Grammar and style
- Use
strong verbs!
- Avoid forms of the verb “to be” (is, was, are, were, seem)
- The passive voice should also be avoided by you.
- Avoid sentence fragments. Like the plague.
- Avoid run-on sentences, they are equally annoying.
- Be concise: it’s better to turn in a short paper than one filled with fluff
- Don’t ever use “the fact that,” much less “due to the fact that”
- Strive
for clarity and precision, even if it means you write simpler sentences
- Don’t use “they” or “their” when you are referring to one person, place, or thing
- Don’t use “it” unless you’re absolutely sure the reader knows what “it” refers to
- Don’t use contractions in formal papers
- Don’t use semicolons (;) unless you know exactly what they’re for
- Spell out ordinal numbers (eighteenth, nineteenth, etc.), one-digit cardinal numbers (1, 2, 3, etc.), and any number at the beginning of a sentence. Don’t ever write “18th century.”
- Use
the past tense in history papers
- There
are exactly two acceptable ways to spell out dates: July 14, 1789 or 14 July 1789
- Need I
even say it? Make sure your subjects and verbs agree
- Check your spelling, for Pete’s sake!
My abbreviations
(See also the list of common proofreaders’ marks that I
use)
? = I don’t understand/agree (but don’t take it personally)
awk = awkward word or phrase
colloq =
colloquialism
frag = sentence
fragment (lacking subject + verb in an independent clause; click here for
further explanation)
int = interesting
run-on = two or
more stand-alone sentences sandwiched together with only a comma (or with
nothing at all; click
here for further explanation)
prep’n = preposition (i.e. don’t end a sentence with a preposition)
P.V. = passive
voice
w/c = faulty word
choice
A squiggle under a word or group of words indicates awkward or inappropriate phrasing.
An arrow
with a question mark above it indicates a connection (e.g. from one sentence to the next) that doesn’t seem to follow logically or stylistically.
If you can’t read my handwriting, ask me for clarification.
