Gentle Writing Advice…Gentle Writing Advice…

Academic Writing Do’s Do’s & Don’tsDon’ts

Do:Do:

Apply the following rules to your writing…

Do:Do:

Use ACTIVE VOICE

DoDo: : Use active voice:

• Yes!Yes! Inmates led the mob.

• No! (passive)No! (passive) The mob was lead by inmates.

• Use active, not passive voice:

Do:Do:

WriteConcise Sentences

Do: Do: Write concise sentences

No He was upset. Yes He frowned and looked down.

Avoid the verb “to be” (is, are, was, were)

Do: Do: Write concise sentencesAvoid excessive prepositions (of, to,

from, by…)

No The offices on the 5th floor of our building were in a dangerous position for collapsing.

Yes Our building’s 5th floor offices faced potential collapse.

Do:Do:

VarySentence Length

Do: Do: Vary your sentence length

• Use short sentences to emphasize important ideas.

– Long long long long long long long long long long long long long; long, long long long long. Short short short short. Long long long long long long long long long long long long.

• Give your audience occasional breaks from long sentences.

Do:Do:

Follow Assignment Guidelines

Do: Do: Follow all assignment guidelines

• Regardless of the class or subject, instructors expect students to follow all assignment guidelines.

Do:Do:

Write an eye-catching introduction and

interesting conclusion

Do: Do: Write an eye-catching introduction and interesting conclusion

• An introductionintroduction is an opportunity to make a positive first impression—a strong introduction can make up for weaknesses in the body.

Do:Do: Write an eye-catching introduction and interesting conclusion

• Remember that the conclusionconclusion is the writer’s last chance to influence the audience’s evaluation of his/her ideas—your instructor determines your grade soon after reading your conclusion.

Do:Do:

Include a thesis that reflects your opinion

Do:Do: Include a thesis that reflects your opinion

• Academic writing is about the writer’s ability to demonstrate thinking—instructors expect your thesis to reflect your own ideas.

Do:Do: Include a thesis that reflects your opinion

• Unless your instructor asks for facts only, you should strive to present your original ideas about the assigned topic.

Do:Do:

Use

transitions between paragraphs

Do: Do: Use transitions between paragraphs

• Transitions provide the stepping stones your readers need to follow your thinking path.

• Without transitions, your paragraphs will jump from one idea to the next, forcing your readers to guess how the ideas relate.

Do:Do:

Provide examples to support any opinions

expressed

Do: Do: Provide examples to support any opinions expressed

• If you say, “Parents today do not discipline their children enough,” your readers expect you to show them what you mean with some examples.

Do:Do: Provide examples to support any opinions expressed

• Imagine that you are defending your opinion in a courtroom—what evidence will you provide to win your case?

Do:Do:

Use concrete, vivid

descriptions

Do: Do: Use concrete, vivid descriptions

• The pigsty example…

Do:Do: Use concrete, vivid descriptions

• Imagine someone saying, “Wow, your place is a real pigsty!”

Do:Do: Use concrete, vivid descriptions

•Pigsty? What does that mean?

Do: Do: Use concrete, vivid descriptions

• Clutter-covered furniture = pigsty? • Dirty clothes piled everywhere = pigsty? • Moldy dishes in the sink & bathtub = pigsty?

• Food ground into the carpet = pigsty? • An overflowing cat litter box = pigsty?

• All of the above = pigsty?

Do: Do: Use concrete, vivid descriptions

• POINT: People have different concepts of what a “pigsty” is.

• When writing, merely saying, “The room was a pigsty” is not enough to convince your audience that you do indeed have a true pigsty on your hands.

Do:Do: Use concrete, vivid descriptions

• Providing concrete detailsconcrete details about the room allows your audience to determine your level of tolerance for mess and make a stronger connection with you and your ideas.

Do: Do: Use concrete, vivid descriptions

• FACT: Not all pigsties are created equal.

• Pigsty = the room had not been vacuumed or dusted in a week. • Pigsty = 3 rumpled outfits on the bed and a spilled make-up bag on the dresser

• Pigsty = sweat-stained laundry strewn over most of the floor. The air was thick with body odor and Lysol. • Pigsty = lumpy piles of clothes and textbooks colorfully blanketed by construction paper scraps and spilled glitter. The bed served as a foundation for a pyramid of discarded soda and beer cans.

Do: Do: Use concrete, vivid descriptions

• Pigsty = ten years of brittle, yellowed papers piled on the floor, with some being used as makeshift tables for stacks of moldy fried chicken bones. The furniture danced with insects, and each drawer smiled open through a beard of dust.

Do: Do: Use concrete, vivid descriptions

Do:Do:

Use college level vocabulary

Do: Do: Use college level vocabulary

• A student recently submitted an essay that stated, “The “The whole house smelled whole house smelled like pee.”like pee.”

• Pee???Pee??? Isn’t there a more sophisticated word? (Obviously “urine” is the college-level equivalent.)

Do: Do: Use college level vocabulary

• College-level vocabulary does not mean HUGE, unfamiliar words—college level vocabulary simply demonstrates a bit more thought about word choice.

Do:Do:

Make the topic appealing to the

audience

Do: Do: Make the topic appealing to the audience

• If the paper is not interesting to you, then it will not be interesting to your audience.

• ANY topicANY topic can be interesting, thought-provoking, or even humorous if approached correctly.

DoDo: : Make the topic appealing to the audience

• Comedians provide excellent examples of how mundane topics can be made appealing to an audience…anticipate your audience’s reactions to each section of your essay.

Do:Do: Proofread your work for errors

• Excessive errors can hinder your communication of ideas.

• Run spell-check to catch typographical errors. • Poor grammar will hurt your grade in

most classes.

Did you spot the errors right away?

End of “Academic Writing Do’s”

Are you ready for the Don’ts??

Do not:Be sure to avoid the following in

your academic writing.

Do not:

Use clichés

Do not: Use clichés• Don’t judge a book by its cover • Last but not least• Everything happens for a reason• Sick as a dog• Sweet as honey• Old as the hills • Dead as a doornail

Do not:

Make announcements to the reader

Do not: Make announcements to the reader

• NONO“In this essay I will…”• NONO“My thesis is…” • NONO“By the end of this

essay, I will prove…”

Do not:

Address the reader or use “YOU”

Do not: Address the reader

Do NOT use 2nd person “YOU” when writing academic essays.

Do not: Address the reader

• “Have you ever…” • “As you can see…” • “If you work hard…”• “You should have figured out by now that…”

Do not: Address the reader

Q: What’s wrong with “YOU”? A: It does not apply to everyone, and therefore

writers exclude many of their readers.

Do not: Address the reader

Who, ME? When you put on your fluffy snow angel outfit and sweep the sidewalk, you feel at peace. The snowflakes hitting your body make you feel pretty and sparkly.

Do not: Address the reader

Who, ME? Seeing a sign like this makes you wonder why people would dislike you just because you are a shaven head child pick pocket. Perhaps you should wear a disguise so you don’t look like the picture on the sign.

Do not: Address the reader

Who, ME? When you pose for a family portrait in Winnie the Pooh costumes, you may be surprised at the reactions people have to your photo….

Do not: Address the reader

YOU

Do not:

State the obvious

Do not: State the obvious• “Men and women are different” • “Many children are born each

year” • “Some decisions can be difficult to make”• “Everyone has felt angry

sometime”• “Cars provide transportation for many

people…”

Do not:

Use Expletive Fillers

Do not: Use Expletive Fillers• Expletive Means “Filler”• Expletive Filler =

–There are or There were–There is or There was

–This is or This was –It is or It was

• Do not rely upon these weak fillers to begin your sentences.

Do not: Use Expletive Fillers

• NoNo There are several cultures among the residents of our small town.

• YesYes Residents of our small town come from several cultures.

• NoNo It is necessary for employees to lock their desks.

• YesYes Employees must lock their desks.

Do not:

Use Extra Words

Do not: Use Extra WordsMore is not better

Goal = more ideas, fewer words

• a friend of mine = my friend

• Due to the fact that = Because

• at this point in time = now• in order to = to

Do not: Use Extra Words

• blue in color = blue• the question as to whether = whether• this day and age = today• has the ability = can; is able

Do not: Use Extra Words

• Advertising fliers prohibited?

Do not: Use Extra Words

• put forth an effort = try• is of the opinion that = thinks/believes

• in spite of the fact that = although

• during the time that = while

Do not: Use Extra Words

• Members and paying visitors only?

Do not:Say “I think” or “I feel”

or “in my opinion”

Do Not: Say “I think” or “I feel” or “in my opinion”

• If your name is on the paper, your your reader knows that any opinions reader knows that any opinions expressed in it are yours.expressed in it are yours.

• No need to say I think iguanas make the best pets.

• Just say Iguanas make the best pets.

Do not:

Use 5th grade words

Do not: Use 5th grade words

• AVOID THE FOLLOWING:

thingthing (use a noun/say what you mean)

get/gotget/got (received, arrived, became)

Do not: Use 5th grade words

alotalot (a lot)

tilltill (until)

hardhard (difficult, frustrating…)

Do not: Use 5th grade words

stuffstuff (be specific)

bugbug (annoy or insect)

madmad (angry)

Do not:

Give advice to the reader

Do not: Give advice to the reader

• You are not BarneyBarney (and we’re glad!).• Your essays should not address the

readers and tell them what to do, how to act/think

“Now boys and girls, always remember: Buckle-buckle in the car and you will be a safety star!”

Do not: Give advice to the reader

• Your readers are interested in your thinking/experience— allow readers to decide what to do with the information you provided

• An academic essay should never give cute advicecute advice to the reader or present “the moral of the story”“the moral of the story”

Do not:

Use “they” for every pronoun

Do not: Use “they” for every pronoun

No Each player will find out if they made the team. Yes Each player will find out if

he/she made the team. Yes All players will find out if they

made the team.

Do not: Use “they” for every pronoun

No Every student must have their books in class.

Yes Every student must have his/her books in class.

Yes All students must have their books in class.

Do not:

“Quote” your own Title

Do not: “Quote” your own Title

• Books may have titles in bold--or gold—Books may have titles in bold--or gold—

letters, but letters, but no book no book will have its own will have its own title “Quoted” or title “Quoted” or UnderlinedUnderlined……

Of Mice and Men

That’s just wrong!

Do not: “Quote” your own Title

• Reserve “quoted titles” and underlined titles for when you discuss what others have what others have writtenwritten

The title of this book is Industry in the Americas. It’s pretty boring!

Do not: “Quote” your own Title

• As an essay’s author, you should not include “quotation marks” or underlining when you write the title of your essay

Joe StudentENG111

“Romantic Poetry”

Joe StudentENG111

Romantic Poetry

With quotes:WRONG!

No quotes: RIGHT!

And finally, avoid the worst opening lineworst opening line

ever written…

(unless your goal is to present yourself as a dull, unsophisticated writer…)

This one line will destroy any hope for impressing a college professor with your

essay…It’s theIt’s the KISS of KISS of

DEATHDEATH for any essay…for any essay…

Ready…?Ready…?

(I have to force my fingers to type these words...cringe…)

In today’s society, …

Or worse…

“In today’s society, there are many reasons why…”

Remember to apply these Do’sDo’s & Don’tsDon’ts

to your academic writing

Start today!Start today!

End of Presentation.