FORMAL, ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING-EDITING CODES- ELA 8 SACAWA
OTHER GRAMMATICAL RULES
CAPTALIZATION
6.Capitalize the first word of each sentence.
7.Capitalize the first word at the start of dialogue/a quotation (e.g. In 1848, Karl Marx wrote, “Workers of the world, unite!”)
8.Capitalizeand centre your narrative, essay, and poem titles. Title capitalization rules: 1) Capitalize the first and last words; 2) capitalize all nouns, adjectives, and adverbs; 3) do not capitalize articles, short prepositions, or conjunctions.Underline or italicize all longer text titles, such as book, play, and movie titles (e.g. I like to read Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and see Romeo and Juliet). Put shorter text titles, such as short story titles, in quotation marks (e.g. My favourite short story is entitled “All Summer in a Day.”)
APOSTROPHES
9. Use an apostrophe to make contractions (e.g. can’t, won’t, isn’tNOTcant, wont, isnt).
10. Use an apostrophe to show possession (e.g. Dan’s car NOTDans car). Do not use an apostrophe to form a plural of a word (e.g. Dan has so many car’s. CORRECT: Dan has so many cars.)
COMMAS- GENERAL USES (see SK & CB #4)
11. Insert the third Oxford comma when listing items in a series (e.g. The panda eats, shoots, and leaves. NOT The panda eats, shoots and leaves.)
12.Use a comma when separating two or more coordinate adjectives modifying the same noun.(e.g. Although she was very talented, she was a stubborn, difficult actress.)
13.Use a comma when introducing dialogue (e.g. John said without thinking, “He’s your father?”)
14.Use commas to set off geographical names, items in dates (with the exception of month and day), addresses (except the street number and name), and title after names.
COMMAS- SENTENCE STRUCTURE
15. Use commas to set off interjections in a sentence. (e.g. John, when will you be in town again? OR I’m telling you, Mary, this can be done.)
16.Use a comma to set of introductory/ parenthetical phrases, such as appositive, infinitive, participial, and absolute phrases.
APPOSITIVE: The man over there, the mayor of our city, is a fine line dancer.
INFINITIVE: To become an excellent line dancer, one must practice consistently.
ABSOLUTE: The soldiers, glad that their service was over, rushed to the tanks for chocolate and cigars.
PARTICIPIAL: Having had nothing to eat but stale bread and butter, the soldiers’ appetites were stoked like blazing fires.
17.Use a comma to form complex sentences. Insert a comma after a dependent/subordinate clause (e.g. While he wasn’t sure of the man’s intentions, he decided to trust him. NOT While he wasn’t sure of the man’s intentions he decided to trust him.)Do not put commas after subordinating conjunctions used to form complex sentences, such as the conjunctions although, because, and since.
18.Use a comma+ FANBOY/adverbial conjunction to form compound sentences. Insert a comma before a FANBOY to link two independent clauses together (e.g. He liked candy, so he visited the candy store often.)Use a semi-colon+ adverbial conjunction+ comma to link two independent clauses in more formal writing (e.g. He liked candy; therefore, he visited the candy store often.)
19.Avoid run-on sentences in the form of comma splices. A comma splice occurs when a writer merges two complete thoughts (independent clauses) together with nothing but a comma. Instead, the writer should separate the two ideas using one of the following methods: 1) Create two independent sentences using a period; 2) if the sentences are closely related in meaning, connect the two thoughts using a semi-colon; 3) if there is a relationship of contrast, cause and effect, or some other relationship between the two sentences, join them using a comma and the appropriate FANBOY/adverbial conjunction (see rule #10). Example of comma splice: Maria loves to sing the opera in the shower, she decided to join the opera. Fixed sentence: Maria loves to sing the opera in the shower, so she decided to join the opera. OR Maria loves to sing the opera in the shower; consequently, she decided to join the opera.
20.Avoid run-on sentences in the form of a fused sentence. A fused sentence occurs when the writer has fused two independent clauses or ideas together with no punctuation at all. To fix a fused sentence, the writer must follow the guidelines outlined in comma splice rule #16. Example of a fused sentence:He likes to play video games he plays them all day. Fixed sentence: He likes to play video games, and he plays them all day.
21. Avoid sentence fragments. Sentence fragments are pieces of sentences containing a subject or a predicate (verb), but not both. A true sentence includes both a subject (a noun doing the action) and a predicate (a verb- an action/state of being). Sentence fragment example: The neighbour next door. Fixed sentence fragment made into a proper sentence: The neighbour next door iscrazy.
PERIODS & ELLIPSES
22.Put periods inside quotation marks, even if the period is not part of the original quotation (e.g. Jake said, “I can’t believe we’re related.” NOT Jake said, I can’t believe we’re related”.).Put periods after personal titles such as Dr., Mrs., Ms., etc.
23.Put periods outside of parentheses, if the parenthetical comments finish a sentence (e.g. see the example in rule #2). If the parenthetical comment is an entire sentence, it is also acceptable to put the period within the parentheses. Follow one of the above rules throughout you writing.
24.Use ellipses (three periods) (…) to show omitted sections of quotations or lapses in dialogue (e.g. The reporter said, “I haven’t the foggiest idea…why the ice cream truck was in that part of town.”)An example in dialogue: Jake wondered out loud, “I wonder if she will ever come home…”
PRONOUN & ANTECEDENT DISAGREEMENT
25.Pronouns (words replacing nouns) must agree in number, gender, and tense with the nouns they replace. If your noun is singular (e.g. student), for example, it must be matched with a singular pronoun (e.g. he or she). Never assume the gender when a pronoun is singular. Example of a pronoun-antecedent error: A person who has not checked their plane departure time may miss the flight. Fixed sentence: A person who has not checked his or her departure time may miss the flight. ( We don’t know the gender of the person, so we use both the male and female singular pronouns.)
VAGUE PRONOUN REFERENCES
26.Vague pronoun references occur when a pronoun (most often it, this, that, or those)is used without any clear antecedent (the original noun to which the pronoun refers). When the antecedent of the pronoun is unclear, the pronoun reference is vague. Good writers aim to be precise to avoid reader confusion about what the writers are talking about. As a general rule, if you use it, this, that, or those in a sentence, and you can’t draw a line to its original antecedent in the same sentence, you are dealing with a vague pronoun reference. Example of a vague pronoun reference: The student’s writing showed a lack of revision between drafts. It caused her to get a low grade ( What is the “it”? Unclear.) Fixed sentence: The student’s writing showed a lack of revision. This lack of effort caused her to get a low grade.
SUBJECT & VERB DISAGREEMENT
27.The subject, or the noun doing the action in the sentence, is either singular or plural. The verb describing the subject’s action must likewise be singular or plural to match the subject in number and in person (first, second, or third).Example of a subject-verb disagreement: The characters in my play lives in a fantasy world. Fixed sentence: The characters in my play live in a fantasy world.
E.G vs. I.E. vs. ETC.
28. Be careful to use the right Latin abbreviation in your writing:
e.g.= exempli gratia= for example
i.e. = id est= in other words
etc.= et cetera= and so on, similar items
INDENTATION & FORMATTING
29.Indent your paragraphs in essays, narratives, and paragraphs. In block-style business letters, you do not indent paragraphs.
30. Please align your writing to the left. Do not align your writing to the centre or to the right.
31.Please choose a different font. Your font is hard to read. Try Times New Roman or Arial 12.
32. Where is your title?
33. Where is your name?
34. Spelling error. Please find the correct spelling and write this word correctly ten times.
CONTENT
(Unity- Ideas, details, and voice)
A.The point/thesis/theme of this writing is unclear. I’m not 100% sure what the focus of this piece of writing is.Remember that a point/thesis is generally found somewhere in the introduction.
B. The topic sentence of this paragraph is unclear. After reading the topic sentence several times, I am not sure what you are arguing in this paragraph.
C.This idea does not connect clearly to your point for writing/topic sentence/thesis statement. It does not pass the because test.
D.This paragraph/idea lacks details in support of your major idea/argument. You need to provide more specific details to prove your point. You may need to add more credible evidence to prove your argument. If you provided evidence referring to research but not citing any research, your evidence is not reliable. Always cite the source, and be precise.
E.The details in your paragraph do not support your topic sentence, or only some of your details support the topic sentence. All your details in your topic sentence must relate to your topic sentence argument. If a detail is not related to your topic sentence, that detail is destroying the unity of your writing and confusing your reader.
LOGICAL FALLACIES
F.This idea is illogical or exaggerated. Check this list for logical fallacies:
F- I. Hasty generalization.A conclusion based on insufficient evidence, or rushing to a conclusion before you have all the facts (e.g. It’s the first day of a class and you decide it’ll be boring.) It’s a logical fallacy because you don’t have sufficient evidence—it’s only the first day!
F- II. Slippery slope.This is the belief that if one thing (A) happens, through a slippery slope effect B, C, D…Z will happen. (e.g. If we go outside for lunch then more student will get sick. If more students get sick, more students will die. If more students die, our school will eventually be empty!)
F- III.Post hoc ergo propter hoc. This is logically fallacy in which we notice that event A happens before B, so we assume that B was caused by A. But the fact that B followed A does not mean B caused A (e.g. I drank tea this morning. Now I’m sick. The tea must have made me sick.) --> It’s possible that the tea made you sick, but it’s not the definite cause.
F- IV- Genetic fallacy. This is the idea that the origin of a person, idea, institution, or theory determines its value, credibility or worth.(e.g. This book was written in Hitler’s Germany; therefore, it is certainly filled with anti-Semitic propaganda, and any decent person will refuse to read it.)
F- V- Ad hominem attack.This is an attack on the character of a person/the speaker rather than his or her arguments (e.g. Donald Trump has made sexist statements; therefore, his fiscal policy can’t be trusted. OR The Green Party can’t be trusted because they’re just a bunch of lazy, dirty hippies.)
F- VI-Ad populum.This is an emotional appeal to positive (patriotism, religion, etc.) or negative (terrorism, fascism, xenophobia) concepts rather than the actual issue at hand (e.g. If you were a true Canadian, you would support Syrian refugees. OR If you want to fight fascism, say “no” to the Republicans.)
F- VII- Straw Man-An oversimplification of the opponent’s argument followed by an attack on the oversimplified, hollow argument (e.g. People who don’t support the move to a higher minimum wage hate the poor. We can’t support hate for the poor.)
F- VIII- Red Herring-A diversion from the opponent’s argument. You are using a red herring when you avoid an opposing argument rather than addressing it (e.g. Standardized testing may provide valuable feedback to educators, but what about our students’ mental health and happiness?) The second part of the sentence deflects the issue and never responds to the initial argument.
CONTENT MANAGEMENT
(Coherence, word choice/voice and style)
COHERENCE/FLOW
G.These sentences need a transition word, phrase, or word bridge to connect them together. The shift between sentences is too abrupt.
H. These paragraphs need a transition word, phrase, or word bridge to connect them together. The shift between paragraphs is too abrupt.
I. The transitions used seem robotic/mechanical. Avoid using the same type of transitions or using too many to avoid a robotic style. Aim for a variety of transition words and phrases. Attempt to make your writing flow naturally.
J. The ending of this piece of writing is too abrupt. The ending could be improved with a restatement of your point/your arguments. Connect the entire piece together using your conclusion.
K.The wrong transition word has been used here. Check the meaning of this transition word. See below for some ideas:
To show cause and effect, use therefore, consequently, as a result, or so.
To add information or details, use in addition, additionally, also,moreover, or furthermore.
To show similarities between things, use similarity or likewise.
To show contrast/disagreement in ideas, use however, in contrast, or but.
To hint towards a conclusion/summarize, use for these reasons, for these aforementioned reasons, in conclusion, in summary, to conclude, or because.
L.This transition word/phrase is too informal (e.g. To finish/start this off, and another thing, let’s start with…) Try one of the formal transition words/phrases mentioned in rule H instead.
WORD CHOICE/VOICE
M. Avoid contractions in formal writing. Write the full two words.
N. In formal writing, write numbers in words if the number is smaller than ten.Exceptions include course titles, book titles, and dates.
O.Check the meaning of this word for connotation and denotation. This word is not used in this context (it may be too informal; it may not suit the situation; or it may be too vague). Go to the dictionary and check its definition and how it is commonly used in a sentence.You may also be confusing words (e.g. it’s vs. its; their vs. there; to vs. too; which vs. witch; to vs. too).
P. Avoid vague filler words or unnecessary adverbs. Choose the more precise adjective or verb (e.g. Runs quickly sprints OR very smart intelligent).
Q. Avoid empty words with no particular meaning such as amazing, awesome, good, cool, bad, fine, beautiful, and so on. Choose a more precise word (e.g. Her dress was beautiful. Her dress was elegant/sophisticated/vintage/Parisian.)
R. Avoid blaming language or tone. When making a request or recommendation, avoid the active voice which can sound blaming (e.g. You should consider a change in your policyA change in policy would be beneficial.)
S. In formal, business writing, be polite. Remember to say please and thank you. Remember to thank your reader for his or her time. If it’s applicable, make a complimentary connection to your reader.
T. Do not write in an informal manner, suggestive of close friendship with a reader you do not know. This nonchalant way of writing can put someone off. Write in a formal way suitable to the context. Use the person’s proper title, and address him or her with respect. Do not use first names unless you know this person well enough to have his/her phone number on your cell phone.
STYLE
U. Avoid choppy writing. Choppy writing occurs when a sentences in succession are the same length or begin in the same manner. Aim to add variety to your sentence types.
V. This sentence(s) doesn’t make sense. After reading this sentence several times, I am not sure what you mean. Please edit.
W. Avoid monotonous writing. Repeating the same words or ending/starting sentences close together in the same way makes writing boring. Add variety to both your vocabulary and your sentences.
X- Faulty parallelism. Edit this sentence to make all elements parallel (e.g. If some elements in a series are adjectives, make all of them adjectives to make them parallel. Example of faulty parallelism: My cousin Joe likes swimming, hiking, and to read. Fixed sentence: My cousin Joe likes swimming, hiking, and reading.
GEORGE ORWELL’S SIX RULES FOR WRITERS
Y. Never use a simile, metaphor, or other figure of speech you are used to seeing in print.
Z. Never use a long word where a short one will do (i.e. avoid the OVERWRITTEN style).
. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out (i.e. be CONCISE).
* Never use the passive voice where you can use the active.
**Never use a foreign phrase, scientific word, or jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
Break any of these rules sooner than say anything barbarous!