
Good in regard to a student that sucks in English.
Dr. Graves was a hard teacher that expected a lot from his students and made the class very boring by talking too much. Overall, he is a good teacher but is very, very hard.
Awful. first thing he tells you is how many degrees he has and where from. Almost impossible to please him when writing, which is most of what Comp 2 is. Definitely the worst class I ever took at Martin.
I can not stand this man. He talks the whole class about stuff besides English. He never lets you out early. You have to have an excuse when you miss class. He grades extremely hard. If you can't write above average you will have a D!
I hate this class. He grades too hard for freshman writers. I am not doing well and I would be if I was in another class. He talks way too much about himself, history, and everthing besides English. DO NOT TAKE HIM!!!
AWFUL
He is a great teacher whom I've never met before. Actually, it's very hard to get a A grade in his class. But he can help you on English as much as he can, if you try hard. He is always very kind and honest for students.
The man is a genius and he will let you know every chance he gets. He subjectively grades papers. In other words if he doesn't agree with you..you're flunked. He loves English, but misses no opportunity to belittle his students for "apparent"
Unlike other Eng. Professors, Dr. Graves allows creativity in papers and essays. Others do not allow this and grade simply on grammar. Graves emphasizes both, but if you have good ideas in yur paper it will outweigh grammatical errors and you'll get a goo
No Comments
Graves is ok, but if you are not good in English don't take him.If you think u are good in Eng, he makes u feel like you don't know anthing. It is severly hard to get an A.However, he is willing to help you if you need it.
I HATE THIS MAN! YOU CANT STUDY FOR HIS TEST, THEY COME FROM WHO KNOWS WHERE? HE GRADES ON THINGS HE SAYS HE WONT,AND I LEARNED NOTHING FROM HIM! DONT TAKE HIM...EVER!!!
I HATE THIS MAN! HES TOO SMART FOR HIS OWN GOOD AND LOVES BRAGGING ABOUT IT! STAY AWAY FROM HIM! ESPECIALLY IF ENGLISH MEANS NOTHING TO YOU LIKE IT DOES ME!!!!!
Really wants you to learn but he can't teach worth a lick...not Literature, anyway. I didn't think the tests were particularly hard but didn't seem to have anything to do with the class, either. I honestly couldn't recommend him but he IS a nice guy.
No Comments
I had Professor Graves my Freshman year and must say that I thoroughly enjoyed the class. If you work hard and study you'll do fine in the class. He is always willing to help. He really knows what he's talking about.
He really is a nice man! BUT, very hard on your writings you do in class and outside! Even the help I got in lab, still got more blue ink than what I wrote in pencil. Don't say AIN'T in the class! HEHEHE! Watch how you speak too, he'll get you on that!
i've just started in his class and i already think he is unclear to understand and he just rambles on. i don't think it is gonna work out and i wouldn't take his class if you had a choice. goodluck to all that are in his class like me.
Terrible teacher. I wouldn't reccommend him to even my worst enemy. he doesn't clearly explain anything and doesn't seem intrested in helpong at all.
I hate this class
He never knew what did he talk about in class, and always give you a critical grades. If you took his class, you would get a B or C... good luck.
really, really, really tough but nice if you do it his way
Way too hard for a 100 level class. He loves the fact that he is a little more intelligent than anyone else at UTM. DO NOT TAKE HIM!!!
awful
He was very bias on opinions and did not agree with students ideas unless they were the same as his.
The man speaks another language (he is very unclear). He grades subjectively, which is completely unfair. Expect lots and LOTS of pen marks on your papers. I DON'T see how it's possiable to get an A in there. He's a nice man, boring, but nice. Let him be your last option.
I hate him.
i thought it was super easy. i slept EVERY time. you should rear what he assigns but i usually didnt and still did fine. tests are sparse and easy and his papers are so easy write about. i made all As and Bs on EVERY paper no matter how little i tried
This teacher is the worst ever. He should not be teaching a freshman class. He should be teaching English majors. I would not recommend this class for anyone. He isn't a very good teacher.
I had english professors from other classes help with with my papers and still got a c on most of them. That should say enough
DO NOT TAKE THIS MAN!!!!
He has got to be the most arrogant S> O B> on the campus. do not take him unless you are a mindless stooge
He's nice and he wants you to learn. He realizes his standards are high and takes it into account. But if you like to learn and have a curious mind, take him and learn from him. He's very kind-- but he won't baby you. And, you're in college, you shouldn't expect to be babied.
DO NOT TAKE HIS CLASS. I had an A+ in English 110, and in his class I made a D on almost all my papers. I took my papers to others English teachers and they revised but he still have my a C on the paper. It is not possible to make an A. And he is a jerk if you try to get him to help you.
Do not take his class! He showed favortism to a few students in the class. He is a very smart man, and knows his materials, but just doesn't know how to teach well. If you have insecurities about your writing he's not the one to take, because he doesn't offer constructive criticism, just criticism.
Do not take this class. He is very opinionated, and believes that his point of view is the right one. What would be an A or B in other classes is a C or D in his. If you do the work you will probably get a C.
No Comments
DO NOT TAKE HIS CLASS. Only take his class if you want your GPA to go down. He act like everyone should think and talk the way he does and even if you do you still will make a F. He is the worst teacher i have ever had in my whole entire life.If i have to experience a teacher like him ever again i will quit school.
Total nutbar. Don't think I learned anything from him other than the sexual proclivities of Bill Shakespeare.
He is so boring and he talks about random stuff. Try to avoid his class if possible!! You have to write a 500 word paper EVERY week.
If you are a decent writer you will do well, if you're not so great, he will make you a better writer. The work is easy and he doesn't overload on homework. He has high standards, but they're not outrageous.
he's not hard at all, but i do agree that he doesn't command attention very well simply for the fact that he can drone on about things. if you are getting bad scores on your paper then guess what--you are probably not a very good writer. go to the writing center before you turn it in and don't whine about it later. he offers extra credit throughout the semester and let's you revise two papers for higher grades during the term. come on people.
I like his class. Some people had a hard time getting into the mode he likes his students to write in, but I did well on all the papers. If you take time to revise your papers, you will do well. The class is hardly anything but writing, and there are only nine papers. Some are in class writings. The topics are easy compared to other teachers.
No Comments
I will admit that Dr. Graves is a bit boring, but he will help you when you need help. But, when he grades he expects you to write like THE GREATEST WRITER!! If you don't write the way he does (like an English professor) he will give you a C. Don't take this class!!!
No Comments
No Comments
No Comments
Dr.Graves really isn't all THAT bad. Make sure you do the assigned readings before class and write the papers and you should be fine. He was always willing to help but you have to make the effort, he won't! I admit, he does tend to be very staight foward with his personal views, so if you cant deal with that, dont take him!
He tends to babble on about things not invovle in the lesson. He make out of the way comments that will and do offend.
Graves is a great english teacher. i didnt like english before i took his class, he really helped to like english. the only way this class is hard is if you dont do your work and dont respect him. thats all he asks of his students. you just cant be lazy in his class. You'll get an A if you actually try in this class.
grades as if you were a grad student
Tough professor but very good class very helpful in developing serious writers.
By far the worst teacher I have ever had. Ever. English is my thing (not my major) and I like to think that I write a pretty mean paper. He did not agree with me. He never accepted any of my papers. He expects every body to write like Shakespeare. I had the flu for 2 weeks and was in the hospital so he failed me. I highly dislike him.
This was an excellent learning experinece. It is refreshing to have a professor with high expectations. Follow instructions and complete the reading. There will be questions to answer about the reading assignments. You cannot fake it, so just read it. Do not miss a class. The in class writing cannot be made up. He knows his stuff.
He has very high expectations for his papers. You have a paper due almost every week over a different topic or subject dealing with writing. He gives at least 3 free class periods. Class is very BORING!! I would not ever take him again..
he grades so hard! class is super boring. i wouldnt take him again
This class is not for slackers, if you plan on trying to wing everything Graves is not for you. There is much reading and writing. If you really care about your grades he is willing to help in any way possible. I like the class and am doing well.
take him he is easy A
he is preety easy. not many papers to write
His lectures are SO boring!!! He grades his paper for British Literature VERY hard, and everyone in the class had like a billion marks on their paper! However, his quizzes are not hard and he is pretty nice. His lectures are just extremely boring!! British Literature is just not my thing!!
Neil is not so much hard, but he assigns SO MUCH WORK. Some of the assignments have a ridiculous amount of reading... uh! But, he is a soft speaker, and would not yell at you for anything. He always loves at good controversial class discussion. I would recommend taking someone unless you just really enjoy reading!
NEIL GRAVES is the WORST teacher for ENGLISH. DO NOT, I REPREAT, DO NOT take his class. There are many other teachers to chose from, so take this advantage and DO NOT TAKE HIS CLASS. He grades papers RIDICULOUSLY.
this dude is horrible.he turned me in for plagurism.he didn't even give me a warning.one of my first papers. this guy is ruthless and doesn't care if you fail. he told me i write like a 3rd grader.that was very discouraging and gave me no confidence or hope.bottom line i was failing his class but dropped it,then i took jenna wright and i made a(b)
Has unreasonable expectation and seems to give you whatever grade he wants.
he assigned two research papers.. the second one, he gave me an f for "technical plagarism" whenever i cited the sources that i used... other than that, the number of markings i had on my paper were about the same for a b paper. he has unrealistic expectations for freshmen. do not take him, his class is rediculous.
don't take this prof if you can help it! he grades unrealistically not like you are freshman and this is your 1st college eng class. you must read the assignments because he does give pop quizzes. and he grades horribly on papers. if you must take him just stop by his office and let him correct your papers cause he will tell you whats exactly wrong
Didn't like the material
Be prepared to read and write an work hard. His expectations are high but he is always there to help and is very reasonable
Neil Graves is the worst English teacher I have ever taken. DO NOT TAKE HIM! His expectations are too high for a freshman English class. I've always fairly well in English and I am a good writer, but when I took his class I got an F on almost every paper. I dreaded going to his class everyday because I knew he was just going to give me another F.
WORST teacher ever...Degrades people and gives out a "F" on every paper...Does dont give you a fair chance...It is a english course but all we do it read a book about history and write reports on it and he gives us a "F" even though he isnt teach english..I have learned more about Dr martin luther king than i have about grammer...WORST TEACHER
Dr. Graves is the embodiment of English. It oozes from his pores. He's very knowledgeable, well-spoken, and helpful. His assignments are not very hard (A's and B's on almost every paper), and his expectations are spot-on. In Eng 11, he is there to provide guidance in an otherwise self-discovery course. He is NOT there to TEACH GRAMMAR! I Recommend.
This teacher is super hard and if you are not prepared or want to be lazy find someone else because he gives no mercy. Class is mandatory! Be prepared to work your you know what off in this class. Your papers will probably be all f's, d's, and maybe c's. Don't give up. He knows his stuff.
He has extremely high expectations but if you try it is very possible to make an A.
Graves is a good professor. If you read the material and spend time on the papers you have to do, you will do fine. It is rather easy. He does like to talk, though, but as far as the work all it is is papers and reading and he occasionally gives reading credit quizzes. Overall pretty easy, and you learn how to write better. He helps, too.
Unfortunately I had not written a research paper before coming to college so he destroyed me on the final. He said I plagerized because I didn't cite my sources correctly. He is entirely too picky about the little details. He asks questions he can't even answer. He just likes to hear himself talk, in my opinion. Avoid him if you can!
He was way too hard for most freshmen coming in. I took him, and he ripped my papers apart. you have multiple reading assignments for every class. if you can stay out of his class, do it!!
Hardest teacher I could ever imagine. I made straight A's throughout my high school and made an F in my first English 111 class. DON'T TAKE HIM!
Avoid at all costs even if even you have to wait a semester to take another English. This class WILL kill your GPA, He is the hardest teacher I have ever had. If you want to enjoy your semester do not take Mr.graves
Dr. Graves is certainly passinate about writing, but he is extremely tough on his students. Daily quiz grades, stories to read EVERY night and he counts off for everything on your papers (he even admits to this). He tells you not to lose hope, but I did.
Dr. Graves is a tough Professor. He is not going to simply give you a grade. I was always strong in English and did not have any trouble in his class. I received maybe two D's my entire course and made an A in the course. You have to read do the work he asks. Just participate in class and really act interested, it will help you tremendously.
Knows what he is talking about. Is kind of boring sometimes. Is tough on grading papers, but will give you a second chance to fix it. Will sit down and tell you exactly what he wants for a paper
I took this class my very first semester. I'm a REALLY good writer and was looking forward to this class. BUT he gave me C's on all my papers. I ended up retaking the class again under a different professor, and made an A. EVEN used some of the same papers. My advice.. DONT take Graves.
I had him my freshman year of college. I turned in my first paper, and he gave it back to me in front of the whole class and said that he wouldn't grade it because I didn't put the section number on the heading. He is mean, rude, and has NO intention of helping you. He was so rude to me inside & outside of class, I ended up dropping the class.
Graves is a horrible teacher. He does take attendance, so you have to go.You will have to read a short story or essay before each class. There normally will be a quiz or an in class writing about the story. He grades his papers are real short and all but one are about yourself. Do yourself a favor and do not take Graves no matter what! I got a B!!!
I would dread going to his class !! I made A's in high school and made a D.
I had a 4.0 in high school and a 4.0 in college until i took Graves. He is terrible. Puts you to sleep every day, and even took off 1/3 of my grade because I bolded a title when he told us nothing about that. Even on the papers he did grade, he is so picky its almost impossible to even get an A-. Just take my advice and drop his class if u have it!
DROP THE CLASS! Worst teacher I've had in my life. Had a 4.0 in high school and am now getting straight C's on every paper. Hardest grader on the planet. He will rip your paper apart for the smallest details. He puts me to sleep every class because we talk about his life and irrelevant topics instead of becoming better writers like he wants us to.
Worst English teacher ever.
Like most people have said, I had straight A's in high school. He talked about his life and just expected us to know what to do. WORST PROFESSOR EVER. AVOID AT ALL COSTS.
Here's the deal: Graves IS hard, but if you're an English major or want to go to grad school, you NEED to take him at least once. He'll help you prepare for what is to come (trust me). Freshmen: stop comparing college to high school. Your high school GPA means nothing here. That being said, I agree that he is difficult for the unprepared freshman.
Graves is a tough grader, but he gives you plenty of extra credit opportunities. He can also be quite boring in lecture, but it is important to attend for the small pieces of information for clarity and the attendance credit. He is very long winded in person and emails, so don't ask questions unless necessary.
People talk bad about Dr. Graves a lot, but he's an amazing teacher. He works hard for his students. Yes, he asks for a lot, and if writing is harder for you, you may want to take a different class. HOWEVER - his class WILL help your writing. One of my favorite professors at UTM.
I took Dr. Graves back in 2001 and 2004. He's still at UTM and I keep in touch with him. He's really hard but if you want to go to grad school, he's good to take. I have to say, he frustrated me but he also taught me more vocabulary than any prof I have ever had, so I am grateful to him!
It is a hard class, but he one of the most helpful teacher i have ever had.
He is very helpful, but unless you are an English major(in that case he would be great) I would not suggest this class. He is a tough grader. Also if you don't read the essays he assigns you WILL FAIL the class. I'm a Pre-Vet major and he is KILLING my GPA, and I work continuously on his class just to keep afloat.
dr. graves was my most horrible professor. he passed me though... go to class do the wotk and take advantage of extra credit
Let me just say. after taking his class I could write you a perfect paper on it. He was the most difficult professor I've ever had and I love him for it. Don't take the class if you don't plan on putting in hours bettering yourself. I may actually take him again, because I've learned so much. super tough grader, but I'm a better personB/C of it
Dr. Graves comes off as a bit harsh in the beginning. He is a tough grader, and he critiques your papers based on how he wants you to write them. I wouldn't recommend taking his courses unless you are an English major.
Nail's teaching method for this course is mostly video based, meaning he'll give an outline of the material we'll be tested on & have us watch a documentary of said topic. He is a monotone speaker, but it isn't hard to understand what he is teaching. The projects he gives out are fairly straight forward & he does goes give opportunities to revise
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
100%
Textbook Required
80%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.21 avg changeRatings by Course
250
5.0
(1)260001
4.0
(1)ENG251
4.0
(1)ENGL250
4.0
(1)ENG250
3.5
(4)Difficulty by Course
ENGLISH11
5.0
COMP2
5.0
ENGLISH112
5.0
ENGLISH100
5.0
ENG261
5.0