• Tips on Essay Writing
• Getting Started with an Essay
• Effective Thesis Statements
• Russell's/Kennedy's Essays (Thesis, Unity, Coherence, Parallelism) 
• Concrete and Specific Word Choice
• Avoiding Sexist Language
• Review of Logical Fallacies
• Strategies for Proofreading
• Guide to Argument
• Evaluating Online Sources
• Writing a Sentence Outline
   

WRITER’S CHECK SHEET

 WRITER'S CHECK SHEET TO BETTER ARCHITECTURE

Titles: What’s This Then?

• Avoid stalling on the first line. Write the title last, after the composition is finished.

• Sell the thesis through the title; approach it like a billboard advertisement - you have about eight words to capture my interest and attention as my sedan rushes past at 70 mph.

• Vague concepts and subjects 'Success" or "Improving Self-esteem," for instance - are not titles.

• Manners" is a topic and not a title; "Mind Your Tongue, Young Man" is an inviting title that more closely reflects a thesis. While not necessarily written as a sentence, a title must convey a main idea.

In the opening paragraph, you need

• A lead statement to capture the reader s interest and gain momentum for example, a common experience, a poetic image, metaphor, or engaging gambit (quotes can work but can also be overused or misleading); if lead is poor, the reader will instinctively conclude that the balance of the composition is unlikely to be much better. Invite the reader to enjoy your writing.

• A focused limited thesis statement, the main idea or position controlling the entire composition. Everything revolves around this claim: I shall argue fill-in-the-blank. The position placed in the blank is the thesis and is the most specific sentence of the opening paragraph, but do not say, "In this paper, I am going to discuss or " I will argue that...... " Just state your point.

• An encompassing scope statement--sometimes combined with the thesis statement; it should include the significant key words or ideas that emerge in each paragraph.
• Reconsider this paragraph after you have written the rest of the paper. Ask yourself, "What am I really trying to say?""Am I saying it clearly and boldly and with breadth and depth?" The original idea may have changed. Your closing paragraph may actually state the intended main idea better than the opening one.

The Middle: "Say it"

The interior of the composition should

• Be clear, precise and concise--the reader should not have to struggle with interpretation.

• Include detailed, vivid description--the kind that appeals to the senses, all of them.

• See beyond the obvious and look at the issue in a new way. Consider levels of perception such as depth, focus, focal point, framing, time, angle, and vantage points.

• Provide transitional expressions or sentences. Stay away from the basic "First," "Second," "Next," "Finally." Build coherent, fluid movement between paragraphs by threading sentences at the beginning or end of paragraphs that weave relationships by using key words found in adjacent paragraphs. (See a list of Transitional Words that may help)

• Include logical signal words or "signposts,' such as "nevertheless" or "however," but should not become exclusively or overly dependent upon them.

• Defend and support the thesis with appropriate examples and extended illustrations, not padding.

• Stay unified around a single point, building topic sentences, relationships, and explanations of examples that advance the main idea of the composition.

The Closing- "Tell me what you said"

The closing paragraph should

• Not merely repeat what has already been said in the thesis and body; take some chances here, experiment, challenge the reader, but shun redundancy.
• Bring the main point into sharp focus with fresh language and thoughtful resolution.
• Leave the reader thinking.
• Possibly bring the reader to the next logical step or present an issue beyond those stated.
• Bring closure to the composition, rounding out ideas and thoughts.

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(By Vince Miholic, University of Louisiana-Lafayette, vm@louisiana.edu)

Proofreading An Essay

Proofreading Strategies

No matter how many times you read through a "finished" paper, you're likely to miss many of your most frequent errors. The following guide will help you proofread more effectively:

• by giving you some useful general strategies for proofreading well
• by giving you strategies which personalize proofreading so you can identify errors you typically make (You don't need to check for everything. It's more efficient to know your typical problem areas and make several passes through the paper for them.)
• by giving you specific strategies for finding and correcting those errors.

1. General Strategies

• Begin by taking a break. Allow yourself some time between writing and proofing. Even a five-minute break is productive because it will help get some distance from what you have written. The goal is to return with a fresh eye and mind.
• The following strategies will help you s-l-o-w d-o-w-n as you read through a paper and will therefore help you catch mistakes that you might otherwise overlook. As you use these strategies, remember to work slowly. If you read at a normal speed, you won't give your eyes sufficient time to spot errors.
• Reading aloud: Reading a paper aloud encourages you to read every word.
• Reading with a "cover:" Sliding a blank sheet of paper down the page as you read encourages you to make a detailed, line-by-line review of the paper.
• Role-playing: Playing the role of the reader encourages you to see the paper as your audience might.

2. Strategies Which Personalize Proofreading

• In addition to using the general strategies already listed, you'll need to personalize the proofreading process. You won't be able to check for everything (and you don't have to), so you should find out what your typical problem areas are and look for each type of error individually. Here's how:
• Find out what errors you typically make: Review instructors' comments about your writing and/or review your paper(s) with a Writing Lab tutor.
• Learn how to fix those errors: Talk with your instructor and/or with a Writing Lab tutor. The instructor and the tutor can help you understand why you make the errors you do so that you can learn to avoid them.
• Use specific strategies: Use the strategies detailed on the following pages to find and correct your particular errors in organization and paragraphing, usage and sentence structure, and spelling and punctuation.

3. Specific Strategies

To locate and correct errors in your papers, find the strategies on the following pages which correspond to your typical problem areas and follow the step-by-step instructions provided for you. Each strategy is designed to focus your attention on only one particular error, so to be most effective, use only one strategy at a time. (Ask a Writing Center tutor about any terms you don't understand and/or refer to Center  handouts.)

A: Organization and Paragraphing     For thesis/focus/main point:

• Find your paper's thesis statement. Copy it on another sheet of paper. If your thesis is not directly stated, write down a possible thesis.
• Locate the central idea of each paragraph and try to reduce that idea to a word or phrase. If you cannot decide on one phrase, list two or three options.
• List the paragraph ideas. List these in order under your thesis.
• Decide whether your paragraphs clearly relate to your thesis. If not, either rewrite your thesis to incorporate the unrelated ideas or eliminate the unrelated paragraphs.

B. For paragraph clarity:

• Locate the central idea of each paragraph. Reduce that idea to a word or phrase.
• Look at each paragraph randomly. Consider only the information in that paragraph.
• Ask yourself whether you offer enough details in the paragraph to support that word or idea.
• Decide whether all of your details are relevant.
• Ask yourself whether all of the information is related enough to be in the same paragraph. Should you create another paragraph or move some of the details to another paragraph?

C.  For overall coherence:

• See whether you have clear transitions between paragraphs. If not, clarify existing transitions, add new ones, and/or rearrange your paragraphs to make transitions clearer.

D.  Usage and Sentence Structure     For subject/verb agreement:

• Find the main verb in each sentence.
• Match the verb to its subject.
• Make sure that the subject and verb agree in number.

E.  For pronoun reference/agreement:

• Skim your paper, stopping at each pronoun. Look especially at it, this, they, their, and them.
• Search for the noun that the pronoun replaces. If you can't find any noun, insert one beforehand or change the pronoun to a noun. If you can find a noun, be sure it agrees in number and person with your pronoun.

F.  For parallel structure:

• Skim your paper, stopping at key words that signal parallel structures. Look especially for and, or; not only...but also; either... or; neither...nor; both...and.
• Make sure that the items connected by these words (adjectives, nouns, phrases, etc.) are in the same grammatical form.

G. Spelling and Punctuation

• Examine each word in the paper individually. Move from the end of each line back to the beginning. Pointing with a pencil helps you really see each word.
• If necessary, check a dictionary to see that each word is spelled correctly.

For compound sentence commas:

• Skim for the conjunctions and, but, for, or, nor, so and yet.
• See whether there is a complete sentence on each side of the conjunction. If so, place a comma before the conjunction.

For introductory commas:

• Skim your paper, looking only at the first two or three words of each sentence.
• Stop if one of these words is a dependent marker, a transition word, a gerund, or a preposition.
• Listen for a possible break point before the main clause.
• Place a comma at the end of the introductory phrase or clause (which is before the independent clause).

For comma splices

• Skim the paper, stopping at every comma.
• See whether there is a complete sentence on each side of the comma. If so, add a coordinating conjunction after the comma or replace the comma with a semicolon.

For fragments:

• Look at each sentence to see whether it contains an independent clause.
• Pay special attention to sentences that begin with dependent marker words (such as because) or phrases such as for example or such as. See if the sentence might be just a piece of the previous sentence that mistakenly got separated by a period.

For run-on sentences:

• Review each sentence to see whether it contains more than one independent clause. Start with the last sentence of your paper, and work your way back to the beginning, sentence by sentence.
• Break the sentence into two sentences if necessary.

For apostrophes:

• Skim your paper, stopping only at those words which end in "s."
• See whether or not each "-s" word needs an apostrophe. If an apostrophe is needed, you could say, for example,  Mary's hat or the hat of Mary; dog's collar or the collar of the dog.

For left-out words:

• Read the paper aloud, pointing to every word as you read. Don't let your eye move ahead until you spot each word.
• Also, make sure that you haven't doubled any words.

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Notice to users of this handout:  This handout, in its original form, originated from the Purdue University Writing Lab.

   This site was developed by Ed Reber. Copyright (C)2005 by Ed Reber. All rights reserved.  This document may be distributed as long as it is done entirely with all attributions to organizations and authors. Commercial distribution is strictly prohibited. Portions of this document may be copyrighted by other organizations.  Visit my Home Page. E-mail me at reber@dixie.edu    I am an Associate Professor of English, Dixie College, St. George, UT 84770     Last Revised 13 July 2002