Witty, Gritty, Writing & Citing

Ms. Carmichael’s

Witty, Gritty, Writing & Citing

HANDBOOK

EXTRAODINAIRE

Table of Contents

3-9……………………..Basics of writing good…er…I mean well…

3…………………………Rule # 1: Writing is not scary

7…………………………Rule # 2: BS; Rule # 3: To aliens with love

8…………………………Rule # 4: Show and Tell and Super Verbs

10…………………………Rule # 5: Revise

11-26……………………..Called on a technicality

11……………………….. ABC easy as 123

12………………………The holy matrimony of Subjects to Verbs

14……………………….Combine Sentences

16………………………. First comes love, then comes antecedents,

then comes the pronouns in it…

17……………………….. Homophone, homonym, homowhat?

19………………………. Word labyrinths revealed!

21……………………….Parallel isn’t just for math class

23……………………….Modifiers

25……………………….Common Commas

27-29……………………..MLA, Monkeys Learn Alphabets…?

27………………………… Format

28…………………………Foul!!!! Plagiarism!!!

29…………………………Works Cited & In-text/Parentheticals

Basics of writing good…er…I mean well…

Basic rule #1: Writing is not scary.

I am not the boogeyman. When I assign you a piece of writing, it shouldn’t be a nightmare to you. Writing and reading are a basic part of the human experience and valuable skills to master. Most professions use reading and writing in some capacity, so perfecting you skills in writing can be practical as well as enjoyable…if you let them. Check it out.

Obviously, the amount and type of writing will vary according to the profession, but the point is clear. Writing is something we all do, so it should not be feared. Follow the cardinal rule and writing gets much easier

Basics of writing good…er…I mean well…

Often, we are asked to write formal papers. These papers are research based papers, essays, in class assignments etc. The question you ask yourself is, how does one achieve the formality that such a task requires.

There are two kinds of papers that students MOST OFTEN turn in.

1. There are “Bull” papers. These are the papers that are filled with flowery words that sound nice but really have little or nothing to do with fact. Sometimes a professor or a teacher will read this, realize that it is bull, but will mark them with a higher grade because it sounds like the writer knows what they are talking about. More often, however, teachers and professors realize that you are just talking to hear yourself talk and your paper will be marked down despite the formality of the paper.

1. There are “Cow” papers. These are the papers that are filled with facts and facts alone. These papers show extensive knowledge of a subject, but are structured in such a way that it is hard to read and difficult to make interesting.

For a really great paper, you need to have a “calf paper.” These papers have a little bit of bull, and a little bit of cow mixed together to create something new and fresh.

SO, how do we achieve “calf papers”? You practice. Sometimes the hardest thing for us to do is write with a formal yet unstilted tone. To make this concept stick more readily and to understand it better, we will participate in

Basics of writing good…er…I mean well…

Before beginning any piece of writing, you must first establish the audience, mode andpurpose.

Your audience is simple to determine. Essentially, you ask yourself: to whom am I writing?

Identify the audience for the following types of writing

1. The New York Times

2. The New Yorker

3. An Agatha Christie novel

4. Beowulf

5. A Presidential Speech

6. A Letter to the Editor

7. A Letter to the Principal

8. A School Newspaper

9. Night

10. An Instruction Manual

There are four basic modes and their subsequent sub-modes. Establishing the mode helps you establish the purpose

Authors, including you, have to have a purpose—a REASON to write. There are many purposes, but a few MAIN purposes…

Identify the purpose for each of the modes of writing. If there is a different purpose for a sub-mode, indicate that as well.

Basics of writing good…er…I mean well…

Writing is a series of circles, you mature as a writer when the circles are not all trite replicates of each other, but to begin, you must know the structure of the paragraph.

1. Introduction—usually has a transition OF SOME KIND (not always at the beginning). Tells the reader what the paragraph is about.
2. Example—this is where you present your proof. The way you back your self up
3. Analysis—YOUR OWN WORDS! You draw conclusions about things.
4. Conclusion—ties back to your introduction. You don’t want to leave the reader hanging off a cliff. You have to tie off those ends so you can move on.

ALWAYS CIRCLE BACK TO THE PROMPT/ESSENTIAL QUESTION!

All your paragraphs will follow this circular pattern. The introduction and conclusion have different kinds of intros and concluding sentences, but follows the pattern to the beat of their own drum

Introductory paragraphs start with a (1) hook, follow with (2) background information, and end with the (3) thesis while concluding paragraphs mirror the introduction by starting with the (3) thesis, following with (2) suggestions, or ideas drawn from the paper, and finally ending with a (1) clincher that most effectively REFERS BACK to the hook from the intro. More sophisticated writers utilize style and syntax to avoid redundancy.

EQ: Should distracted driving be a criminal offense?

Answer to EQ+ Opinions/reasons =Thesis

Distracted driving should 1. They kill people so they should be tried as such.

be a criminal offense. 2. The knowingly endanger the public. 3. They are breaking the law of the road.

*HINT: Consider parallel structure when formulating your thesis!

Thesis 1 (1 sentence): Distracted drivers knowingly endanger the public, inadvertently kill people and intentionally break the law proving that distracted driving should be a criminal offense.

Thesis 2 (2 sentences): Distracted drivers knowingly endanger the public, inadvertently kill people and intentionally break the law. As a result, distracted driving should be a criminal offense.

* your thesis should not be more than 2 sentences.

EQ: How does bullying affect society?

Answer to EQ+ Opinions/reasons =Thesis

1.

2.

3.

Thesis:

Basics of writing good…er…I mean well…

Be Specific, that is. Often, students make the mistake of not using specifics, thus their points are lost in a shallow sea of filler phrases and the other kind of BS. So, to avoid this, we step it up and add specifics!

EQ: Should distracted driving be a criminal offense?

Example Thesis: Distracted drivers knowingly endanger the public, inadvertently kill people and intentionally break the law. As a result, distracted driving should be a criminal offense.

Good! We have a nice clear road map, but to fully appreciate the road trip we need to know more about how to reach our final destination. The more detailed we are, the less likely we are to get lost along the way. To do that, we need to BE SPECIFIC with our examples.

How do you make it specific?

--A specific person/group(Phil LeBeau)

--Specific Instance(tested Car and Driver Magazine’s documented and published distracted driving statistics—specifically texting and driving)

--during a specific period of time(2009—after 14 states have banned the law)

This all goes into your explanation of your example.

Explain. Analyze. Relate. These are the basics. Specific examples are meaningless without explanation. Always, always, always analyze and explain how the example relates to your topic. It should be as though an alien is reading your paper (which, some of you may believe that your teacher is an alien, so this shouldn’t be too difficult for you!).

What would you need to say to make sure that alien understands exactly what you’re saying?

Then answer the question in your writing. You want to break it down:

Yes, Phil LeBeau tested Car and Driver’s statistics in 2009. So what?

RELATE TO THESIS: This relates knowingly endangering the public because…

-Phil LeBeau and other journalists have been testing, reporting and discussing the issue of distracted driving for years. The published statistics and the fact that Car and Driver reports distracted driving decreases reaction time proves that people who succumb to distractions are not acting out of ignorance. In fact, people are taught these things before being issued a license. Therefore, they are knowingly endangering the public thereby committing a criminal offense that is as bad, if not worse, than drunk driving.

Now you try…by looking at your previous example

EQ: How does bullying affect society? (look back at your generated thesis to help you come up with a SPECIFIC example.

--A specific person/group

--Specific instance

--during a specific period of time

Basics of writing good…er…I mean well…

Basic rule #4: Show and Tell

Generally when writing, it is better to SHOW rather than to TELL. Obviously, you’ll do a little of both in GREAT writing, but the more you can SHOW, the better off you’ll be. This helps your reader really SEE and UNDERSTAND what you see and know and it is absolutely ESSENTIAL in descriptive and narrative writing.

This requires using more INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION and ACTION VERBS

The telling is ambiguous. Okay, George is a monster…why? What did he do? What does he look like? Do you mean a literal monster like Big Foot, or is he just an evil person?

The showing is more precise. It lets the reader infer that George is a monster, but gives them more detail.

From an early age, we accept death as the inevitable, but do not comprehend its actual denotation. Death is the impending future that all people must eventually grasp. In my early teens, my grandfather tragically perished. As a youth who did not identify with such a cataclysm I was saturated with various emotions. Initially, I was grieved by the loss of a loved one and could not understand why this calamity had to befall upon my family. I always considered death to have a devastating effect, but was shocked by the emotional strain it places upon an individual

The coughing came first, the hacking in the idle of the night. Then there were the multiple doctor visits, each one the same: the little white rooms with magazines where I tried not to stare at the bald, gaunt woman across from me. One of the white coats finally said something steadily, forecasting an eighty percent chance of rain. The list of second opinions grew too long to count, looking for someone to say the right thing. Finally, there was relief in hearing the name of a kinder killer: lymphoma.

Identify the major differences between the two paragraphs above, then decide which one you think is the better paragraph. Which one does more showing? Give an example.

Basics of writing good…er…I mean well…

Basic rule #4: Show and Tell: Power Verbs

Linking/Auxiliary verbs are okay—but power verbs make your writing better!

Linking Verb List

abolish
acquire
advocate
assimilate
authorize

balance
block
bolster
brand
broaden
calculate
collaborate
commend
convey
create
debate
delegate
differentiate
display
document
effect
elaborate
engage
examine
expedite
fabricate
finish
formulate
fortify
fulfill
gauge
generate
greet
group
guide
halt
handle
held
hire
hone
ignite
illustrate
intervene
investigate
isolate
join
judge
justify
lecture
lift
limit
liquidate
load
mandate
maneuver
manipulate
minimize
motivate
navigate
negotiate
neutralize
nominate
nurture
observe
operate
orchestrate
order
organize
participate
perceive
persuade
pinpoint
publicize
quadruple
quantify
query
question
quote
recruit
reiterate
repair
replicate
retrieve
safeguard
salvage
secure
seize
sketch
survey
tackle
terminate
testify
transmit
tutor
uncover
unearth
unify
update
urge
validate
verbalize
verify
visualize
volunteer
widen
withstand
work
wrote
yield

Basics of writing good…er…I mean well…

Basic rule #5: Revise

The following includes basic self edit techniques. Any time you are asked to write a paper, you should come back to this page to edit YOURSELF before coming to a peer edit session. Keep in mind, that I will grade more harshly on these mistakes than others because I’ve beaten them into your head and made them readily available from the beginning.

1. Filler words: in which, centers around, when it came close/comes to
2. Words that question your validity or knowledge: may, might, seem, in my opinion, etc.
3. Generalizations/Vague Statements: My dad is like any other dad; I had a normal childhood etc.
4. Filler phrases: these examples show, in my opinion, to me it/they, I believe that, I think etc.
5. Forbidden words: nice, very, a lot, stuff, things, really, real, even, plus, just
6. Slang (something you would hear in the halls, on VH1, or The Simpsons etc.): hang out, bling-bling, benjamins, yo, cool, dude, etc.
7. Repetition
8. Cliché: over used phrases such as, last but not least
9. Incorrect Homophones: (there, their, they’re; two, to, too; affect, effect etc.)
10. Wordiness!
11. Check “commonly misspelled words” list & correct
12. Check grammar and conventions…specifically:
13. Subject/verbs and agreement: Search for subject and verb in the sentence; scratch out any sentence that doesn’t have both—that means it’s a fragment; make sure they all agree in tense and plurality
14. Run on sentences: If you have to take a deep breath or a bathroom break in the middle of the sentence, it’s too long.
15. Written out numbers: An number that can be said in ONE word should be written out (ex: one, ten, fifty, sixty); however, ninety-nine is two words and can be written as 99.
16. Counting: (First, Second, Third)
17. Cliché transitions: (Lastly, Finally)
18. Remove all personal pronouns UNLESS the prompt asks for your experiences OR it is a personal narrative (I, you, us, we, me, my, yours, ours etc.)

Called on a technicality