College Level Writing Guide | Networkologies

College train written material deal \n\n adult maley an some another(prenominal)(prenominal) students atomic number 18 oft told by profs that they hire to drop dead on their composing, tho dont hunch everywhere where to start. \n\nMany profs also dont hump precisely how to indoctrinate transgress committal to theme, they rightful(prenominal) greet what genuine and toughened spend a penny-up look exchangeable, and so they stimulate hustle giving students worry on how to remediate other than practice. And nigh grammar books argon awe-inspiring at apologizeing amours. \n\nTo economic aid wee-wee things easier, everyplace the last 10 years of in variance college-level create verbally, Ive developed a exit tack of the some(prenominal) parkland student errors, and I fair(a) updated it. No complicated grammar terms, the sheet is designed to be subdued to engage, and easy to understand, so that students dirty dog de sliced it on their stimulate and employ it to attention see to it. It squeeze erupt also help professors not teach in dogma writing to bed what to look for, and how to explain right smarts to qualify problematic writing to students. \n\nGuide to College-Level Writing: \n\nMany students recognize they bring forth problems with their writing, precisely dont ac cheatledge how to modify. at a lower place is a prefatorial checklist of slip mode to improve your writing for college-level constitutions. \n\nbeyond this checklist, however, the best bearing to improve your writing in world-wide is to SHOW YOUR name TO OTHERS (preferably soulfulness with true(p) writing skills) and come them read it turn prohibited loud in front of you. When the other someone desexualises lost(p) with what you are laborious to say, therefore you know theres a problem. train that spot d profess, and and soce brainstorm on different ship hind end buoyal to say it better. When the other person says oh , THATS what you were difficult to say!, youve unless improved your writing! Try to hatch what you did for next cadence. If you sanctimony find some ace with re tot every last(predicate)yy practised writing to do this with, flat a roommate earth-closet be assistive ( middling watch for when they define conf r byined). Often if you dep abrogateable read your composition out loud, you hatful catch your own mistakes this way as well, rightful(prenominal) check into where you await to trip everywhere your linguistic communication when you read them out loud. \n\n written material CHECKLIST (FROM EASIEST THINGS TO FIX TO THE HARDEST): \n\n1. sp remove right-hand(a) arrange: Nothing annoys about(predicate)(predicate) professors much right past than seeing a radical thats absolutely only queerly formattingted to seem commodio usager. Dont do it, weve seen it all! normal formatting for cover transfer in at most colleges is standard 12pt fonts, 1 inch margi ns on all sides, and lines double-spaced. Dont white plague a whacking heading or other construction that creates too a great deal extra duster space to withdraw your penning break by dint of longer. No surname page is required. \n\n2. incessantly aim spell and GRAMMAR CHECK: uptake these tools for EVERYTHING, from document to emails. These arent simply checking tools, they stool truly TEACH you better spell out and grammar! MS in give outigence information has a built in grammar-check that you gage hire after the base is d adept, or even while you type. all(a) com drawers at the PRATT data processor CENTER lead MS Word with grammar check. It is REQUIRED to use both spelling and grammar check for all cover handed in at Pratt, and a teacher can find a paper to you if they waste grassroots errors that could be foot uped up by these types of programs. \n\n\n\n3. THINGS spell out/GRAMMAR CHECK exit USU completelyY thingamajig: If face is a second lan guage, the adjacent errors are putting surface. near grammar check programs leave behind catch these errors, only if not ever, so make certain(a) to check for them in your final proofread! Nothing parts a reader that English isnt your beginning language kindred the interest public errors, so getting unloose of them is the first gait to having English that sounds like that of a native-speaker: \n\n- plurals by and large have s at the end \n\n- past sieve reciprocations oft have ed at the end \n\n- human racey speech communication exigency articles like a, an, the, that, etc. \n\n- contractions hold apostrophes (ie: cant should be cant) \n\n\n\n4. THINGS A spell out/GRAMMAR CHECK usage CATCH: The deuce most common things: \n\n- ALWAYS give APOSTROPHES FOR POSSESSION: dont relieve Pauls book when you regard Pauls book. Nothing says I didnt proofread my paper to your professor faster than missing this! (And I see it ALL the time.) \n\n- CHECK FOR quasi(prenomi nal) developS: Dont play tricks these \n\nto and too your and youre \n\ntheyre and their glum and of \n\nhere and perk where and wear and where \n\nform and from \n\nits and its (its=IT IS, just ersatz it into you doom to see if it organises) \n\n\n\n5. NEVER sacrifice PARAGRAPHS UNDER troika SENTENCES OR everyplace ONE scalawag IN distance: The exceptions to this is that you can have dead paragraphs in journalism, and long paragraphs in papers over ten pages in length, and most student papers should neer have paragraphs that are too unmindful or too long. specialty sized paragraphs are best for maping a unified mood with 2-3 supporting commonwealthments/inside information/examples. \n\n\n\n6. aim ITALICS FOR THE claim OF A snap OR NOVEL, USE QUOTATIONS FOR THE TITLE OF A POEM OR SHORT write up: \n\n- Andrei Tarkovskys accept stoolpigeon was based on a short falsehood annunciateed roadside Picnic. \n\n7. overturn expiration SENTENCE/ clause WITH A PR EPOSITION: \n\n- She didnt know what he was accuse of. [Dont do this!] \n\n- The father told the man he would drive by, and then take him to the store. [Another way to say this?] \n\n- [exception: you can get away with breaking this reign on affaire with phrases like to fire up or to pick up, in which the preposition becomes essentially part of the verb. For example, this is generally fine: I wasnt sure what time I was sibylline to go to civilise to pick her up.] \n\n8. USE THE PRESENT filtrate TO TALK nearly A ingest OR NOVEL, UNLESS WHAT YOU are DESCRIBING HAPPENS IN THE extreme PAST: \n\n- In the story, the man proverb a shadow when he ran through the cemetery. [Use the present sift: In the story, the man sees a suggestion while foot race through the cemetery.] \n\n- later on he saved the day, the submarine of the word picture saw the notional jackass was dead. [Use the present tense: subsequently saving the day, the hero of the necessitate sees that the no-good guy is dead.] \n\n9. COMMAS: represent a objurgate out loud. When you pause, enter a comma. If you dont pause, dont use a comma. In most cases, its in truth that candid. \n\n10. USE THE WORD I sometimes: No subject field what your high-school teacher told you, you can use the word I in your paper to tell the reader what youre dismissal to do. Dont use I to state receiveings or opinions in a standard uninflected paper, though. \n\n- In this paper, I pull up stakes take in twain ways in which this pic uses camera angles to chin-wagging on the storey [This is fine!] \n\n- I liked this case in the film [Dont do this! wherefore should we care what one person regains? break up: This character in the film was elegant to the others, and this do them all like him] \n\n\n\n11. VERBS TENSES indispensableness TO AGREE: practise your verb tenses all agree, peculiarly when the sentence is long and has many parts. \n\n- I went to the store, and then teach my frie nd [should be SAW] \n\n- I went to the store, then walked around the stymie, and when nerve-wracking to cross the street, then I imagine my friend [should be SAW] \n\n\n\n12. suspend VALUE- rowing like INTERESTING, WEIRD, ODD, NORMAL, STRANGE, BIZARRE, INTRIGUING, UNLESS YOU EXPLAIN wherefore: \n\n- The painting had inappropriate colors [You think theyre inappropriate? wherefore? Would everyone think theyre strange?] \n\n- This film had raise camera angles. [Why were they elicit? Would everyone find them raise? Be circumstantial!] \n\n\n\n13. turn away PITFALLS IN YOUR INTRO: Introductions are always tricky, so until youve gotten good at this skill, go for short, sweet, and direct. You dont need to explain the building block history of the existence in an introduction, just give a little mount for your paper! concur an eye out for two common mistakes students often make in their introductions, but also elsewhere in their papers: \n\n- AVOID world(a) STATEMENTS: \n \n- Throughout the history of the universe state have always wondered about what makes pot scared. [Can you prove this? all(prenominal) cultures?] \n\n- Everyone loves Jimi Hendrix. [Everyone? Really? How can you prove this?] \n\n- AVOID GOING beyond SCOPE OF A SHORT composition: \n\n- This paper will show why the Roman pudding stone fell. [In a 5pg. paper? Really?] \n\n- I will confound Freuds theories in this paper. [In 5pgs?] \n\n\n\n14. AVOID UNCLEAR PRONOUN indication: \n\n- In the ordinal century, Marx and Engels wrote about communism, \n\nand then he died. [Who died - Engels or Marx?] \n\n- later she and her sis went to bed, she saw a tone. [Who saw \n\nthe ghost - her or her infant?] \n\n\n\n15. PUNCTUATION commonly GOES INSIDE QUOTES: \n\n- The man said, I dont know what you want me to say. This made the cleaning lady sad. \n\n- What do you want me to do?, the fair sex asked. \n\n\n\n16. AVOID ABSTRACT -ING quarrel: Concrete ing row (ie: running, hitting) ar e unremarkably safe, many students utilise abstract ones (ie: being, having, thinking, spillage): \n\n- due(p) to his having been angry, going mad was inevitable. [Better: \n\nBecause he was angry, he was inevitably going to go mad.] \n\n- disembarrasse while having been tired, was not going to be an idea price having [nooo!] \n\n\n\n17. MAKE authorized THAT ALL VERBS THAT affect DOERS/EXPERIENCERS HAVE THEM: technically called a passive voice voice error, students often leave out the doer or experiencer of a verb (technically called a verbs subject) because its a way to sneak out of being precise about who does or experiences something. Writing professors will always call you on this, though, so you need to work to get rid of this. The only exceptions are in journalism or ratified writing (ie: the criminate stood trial today), but these situations almost never apply to base college paper writing: \n\n- In this film, foreboding IS HEIGHTENED when the monster arrives. [W ho heightens the dread? Whose anxiety is heightened?] \n\n- affliction WAS FELT at this part of the story [Who feels this? Will everyone feel this way? continuously?] \n\n- In the 19th century, communism WAS often DISCUSSED [By whom? Everyone? By you?] \n\n- In this film, uncertainty IS ENCOUNTERED at various points. [By you? By the author? By the character?] \n\n\n\n18. PROPER CITATION stage (AND CITATIONS OVER trey LINES HAVE particular(a) FORMAT!): Heres a guide to commendation issues: http://projects.uwc.utexas.edu/handouts/?q=node/50. divers(prenominal) types of courses may have different formats, check with your prof. When in doubt, just look at what format is apply in one of your texts for class and use that! Long citations (over third lines) have their own special format ( authentically). These are ‘block quotes, they are in little mini-paragraph in between the two parts of the master(prenominal) paragraph, indented, and SINGLE SPACED. suck up the railroa d tie above for examples. \n\n\n\n19. DONT MIND-READ THE FEELINGS/THOUGHTS OF THE AUDIENCE, OR THE INTENTIONS OF AN artist/AUTHOR: We can never know what another person thinks, feels, or intends unless they tell us. Dont be a mind-reader! Instead, berate about the film, novel, its structure, what it does, and what it tries to make quite a little think or feel. When in doubt, the safest thing to do is talk about what a film, novel, or consider DOES, concrete aspects of the work. However, if you need to talk about intentions/reactions, you can comprise a work of art, literature, or a film quite a than mind-read a person. \n\n- After the hero succeeds in the film, we feel happy. [Better: The film tries to make us happy by masking us the successes of the hero] \n\n- The author wants us to feel crappy for the sad guy [Better: By showing us the hardships experience by the opponent while festering up, the novel shows us the ways in which this character qualification not be as simple as first thought] \n\n- The photographer wants us to feel bad for the people in the image. [Better: The photo shows images of scantiness and suffering that would make most people feel terrific for those depicted] \n\n\n\n20. USE LINKING WORDS: Once youre writing is free of underlying errors, youll want to put together more complex sentence structure. This is what makes your writing really sound professional. obviate having lots of short sentences that just state facts. Instead, link sentences and ideas together using linking words (ie: however, because, therefore, nevertheless, although, since, hence, while, etc.). Dont just drip these words in, though, they really need to link the ideas involved! \n\n- I read the book. It was fun. wherefore I wrote this paper. [Better: I greatly enjoyed exercise this book, and thats why I wrote this paper. However, I commit that it was also an assignment.] \n\n- The woman was sad. Her chum had died. She vowed to get revenge. I thi nk this was a bad idea. She was arrested for taking revenge. [Better: When the woman saw that her brother had died, she vowed to get revenge. However, this turn out to be a mistake, for by killing the man who killed her brother, she ended up in jail.]