Composition Guidelines for a Traditional Academic Essay

(Not listed in order of importance….ALL are important! Keep this. Laminate if necessary.)

1)Don’t use slang or contractions (Hah! See what I did!)

  1. Example: do not instead of don’t

2)Always proofread before you hand in a paper. Let me say this again, Always proofread before you hand in a paper! If you find a last-minute mistake on a typed page, draw ONE line through the error and correct by hand. (Errordo not let me see Error).

3)Be specific. Don’t use vague words or pronouns (things, this, that, it)

  1. Example: This is why I am angry.

Your vague words make me angry.

4)Use third person (unless specifically asked otherwise). The reader is not part of the paper, so don’t use “you.” Similarly, the writer isn’t either, so don’t use “I” or “we.”

5)Always use present tense with discussions about literature.

  1. Example: Beowulf fightsGrendel with his bare hands. (Not fought)

Grendeldies after he slinks back to his lair. (Not died)

6)Always use past tense when relaying historical events or writer’s background/actions.

  1. Example:King Henry VII beheaded two of his wives.

Stephen King worked long nights when he wroteThe Dreamcatcher.

7)Don’t start a sentence with a pronoun (esp. “it”) if it doesn’t refer back to anything.

  1. Example: It was a cold, rainy day. (“it” doesn’t have an antecedent.)

The cold, rainy day chilled me through my heavy coat. (Better because this sentence is more descriptive and contains no vague pronouns.)

8)Pronouns must refer back to the antecedents with which they agree.

  1. Example: Every student needs to bring their homework (the pronoun “their” is plural but the

antecedent “student” is singular.)

Correction: All students need to bring their homework.

9)Choose the strongest verb possible. Avoid is, was, were, etc.

  1. Example: This class is boring. (weak verb) Correction: This class bores me.

10)Watch for passive voice (where the agent doing the action is not present in the sentence).

  1. Examples: She was taken to the hospital. (the reader does not know who took her)

The paramedics carried her to the hospital. (Corrected because the agent doing the action, the paramedics, is clear to the reader.)

Her application was sent in late. Correction: Rebecca sent in her application late.

11)Use correct capitalization. Capitalize “I.” Capitalize proper nouns. Do not capitalize random words. You think this is ridiculous, but I am saying it because I still see it happening.

12)Avoid clichés. They make your writing weak and unoriginal.

  1. Examples:Everyday life, in today's society, pros and cons, people, society, this day and age. Also-- all walks of life, give the devil his due, never a dull moment, behind the eight ball, hook,

line, and sinker, nipped in the bud, bitter end , calm before the storm, in the nick of time, in the same boat, sands of time, chomping at the bit, leaps and bounds, selling like hot cakes, cool as a cucumber, leave no stone unturned, stick out like a sore thumb, cry over spilled milk, etc.

13)As always give credit to any source from which you take information or draw ideas. If you rely on only one text, you should include that text and author in your introduction. If you use various texts to support your ideas, document references (with in-text citations) and catalogue sources (with a works cited page) according to MLA Guidelines. Any direct quotation, whether you use one or one hundred sources, should be documents with in-text citation.

  1. As for MLA Guidelines….That is for another sheet!