WRITING TIPS

1. WRITING TIPS

2. NUMBERS • Spell out all numbers that are three words or fewer: • Five, twenty, fifty-four = 5, 20, 54

3. ABBREVIATIONS / SYMBOLS • Don’t abbreviate in an essay. • Junior (not Jr.) • with (not w/) • and (not &) • years (not yrs.) • High School (not HS) • Because (not b/c)

4. CAPITAL LETTERS • Begin all sentences with a capital letter: • One of my goals is to become a doctor. • All proper nouns should be capitalized: • The school I attend is Santiago High School. • Edwards addressed God in his sermon. *An essay should not be written in all capitals. Avoid capitalizing words that shouldn’t be capitalized.

5. PRONOUNS • The pronoun “I” is always capitalized: • My mom asked if I wanted to join her. • Avoid using pronouns at the beginning of a new paragraph. • A few weeks later, I took Mary to the store with me. She really enjoyed the outing. • Avoid overusing the pronoun “you”: • The author wants you to understand him.

6. CONTRACTIONS • Don’t forget the apostrophe! • I am = I’m - do not = don’t • Cannot = can’t -has not = hasn’t • Who is = who’s -will not = won’t • They are = they’re -I will = I’ll • We are = we’re - You are = you’re

7. TENSE CONSISTENCY • Once you’ve established the tense you are writing in (past, present, or future), use that tense throughout the essay. Correct the following paragraph for tense consistency: • As the race started, I went into a jogging pace because it is going to be a long race. If I push it too hard I am going to get too tired. I ran the first mile with my friend, but then he is slowing down and I lost sight of him.

8. DIALOGUE Use correct punctuation: • “I guess I should have called you first,” she said. Start a new line for each new speaker: While walking to school, Jimmy asked Lisa, “Why did you wear that?” “I just felt like it,” Lisa replied. They walked on in silence.

9. AVOID THESE… Gonna – should be “going to” • I am going to help her with her work. Wanna – should be “want to” • Do you want to go to the movies with me? Cause or Cuz– should be “because” • Clare was mad because she lost. Should of– should be “should have” - The author should have used more examples.

10. A LOT • If you use the word, it is two words • Alternatives: many, several…. (list others we come up with as a class)

11. THERE, THEIR, THEY’RE There – Adverb – at that place • I have not been there in a long time. Their – Possessive – belonging to them • Their apartment has a view of the river. They’re – Contraction – they are - They’re reading a book together.

12. To, Too, Two To – preposition - place • Please return these books to the class. Too – adverb – also; more than enough • You are too young to drive. Two – adjective – number - I will graduate in two years.

13. PUNCTUATION • Be sure to use punctuation at the end of each sentence! • Avoid run-on sentences • Use commas and semi-colons when needed.

14. LITERARY ELEMENTS • Theme – The insight about life that is revealed in literary work (*Not just one word) • Mood – The overall emotion created by a work of literature (described with adjectives – playful, scary, etc.) * Look at word choice • Tone – The attitude a writer takes toward the subject of a work, the characters in it, or the audience

15. FORMAL WRITING (ESSAYS) • Avoid slang and “text speak” (lol, fyi, etc.) • Don’t write as if in a conversation (avoid “Well,”and “So,”) • Don’t tell me what you’re going to tell me (“My introduction is…”) • Indent each new paragraph (no extra spaces between paragraphs) • Avoid “In my opinion…” and “it talks about…” and “I feel…” (I know it is your opinion since you are the one writing the paper)

16. FIX THIS TEXT: Hello my name is Sally i am a sophomore at santiago h.s. & i dont like it Well i have a brother 2 sisters a dog and a mom and dad and we all live in the same house and we also take vacations together. I have alot of interests & im going too tell you about my interesting life in this essay.

17. PERSUASIVE ESSAYS • Opinion or Thesis Statement This should be clear in your introduction paragraph. This names the issue and clearly states your opinion on it.

18. Body Paragraphs • Reasons and Evidence The reasons you use to back up your opinion statement will communicate your perspective and show why you think your opinion is correct. Evidence will support these reasons.

19. EVIDENCE • Types of Evidence • Facts – information that can be proven true • Examples – specific instances of an idea or situation • Expert opinions – statements (quotations or paraphrases) by people considered experts on the issue. • Anecdotes – brief, personal stories that illustrate a point *Be sure to include evidence with each of your reasons

20. COUNTERARGUMENT Who would disagree with you? Briefly state the opposition’s case and refute their argument (tell why you are right and they are wrong). Make sure you end with a strong reason for your case.

21. CONCLUSION • Summarize your argument and reasons • End with a call to action (if appropriate for your argument) that tells readers what they can do to help change a situation

22. OUTLINE • Create a sample outline for the following persuasive essay prompt: • [School Uniforms] There has been a problem in local schools with discipline and violence. Your school board has decided to institute a school uniform policy in order to cut down on these problems, based on the positive examples that they have seen at other schools. What is your position on this issue? Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper stating your position on this issue and supporting it with convincing reasons.