Style and Grammar Rules
1. Omit unnecessary words. Incorrect: I would like to assert that the author should be considered to be an idiot. Correct: The author is an idiot. a: omit unnecessary words if the notion they convey is implicit Incorrect: Women in society are often treated as lower than men. (Where else are women but “society”?) Correct: Women are often treated as lower than men. b: The word “that” is very rarely needed; only use it when grammatically necessary.
2. Use the active voice unless you specifically need to use the passive voice. Incorrect: A good score was achieved by the team. Correct: The team achieved a good score.
3. Use parallel construction to make a strong point and create a smooth flow. Incorrect: He liked to play basketball and riding horses Correct: He liked playing basketball and riding horses.
4. Comma Splice: Do not join two independent clauses with a comma. Incorrect: I got up late this morning, I didn't have time for breakfast. Correct: I got up late this morning. I didn't have time for breakfast OR I got up late this morning, so I didn't have time for breakfast. OR I got up late this morning; I didn't have time for breakfast. OR Because I got up late this morning, I didn't have time for breakfast.
5. The subject of a verb of a sentence must agree in person and number
6. Always use "like" as a preposition, never as a subordinating conjunction (AVOID USING “LIKE” AT ALL) Incorrect: My face felt like it had been set on fire. Correct: My face felt as if it had been set on fire. OR My face felt as though it had been set on fire.
7. Commas in FANBOYS & non-essential elements: a. Use a comma before FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) when the FANBOYS are followed by a complete sentence. b. Use a commas around non-essential elements in a sentence Example: My brother, who lives in Ohio, is coming to visit next month.
8. Use commas to separate items of a series (including before the word “and” in a series).
9. Use a comma between two adjectives that can be interchanged in order. example: The yard was full of romping, running children.
10. Use a comma to set off introductory elements and/or introductory dependent clauses. example: Screaming for help, the girl wrestled the raging bear example: Yes, he was at the party. A: (dependent clause): Because I was tired, I decided to go to bed.
11. Use commas to set off the explainers of the direct quotation. example: The girl sighed, “Wait for me.”
12. Use a comma to prevent misreading. example: Ever since, Frank has been a better boy. example: You would, would you?
13. Do not use unnecessary commas.
14. Semicolons are fancy PERIODS, NOT fancy commas—do not use them in place of a comma.
15. Use a colon to introduce a definition, explanation, or a list, especially with as follows or the following. example: He bought the following fruits: apples, peaches, pears, and grapes.
16. Enclose a direct quotation with quotation marks. example: “Wait for me,” she yelled. 17. Put quotations marks around titles of chapters, newspaper and magazine articles, short poems, & short stories.
18. Periods and commas always go inside quotation marks. Colons & semicolons never go inside quotation marks. Question marks & exclamation points go inside only if they belong to the quoted material.
19. Underline the titles of books, periodicals, plays, long poems, movies, paintings/sculptures, & ships. a. Short stories are parts of a longer book or magazine, so they must be surrounded by quotations and NOT underlined.
20. Use the apostrophe to form the possessive of nouns & indefinite pronouns.
21. “It’s” ONLY means “IT IS”; it is not ever meant as a possessive Incorrect: It’s feet are bruised so it cannot walk. Correct: It’s going to rain today.
22. Use an apostrophe to form the possessive of plural noun ending in s. example: After discussing it with one another, it was the doctors’ decision to go through with the procedure together.
23. Use hyphens when spelling compound numbers from twenty-one through ninety-nine.
24. Spell out the number if it may be done with two or three words; otherwise, write it in figures. example: He gave the one thousand dollars example: He gave me 1,256 copies.
25. Every sentence must begin with a capital letter.
26. Capitalize all proper nouns and every adjective derived from a proper noun. -Spain, Spaniard -Boston, Bostonian
27. The names of the days of the week, special holidays, and the names of the months are capitalized.
28. Do not capitalize unnecessarily.
29. A pronoun must agree with its antecedent in gender, person, & number.
30. A sentence may be faulty because a pronoun is placed where it may refer to more than one word. There should be no uncertainty as to what word is the antecedent of a pronoun.
31. You, yours, your, are personal pronouns and cannot be used impersonally. DO NOT USE THEM UNLESS IN QUOTED MATERIAL.
32. “They” should not be used with indefinite reference.
33. Avoid needless shifts in number. Correct: One should do one’s duty. Incorrect: One should do their duty.
34. Avoid needless shifts in tense.
35. All reflections to literature are written in the PRESENT TENSE.
36. Run-on: Do not run sentences together without punctuation.
37. Do not write fragments as sentences.
39. Avoid writing monotonous short sentences.
40. Avoid the careless repetition of words. a. avoid redundant terms
41. Do not abbreviate in formal writing.
42. Never put of after would or could. Always use have. Correct: He would/could have gone late. Incorrect: He would/could of gone late.
43. Eliminate unnecessary prepositions; they’re boring. Incorrect: At this point in time he is leaving. Correct: Now, he is leaving
44. Replace overused, boring word with an acceptable word to improve syntax & diction.
45. Always use formal language in essay writing—no slang.
46. Always read essays aloud to catch awkward or confusing statements.
47. Body paragraphs must contain a clear concluding sentence (CS) & it must tie back to the thesis a. NEVER transition to the next paragraph in a CS. b. A CS must allude to the text, and it may not include a quote
48. Body paragraphs must contain a clear topic sentence (TS) that ties back to the thesis and introduces what the paragraph will be discussing. a. A TS must mention the book/poem in some way & it must include commentary tied to the main idea of the thesis b. A TS cannot be a statement of fact; this creates a narrative TS which is no more than summary. It must include commentary. c. A TS cannot include a quote
49. Body paragraphs must contain AT LEAST two quotations as evidence relevant to the TS & thesis.
50. Each quotation must be accompanied by insightful commentary.
51. Avoid using clichés; they undermine the sophistication of writing.
52. Avoid melodrama/hyperbole; they undermine the sophistication of writing.
53. Quotations: a. Always embed quotes when possible; never “float” quotes b. Only use the portion of a quotation necessary to prove your thesis/topic sentence; splice the quotation if possible.
54. Avoid unsure language in formal writing; it makes you sound as though you are not sure of what you are writing about and invalidates your thesis.
55. Avoid unnecessary auxiliary & “be” verbs; they’re boring and contribute to wordiness.
56. Avoid asking rhetorical questions; they undermine the sophistication of writing.
57. A thesis statement or TS cannot be a rhetorical question; it implies you are not sure of your topic/argument.
58. Do not summarize unless absolutely necessary; essays are not book reports. They are YOUR analytical opinions on a piece of writing.
59. Page #/citations go at the END of a SENTENCE, not necessarily the end of a quote, and they must be cited properly. a. The period goes after the parenthetical reference and the quote goes before it: “Like this” (45).
60. All quotations must include a citation; not doing so results in plagiarism.