Essay Revision and Editing English 20-1 Essay Revision and Editing

Titles and Authors Authors need to be introduced in either the introduction (usually the blueprint) or topic sentences of body paragraphs. Titles need to be separated from the rest of the writing: Novels and plays can be underlined or italicized (choose one and stay consistent). Short stories, poems, and any other text that is part of a larger anthology should be in “quotation marks”. Do not underline your own title: it hasn’t been published… yet.

Oh, those little conventions… The words ‘but’ and ‘and’ should never appear at the beginning of a sentence. Be cautious of the word ‘so’ as a sentence starter: most times, it is not needed. Alright is not considered a word. Use all right. Then = time Than = comparison The apostrophe is used to show ownership. She cannot meet the expectations of others. She cannot meet others’ expectations.

And now… more conventions. Example of a run-on: The apple is tasty I want to eat it. Run-on sentences can be fixed in one of three ways: Identify the different, complete, ideas within the sentence, then make them each their own. Ex. The apple is tasty. I want to eat it. Place a semicolon between the complete ideas. Ex. The apple is tasty; I want to eat it. Make use of FANBOYS; The apple is tasty, so I want to eat it. I would like you to meet your friend, the colon: wonderful, useful, and misunderstood. Colons are often used to extend the idea(s) of a sentence. Most often, the information that follows a colon is in the form of an incomplete sentence.

Quotes Remember: quotes are used to support your ideas, not be them. I have read and viewed these texts multiple times; I do not need you to copy them word for word. Ideas that are lacking in strength often benefit from the INTEGRATION of a quote. You are required to have three INTEGRATED quotes in your essay. This means that they will sound as though they are part of your writing.

Quote Integration Example One: Evelyn wants Ed to notice her so badly that she even goes to an organization which, “[believes] that women [can] find complete happiness if they, in turn, [will] dedicate their entire lives to just making their man happy” (43). Commas separate your writing from the quote. Use square brackets to change any words that disrupt the flow of your writing (pronouns, verb tense, etc.). Page citations are indicated with only a number. Example Two: She feels so helpless that when, “she [wants] to scream out for help…she [just lays] there in that dark pit of her own personal hell” (Flagg, 133). Ellipses can be used when leaving out chunks of a quote. If using more than one text, you must indicate which text by referring to the author’s name. Example Three: Once again, Idgie finds herself alone, and this time she, “just can’t take it,” so she decides to leave (93). Page citations come at the end of the sentence, regardless of where the quote may appear.

Finally, my pet peeves. Space properly. Indents are used to indicate the beginning of a new paragraph; this removes the need to leave an extra space between paragraphs. Using the title of the text(s) as your own title. These have been taken… you cannot use them. Signposting This proves… In this paragraph…. In this essay…