Style Requirements for Writing Classes
Professor Stewart
Grading:Essays are graded out of 10. Because this is an introductory writing classand I
want you to try new things, I do not grade your essays like normal assignments. Fill up 2 pages as required and you will receive full marks. However, I do have format requirements, which you must learn and follow or points will be deducted.
Length:The assignment is 2 pages, not 1 or 1½ pages. For eachlineshortof 2 full pages,
onepoint will be deducted from your grade.
Names:Put your English name and student number on one line at the top of page1. No
name, no number, no grade. Do not provide any other information.
Margins: 1 inch (25mm) margins at the top, bottom, and both sides
Font:12 pt. proportional font (i.e., New Times Roman)
Pg. Numbers: Number the pages of your essay using the page numbering function of your
word processor. Suppress the page number on page 1. Beginning on page 2, place page numbers on the top right corner.
Titles: Use italics for feature films, books, magazines, journals, long poems, etc.
Use “quotation marks” forshort stories, reviews, cartoons, essays, poems, etc.
Characters: In referring to characters, use their names. When discussing films, use the
character’sname (Louise Sawyer, J.D.), not the actor’s, unless you are referring to the actor as an actor or as a real person (Susan Sarandon, Brad Pitt).
Tense: When referring to events in a narrative,use present tense. When referringto
eventsthat actual occurred in history, use past tense.
Diction: no slang (cool, LOL, ain’t); no contractions (they’re, hasn’t, etc.)
Grammar:Grammar is not taught in this class, nor is it corrected. But grammatical mistakes
inhibitareader’s understanding. Especially when they seem to be the result of sloppiness or being rushed, errors in grammar will lower your grade. Grades will not be deducted when mistakes are caused by your attempting to say something complicated or abstract that challenges your grammatical ability.
Paragraphs:Use paragraphs. Indent the first line of each paragraph 6-8 spaces.
Punctuation:When quoting, use double quotation marks and place punctuation—periods,
commas—inside quotation marks.For example: “I would prefer not to,” Bartleby says to his boss. OR: Bartleby tells his boss that he “would prefer not to.”
Quotations:Quotations should be used to prove or demonstrate your claims. They mustbe
accurate, whether they come from printed sources of a sound track—so be careful about quoting from movie subtitles, because they are often wrong. Quotationsshould be brief and should not substitute for your own writing. When you use a quotation longer than 4 lines, block-indent the entire passage 10 spaces. For short writing assignments (3 pages or less), quotations should not exceed 2 lines long.
Quot. Marks: Put quotation marks around quotations only. Do not use them for emphasis.
Italics:Use italics onlyfor titles and (occasionally) for emphasis.
Topics:You can write anything you wish, with these qualifications: Youressay should
focuson one topic, or two at most, not several. Write about the film, not about yourself(‘I love travel’) or general topics (‘women are oppressed’) related to the film. Avoid the language of reviews: “Moby Dick is one of Melville’s finest novels,”or “I highly recommend Oliver Stone’s Nixon. Four stars!” You can write on a topic we discussed in class, on something we did not discussbut that interests you, or on a question I suggest. Avoid merely summarizing the film’s plotor describing its characters.