<p>Newmanland 2013-2014</p><p>Picky Writing Rules</p><p>1. If you type 1) Use only one side 2) Double Space 3)Use standard white paper 4)Leave reasonable margins 5)Use Times New Roman (or Calibri) 12 point (this is what you are reading) </p><p>2. If you do NOT type 1) Use only one side 2)Skip every other line 3) Use college-rule paper 4) Leave reasonable margins (so don’t write on the last line) 5)Use black or dark blue ink</p><p>3. Number your pages at the top right corner.</p><p>4. Underline or type in italics the titles of full-length films, plays, books, epic poems, magazines, and newspapers.</p><p>5. Put the titles of short stories, one-act plays, most poems, and articles in “quotation marks” or type in italics.</p><p>6. Give each original writing piece a clear title in all CAPS at the top of the first page. </p><p>7. Establish the context of your paper in the first sentence. Cite title, author’s full name and topic in the FIRST sentence.</p><p>8. Refer to all authors, poets, and historical figures either by their full names or their last names only. Say, “Shakespeare wrote about true love.” Never say, “Billy wrote about true love.”</p><p>9. Give your paper a clear thesis statement at the END of your FIRST paragraph.</p><p>10. Make sure each paragraph has at least three sentences. One or two sentences is NOT a paragraph. It is a word clump, and clumps are not formal or attractive.</p><p>11. Never use contractions, informal abbreviations, or slang in your formal paper. Say “to” not “2” and “cannot” instead of “can’t.” Say “quotation” not “quote.”</p><p>12. Do not misspell words. Use a dictionary. Misspelled words are a clear sign of laziness.</p><p>13. A possessive without an apostrophe is a misspelled word.</p><p>14. One exception to rule 13: “Its” is the possessive of “it.” “It’s” is the contraction for “it is.” Since contractions are forbidden (see rule 11), you will never need to write “it’s” on a paper.</p><p>15. Do not use first or second person--I, me, my , mine, we, us, our, ours: you, yours—unless the teacher says you may. Use “the one,” “the reader,” or “a person” if you must. Newmanland 2013-2014</p><p>16. Never use “I think;” “I feel;” “I believe;” “It seems to me;” “In my opinion;” These are signs of an insecure writer and they use first person. If you say it, your reader will know that is what you think, feel, believe, and etc.</p><p>17. Never just summarize or paraphrase. Remember that I have read it or seen it. I do not want to know what happened. I WANT TO KNOW YOUR IDEAS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED.</p><p>18. Support your assertions and ideas with concrete examples or with brief quotations from the novel, story, play, poem, or film you are discussing or with a short citation from a reliable authority.</p><p>19. Cite all quotations and references with internal citation (author page#) and in a Works Cited page. If you do not cite it, you have stolen it. That is PLAGIARISM, and you are headed to JAIL!</p><p>20. On the extremely rare occasions (never more than once in a single essay) when you quote more than three lines of poetry or 4 lines of prose, indent the quotation and do not use quotation marks.</p><p>21. Bury the following words; however, furthermore, moreover, and indeed. These are conjunctive adverbs and should NOT be at the beginning of a sentence.</p><p>22. Do not end sentences with prepositions (to, with, from, and etc.).</p><p>23. Make the transitions between your sentences and your paragraphs clear and logical.</p><p>24. Write about art in the PRESENT TENSE. Just remember Romeo and Juliet will be killing themselves long after you and I have finished this course.</p><p>25. Do not use the passive voice. The marvelous student was praised by Mrs. Newman. Use the active voice. Mrs. Newman praised the marvelous student.</p><p>26. Do not split infinitives. Keep the “to” next to the verb; do not separate them with an adverb. I wanted to change my schedule quickly. NOT I wanted to quickly change my schedule. </p><p>27. Never hedge. Words like “maybe,” “perhaps,” and “might” do not keep you from being wrong; they merely alert the reader to the fact that you are worried about it.</p><p>28. Fluff is pretty in clouds, pillows, poodles, and some hairdos; fluff is not pretty in formal writing. It is a waste of both the reader’s time and the writer’s time. Make a point when writing; never leave the reader asking “So what?”</p>