Analytical Writing “No-No’s”

+Text Citations

•A quotation can be taken from anywhere in the book. It doesn’t need to be something a character says. You can quote the narrator.

•What is wrong with this?

•On page 23 Avi says, “Here and there lanterns glowed.”

•AVI does not say it. The narrator does. Charlotte is the narrator.

•+The correct citation would be.

•+The narrator, Charlotte, states, “Here and there lanterns glowed.” (Avi 23)

Believe In Yourself

•Use language with certainty.

•+Do not write, “Charlotte was KIND OF, or SORT OF, or MAYBE, brave.”

•Be confident in your ideas.

•Charlotte was brave.

A Case of the Very’s

•Generally very is a frowned upon word in the writing world. If you can’t find a good enough adjective, just don’t use it. Find a better word.

•Crispin was very, very sad.

•Crispin was devastated.

•OR

•Crispin was extremely sad.

Generalizations NO-NO!

•Do not generalize.

•For Example:

–All students want to impress their teacher.

–Students everywhere enjoy the thrill of a rollercoaster.

•When you say: “All authors want to….”

•That is the start of a generalization.

Similar and Different?????

•DO NOT say: These books are both similar and different for may reasons.

•EVERY BOOK is similar or different from another book.

•Try: The books are similar because…

•The books are different because…

Not A Book Review

•This is a formal essay.

•You don’t need to say things like,

•“It will have you on the edge of your seat, wanting more.”

•“I hated this book and will never read it again.”

•“I read two summer reading books this summer.”

•The assignment calls for an analysis the author’s writing style. NOT whether or not you read, enjoyed, or hated the book.

Explaining Your Evidence:

“As you can see this proved my point.”

•Try to stay away from this kind of language. You never want to tell someone that a quote proves your point.

•You need to explain WHY this proves your point.

•Instead of saying:

–As you can see this quotation goes back to my thesis statement. WHY??????HOW????

–TRY: Always make a point.

–This quotation shows that Crispin is afraid of his surroundings. It proves that Crispin begins the story frightened.

Text Citations:

Example:

When Crispin states, “I said nothing, trying to make up my mind if I should run away.” (Avi 74) This quotation shows that Crispin is afraid of his surroundings. It proves that Crispin begins the story frightened. This suggests that Crispin is about to change as a character.