Essay Tips AND Grading Symbols

Title• Have a title for your essay and

make it interesting and specific to your essay.

• Here’s a typical academic one:The Book of Daniel: Multiple

Perspectives of Prophecy

The Essay• An essay

must have an introductory paragraph, several body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Introduction (w/thesis)

Body Paragraph: Explain & Develop Ideas

Body Paragraph: Explain & Develop Ideas

Body Paragraph: Explain & Develop Ideas

Body Paragraph: Explain & Develop Ideas

Conclusion

Thesis

The thesis is the main point

that youmake in the essay

The Body Paragraph

• A body paragraph contains approximately 7-8 sentences and has a topic sentence.

• What is a topic sentence?– The key point that you make in the

paragraph.

Basic Sentence Structure

• This is the minimum required for a simple and complete sentence with no errors.

1. Subject

2. Verb

3. Complete thought

Spacing & Format

• Indent 5 spaces to indicate a new paragraph.

• Double space your essay.

• Do not put extra spaces between paragraphs.

• Put two spaces between sentences.

Specificity

• If you are specific in your writing, your communication will be more clear and powerful.

• Use details, examples, and precise language.

Avoid

• Using the second person point of view (p.o.v.) “you.”

• These phrases: I believe…, I think…, In my opinion…, I personally…, I myself personally believe that…

• Writing like you speak

Avoid

• Words such as: thing, a lot, basically, nice, just, something, would, like

• Contractions: Use cannot (not can’t), I am (not I’m), I will (not I’ll), it is (not it’s)

Avoid

• Directly addressing the reader

Ex: You are going to learn about how (or I am going to tell you about how) after our family trip to Oregon, I realized how dysfunctional my family really is .

Correction:

After our family trip to Oregon, I realized how dysfunctional my family really is.

Avoid

• Announcing your purpose and plan

Ex: In this essay, I am going to discuss how MTV has had an enormous impact on the spending habits of young people.

.

Revised: MTV has had an enormous impact on the spending habits of young people.

Avoid

• Abbreviations, and symbols: do not use & or L.A.

• Using sentences from the prompt.

• Assuming the reader knows the prompt or your topic.

Grading Symbols

1. sp.=spelling error

2. pr.=error in using a pronoun

3. s/v=lack of agreement between the subject and the verb.

Example: The student love poetry.

Correction: The student lovess poetry.

Grading Symbols

4. frag.=sentence fragment, a part of a sentence punctuated as a sentence.

– Example: Before leaving for work this morning. I drank a pot of coffee.

– Correction: Before leaving for work this morning, I drank a pot of coffee.

Grading Symbols

5. RO (run-on) or CS (comma splice)=two or more sentences incorrectly punctuated as one.

Example: My cousin invited many of her friends, I did not know all the people who were running around preparing for the party. (CS)

Correction: My cousin invited many of her friends, so I did not know all the people who were running around preparing for the party.

Correction: My cousin invited many of her friends; therefore, I did not know all of the people who were running around preparing for the party.

Example: The James Brown concert was amazing I couldn’t believe a man of his age could dance and sing with such energy. (RO)

Correction: The James Brown concert was amazing. I couldn’t believe a man of his age could dance and sing with such energy.

6. Mm= misplaced modifier. The modifier is not close enough to the word it is modifying.

Example: The phone almost rang ten times.

Correction: The phone rang almost ten times.

7. Dm=dangling modifier. There is no word to be modified.

Example: Driving down the road, the dog was hit by the truck. (Who is driving?)

Correction: The driver of the truck hit the dog.

8. vt=lack of verb tense consistency, unnecessarily switching from one tense to another.

9. a=error in using an apostrophe

10. c=error in using a comma

11. cap.=make it a capital letter

12. lc=make it a lower case letter

13. red.=unnecessary repetition.

14. trans= insert a transition

15. ¶ = create a new paragraph

16. ^ = insert something that I specify

17. | = separate (example: alot = a lot)

18. ‿ = bring together

19. q= error in using quotation marks

20. ww = wrong word. The word doesn’t make sense in the context. It probably means something other that what you think it does. Look up the word in the dictionary.

21. fp = faulty parallel structure.

Example: In the mountains, we went fishing, biking and walked.

Correction: In the mountains, we went hiking, biking, and walking.

22. pass= passive voice. Example: Mistakes were made. Correction: The quarterback made mistakes.

23. mw= missing word 24. red. = redundancy, omit something that is

unnecessarily repeated25. ?= After much effort and time, I cannot

understand what you are trying to communicate.

Review these notes before you turn in your first assignment. Look at

the grading symbols after you have

received your first graded work.