Some Rules for Writing Everyone Should (Already) Know



Some Rules for Writing Everyone Should (Already) Know

Inexperienced writers frequently lose track of the following rules and proper usages in their writing. These are not advanced concepts, most of which are taught at the elementary school level. Here at PVMHS, English teachers, and most of your other teachers as well, expect you to have mastered these concepts already. Remember that every piece of writing you hand in is a statement of what you believe to be the best of your ability, so think about what assumptions your teachers will have about you if you are making these mistakes.

As a new rule, if any piece of writing is turned in with a problem in any of the following areas that error will be circled and grading of the paper will stop. There may be more errors in the paper, but they will not be marked. The paper will be handed back with the words “FIX IT” written on the front, and will be graded when it has been proofread to an acceptable level.

Students will only have 5 school days to pass in the paper to be corrected. If you fail to turn the paper back in with it properly proofread, every “Fix it” mistake will be a deduction of 1 point from the final grade.

This list is a living document that we will add to as the year progresses and I see what items need to be on it.

1. Use “would have,” “could have,” or “should have,” not “would of,” “could of” or “should of”

2. Understand the difference between the words “through” and “threw,” and use the one you mean.

3. Do not use contractions.

4. Do not use: I, me, my, mine, myself, your, we, us, our, you’re or any other version of the first or second person (unless you are specifically directed to).

5. Do not use the word “basically”. EVER!

6. Do not start your essay with “In this essay I will…” or any variation thereof.

7. Understand the difference between the words “there, “their,” and “they’re,” and use the one you mean.

8. Do not use internet jargon e.g. “u” for “you” or “L8r” for “later.”

9. Understand the difference between the words “definitely” and “defiantly” and use the one you mean.

10. Understand the difference between the words “choose” and “chose” and use the one you mean.

11. Underline the titles of books, epic poems, or other major works. Put the titles of poems, short stories, or articles in quotation marks.

12. Do not use the title of a piece of literature as the title of an essay about that piece of literature.

13. Do not use the word “like” unless comparing something.

14. Understand the difference between the words “loose” and “lose” and use the one you mean.

15. Understand the difference between the words “your” and “you’re” and use the one you mean.

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download