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General Writing Notes Misspelled and Confused Words • Where – were – Where is the dog? Were you going to do my homework? • Wat – What • And – In – An – The dog and cat are in an ugly fight. • Or and Are – Are you going to do your homework, or do I have to make you? Do Not Use Contractions • • • • Don’t = Do not Can’t = Cannot You’re = You are I’m = I am Do not start sentences with the expletive there. • Definition – the word there followed by a form of the verb to be. • Example • "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." (Albert Einstein) AVOID: Trite Words and Clichés • Trite Words = a lot, very, great • Cliché = overused expression – Examples = light as a feather; don’t move a muscle; easier said than done; beyond a shadow of a doubt Do Not Repeat Words… • …especially in the same sentence!!! – Examples = When I asked her why she liked to put mustard on her hamburger, she said she liked to eat mustard on everything. – I went to the nice lady's house today and she treated me nicely. Use an Expanded Vocabulary… • …by avoiding linking verbs whenever possible. • Examples of Linking Verbs – Become, seem, am, is, was, were, have been, has been, etc. • Examples of Action Verbs – Run, jump, reach, swim, walk, wiggle Use Historical Present Tense • Definition - The use of a verb phrase in the present tense to refer to an event that took place in the past. – Example = "There is a famous story of President Abraham Lincoln, taking a vote in a cabinet meeting on whether to sign the Emancipation Proclamation. All his cabinet secretaries vote nay, whereupon Lincoln raises his right hand and declares: ‘The ayes have it.'" (Peter W. Rodman, Presidential Command. Vintage, 2010) Vary Sentence Beginnings • Use participial phrases – Ex. Brushing her hair out of her eyes, the student in the front row struggled to stay awake. • Use introductory adverb clauses – Ex. Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it." (Helen Keller, "Optimism: An Essay," 1903) Do Not Preach!!! • Avoid the second person you when writing about literature. – Ex. = You would not think that a girl would love football, but I do. Use Commas Correctly • Use Commas – After an introductory adverb clause or participial phrase – Between two sentences joined by a coordinating conjunction • Coordinating Conjunctions – for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so • F.A.N.B.O.Y.S. Are the following sentences correct? • I love to teach and I hate grading essays. • I love to teach and hate grading essays. Learn Grammar • Like and As – Like expresses similarity. It is used for description. Ex. = It was like a dream. – As usually expresses a way of doing something. Ex. = Do as you are told. • You and I or You and Me • Which of the following is correct? – Johnny gave some money to you and I. – Mother loves you and me. Arrogant Athletic Bold Breezy Burdened Cautious Chaotic Cheerful Compassionate Confident Confused Cool Creepy Cynical Debonair Dejected Delighted Depressed Determined Dismayed Dismissive Distressed Ditzy Dreary Dull Easygoing Ecstatic Elated Embarrassed Energetic Enthusiastic Excited Fatigued Fearful Fidgety Flexible Flirtatious Formal Frantic Grieved Guilty Happy Hateful Haughty Heartbroken Hopeful Hopeless Horrified Hostile Humiliated Hyper Intense Intimidated Irrational Jealous Jolly Kind Lazy Lonely Meek Mischievous Moody Negative Nurturing Outspoken Paranoid Poised Positive Purposeful Rude Sad Serene Serious Shy Smug Sophisticated Suave Tense Tired Troubled Unrealistic Uptight Vengeful Vulnerable Wary Whiny Wired Witty