Writing Basics
Get back to basics. A writing assignment succeeds by addressing a defined audience with content organized into an effective and/or convincing presentation.
Preparation
All types of writing (essays and essay tests, term papers, lab reports, etc.)should follow a process:
Introduction
· Set your topic.
State your thesis, theme, or objective in a sentence or two at most.
· Define your audience, and how you will address them.
Is it your instructor who grades you or a teaching assistant?fellow students? Professionals?
Establish the type of writing that will be most effective in communicating. Consider the most effective tone to take considering your purpose.
· Develop research strategies and a list of resources.
Develop a list of key words that form the foundation of both your research and writing. Build the list from general sources and overviews.
Develop your time line
Allow time for editing, revision and unexpected developments. Outlines are needed. The more time you spend organizing your outline, the better the paper.
Your first paragraph
· Introduce the topic; entice the reader (remember your audience).
· Establish perspective and/or point of view.
· Focus on three main points to develop.
Establish flow from paragraph to paragraph
· Topic sentences of each paragraph define their place in the overall scheme.
· Transition sentences, clauses, or words at the beginning of paragraph connect one idea to the next.
· Avoid one and two sentence paragraphs which may reflect lack of development of your point.
· Continually prove your point of view throughout the essay.
o Don't drift or leave the focus of the essay.
o Don't lapse into summary in developing paragraphs--wait until its time, at the conclusion.
· Support interpretations with quotes, data, etc.
o Properly introduce, explain, and cite each quote.
o Block (indented) quotes should be used sparingly;
they can break up the flow of your argument.
Conclusion
· Read your paper, including the introduction and the body paragraphs development.
· Summarize, then conclude, your argument.
· Refer back (once again) to the first paragraph(s) as well as the development.
o Do the last paragraphs briefly restate the introduction and main ideas?
o Reflect on the succession and importance of the arguments.
o Does the conclusion logically summarize the development?
· Edit/rewrite the first paragraph to better set your development and conclusion.
Finally, writing assignments can be divided into six stages.
1. Preparation - Define the topic, prepare how to address your audience, and gather research.
2. Outlining - Organize your supporting points.
3. Drafting/writing - Develop content, message and style.
4. Revising - Review for message.
5. Proofreading/Editing - Focus on writing mechanics (spelling, grammar, format, etc.).
6. Ready for publishing - Present your final copy.
Standard Written English (SWE)
Standard Written English refers to the relatively formal use of the language in a written context. It is dialect-free, conventionalized, edited writing expected at the collegiate level. In addition, Kendall College generally adheres to APA guidelines. (Since the APA Manual is directed toward the publication of manuscripts, not all of its rules apply at to college writing. For example, APA does not allow contractions, the use of the first person, or the use of bullets in a manuscript. Such restrictions may seem inappropriate and unnecessary for a college paper.)
However, all collegiate writing, with the possible exception of the recorded speech of a character, should reflect the following elements of Standard Written English. Since not all grammatical issues or mechanical errors are equally serious, they are listed roughly in order of importance. If a question or uncertainty arises, consult . . . .
· Sentence Boundaries
o No sentence fragments or incomplete sentences
o No run-on or fused sentences
o No comma splices (a run-on sentence punctuated with commas)
· Subject-Verb Agreement in Number
o A singular subject takes a singular verb (“All the news that’s fit to print.” “Preparation is essential.”)
o A plural or a compound subject takes a plural verb (“The use and abuse of drugs are far too common in America.”)
· Appropriate verb tense and form (i.e. use of –ed, of helping verbs)
In particular, distinguish among various actions in the past.
o Simple past (“Yesterday I drank a latte.”)
o Present perfect (“I have drunk a latte every morning for the past month.”)
o Past perfect (“Before I met you, I had never drunk a latte.” The past perfect form of the verb will usually accompany the past form of another verb.)
o Present tense may be used to refer to published literature or art regardless of the date of publication or creation. (“Howard Gardner claims that every learner can be successful.”) and to a repeated continuous action (“I drink a latte every day.”)
· Noun-Pronoun Agreement
o Every pronoun must have a clear noun antecedent. Avoid using a pronoun (“it” or “this”) to allude to a whole idea. (“America has seen a woman and an African-American male run for the presidential primary election. This has made history.” To correct, insert a noun after “this.” “This unusual opportunity . . . “ )
o Every pronoun must agree with its antecedent in gender and in number. (“The revolutionaries have been asked to surrender their weapons.”)
o Use the relative pronoun “who” to refer to human beings, and “which” or “that” to refer to all else. (“This is the woman who has stood by me.” “The dog that followed me home can stay.” “This course, which will begin next week, is ready.”)
· Modifiers must be placed near the word they modify (noun, pronoun, adjective, or verb)
o No dangling modifiers (“While writing the memo, the phone rang and interrupted me.” To correct, insert a pronoun for the opening phrase to modify: “While I was writing the memo, the phone rang and interrupted me.”)
o No misplaced modifiers (“The other day I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas I’ll never know.” -Groucho Marx. To correct, move the modifier closer to the pronoun it modifies: “The other day while wearing my pajamas, I shot an elephant.”)
· Correct case of nouns and pronouns
o The possessive of the singular noun is formed by adding an apostrophe, plus “s” to the noun. (“My sister’s decision” = the decision of one sister) The possessive of the plural noun is formed by adding an apostrophe to the plural noun. (“My brothers’ consensus” = the consensus reached by more than one brother)
o Most pronouns retain the subject, object, and possessive case (“I,” “me,” and “my, mine,” “between you and me,” “They brought their luggage with them.”)
· Parallelism
o Terms in a series should be written in the same part of speech. (“She likes to swim, to read, and to run marathons.” “The dictionary can be used for the following purposes: to discover denotations, connotations, etymology, and usage.”)
· Formal Usage or Diction
o A collegiate level dictionary will identify the usage level of a word or expression as “jargon,” “substandard,” or “colloquial,” in contrast to the more appropriate “formal” level of usage. (For example, an education student should refer to those in his or her care as “children” rather than “kids.”)
· Mechanics
o Spelling
o Capitalization
o Punctuation
§ Colon
§ Semicolon
§ Comma
§ Apostrophe
§ Hyphen, Dash
§ Quotation Marks
o Surface Conventions (margins, font, double spacing, indented paragraphs, pagination)
Outline Template
Configure this basic template for all your writing needs.
Purpose: ______
Audience: ______
Title: ______
I. Introduction
A. Introductory/Opening statement
B. Specific Thesis statement: ______
C. List of Supporting Points
II. Body
A. Heading 1:______
Sub Topic 1: ______
I. ______
II. ______
Sub Topic 2: ______
I. ______
II. ______
B. Heading 2:______
Sub Topic 1:______
I. ______
II. ______
Sub Topic 2:______
I. ______
II. ______
C. Heading 3:______
Sub Topic 1:______
I. ______
II. ______
Sub Topic 2:______
I. ______
II. ______
I. Conclusion
A. Closing statement
B. Restate thesis: ______
Academic Writing Style
You need to know that students often fail to achieve success in academic writing because they cannot differentiate among writing styles. For example, here are a few style descriptions:
– Creative writing
• Creative abilities are the focal point of the exercise.
• The beauty and harmony of the delivery are at least as important as the message.
– Opinionated / editorialized writing (Op/Ed)
• Inappropriate for undergraduates who are not recognized “gurus.”
• Involves the judgment, but that judgment is unsupported and of no academic value.
– Descriptive writing
• Inappropriate for most academic writing as it does not add new academic value; may describe theory and then describe practice.
• Does not involve judgment but is rather a restating of facts.
– Analytical writing
• Adds academic value – links theory to practice and can be generalized.
• Involves judgment but is supported by evidence or expert witnesses.
• Is not simply lifted or copied from a proprietary site.
• Views so-called facts or self-stated benefits with skepticism.
• Is more difficult to do well than descriptive writing, but adds value.
• Shows processing data and is able to reach grounded conclusions.
• Almost always requires citations and footnoting.
Academic Business Writing
• Appropriate for long internal business reports, business papers for publication and all business papers written as part of schoolwork.
• Uses an analytical writing style with relatively simple sentences, usually in active voice; avoids too much “fluff.”
• Judgments are supported by primary data with adequate sampling, secondary data or true and representative expert opinion.
• Features a one page maximum Executive Summary without references providing an abstract of the findings of the entire paper.
• Usually features a cover page and may feature white pages between sections.
• Normally uses a single font (except for the cover page) which is usually an 11-12 point seriph font (e.g., Times New Roman) double-spaced.
• Usually involves paragraph indentation.
• Begins with an introduction (usually no heading) followed by headed sections and a headed conclusion.
• Is carefully referenced with one citation style throughout and features a bibliography at the end with all materials that have contributed whether specifically cited or not.
• Usually features graphical representation either within the document or in appendices at the end of the document; graphics are indicated as figures and referred to in the text according to figure.
• Primary research data is usually included in an appendix at the end of the document and summarized in the text.
• Usually concludes with either a suggestion for action or a suggestion for future research.
• Is page numbered with separate page numbers for appendices.
• For longer works, includes a table of contents ranged according to section headings and appendix numbers with the relevant page numbers and a separate table for figures.
• Specific academic models exist for longer works such as dissertations or theses or works destined for publication in peer-reviewed academic journals.
Tips for Successful Academic Business Writing
• Follow a carefully prepared outline.
• Write the introduction and the conclusion after you have completed the paper.
• Set the work aside before writing the Executive Summary as otherwise, it will read like the introduction or the conclusion.
• Use all of the features of your word-processing program as doing so will allow you to make easy changes and additions without collapsing your table of contents or footnoting system.
• Choose one referencing style before beginning and stick to the same style throughout (footnotes or endnotes or author names in parentheses).
• Reread your paper at the end to make certain that every statement of fact has been appropriately supported and referenced.
• Have someone else read your paper after you have finished, not to change your material but simply to be sure that someone else can understand your logic flow and believe in your conclusion.
Adapted from Dean Jeffery Catrett’s presentation found at my.kendall.edu titled Plagiarism.ppt
Common Grammar Mistakes
Exercises Part One
1. One of the uniforms were grey.
2. Matt don’t get very good grades in English, but he always done real good in math.
3. The buildings along the lakefront seems to be unoccupied.
4. Macaroni and cheese are my favorite dish.
5. In the trunk there’s some nails and a hammer.
6. My parents and she arrived on time.
7. We and they plan to go to the restaurant together.
Exercises Part Two
1. Everyone blames us delinquents.
2. Andi lunged at the basketball and grabs it before the Robert Morris player could reach him.
3. The detective lay the file on his desk and examined it closely.
4. Our cabin was smaller than any in the camp.
5. Today is even more colder than yesterday.
6. She is a worser singer than Martha.
7. While I was in the dentist’s office.
Exercises Part Three
1. Watching the auto races, an accident occurred.
2. Stirring the batter well, the spices were put in next.
3. After rehearsing for weeks, the play was a success.
4. After reading the assignment again, it was still not clear.
5. Finishing her performance, the audience applauded the singer.
6. Peering over the cliffs, the canyon seemed gigantic.
7. While shaving, his lip started to bleed.
Answers
Exercises Part One
1. One of the uniforms were grey. [was]
2. Matt don’t get very good grades in English, but he always done real good in math. [doesn’t, did]
3. The buildings along the lakefront seems to be unoccupied. [seem]
4. Macaroni and cheese are my favorite dish. [is]
5. In the trunk there’s some nails and a hammer. [they’re]
6. My parents and she arrived on time. [awkward, reverse she and my parents]
7. We and they plan to go to the restaurant together. [drop the redundant they]
Exercises Part Two
1. Everyone blames us delinquents. [delete us or delinquents]