1. Writing wrongs corrected
In high school, you are not allowed to continue these basic writing habits that you may have been taught. They were ok to use in middle school, but on the high school exams, they expect you to have moved beyond the basics, so here are the writing wrongs that are now dead to us.

2. Never do these things again:
I will take off points if you continue to use these things.

3. In conclusion, In summary, In closing at the beginning of your conclusions.
Leave it off. It is not needed.
It is trite(over used) and pointless.

4. You in a formal essay
Be more specific. One, a person, a student, men, women, children, someone, anyone.
The main reason not to use 2nd person is that you implies you are speaking to a specific person, but in a formal essay, you do not know the reader, so you cannot call them you.

5. Vague words like: very, really, stuff or things: It was a very long thing.
Stronger adjectives are needed and you must be specific.
The drive was so long that my rear end fell asleep.

6. Passive Voice - Avoid “to be” verbs: IS, ARE, WAS, WERE, AM, BE: We were tired.
Use strong action verbs.
Sleep called to us.

7. Repetitive sentence structure.
Bad: I went to the store. I left the store and went home. I ate a pizza.
Vary your sentence structure.
Better: I went to the store. When I returned home, I sunk my teeth into a cheesy pizza.

8. A lot (It’s two words, by the way.)
Bad: There are a lot of minutes in a year. I ate a lot of sandwiches.
Use stronger words with more meaning. Quantify your amount.
Better: There are 525,600 minutes in a year. I ate more sandwiches than I can stomach, which wasn’t pretty later that night.

9. I think, I feel, or I believe.
Leave it off. It is redundant. We know you think that because you wrote it in your paper.

10. NO Slang! Texting Language (4, 2, LOL, OMG) Ebonics (We be…)
Slang Spellings (cuz, ion, ima, gonna)
Leaving off part of the word (cause instead of because)
General Slang (kids, jit, crib)

11. More on Slang: Always use formal language.
Write how you would if you wanted to impress a person interviewing you for an executive position.
Pretend you are an English teacher when you are writing and use proper language.
Caution: Do not use over-inflated words. (like Plethora)

12. Questions or Onomatopoeia as an attention getter
Description of something related to the topic/claim (Best one, because it lets the reader experience what you are describing)
Quote
Startling statistic (BUT DON’T MAKE THEM UP)
Background information
Facts

13. Big words used improperly
Make sure you know what a word means and that you are using it correctly.
If you don’t, the grader probably does.
You will look silly if you don’t know what you are saying.

14. Restating the prompt word for word
Put it into your own words and refer to it.
If the prompt says: Explain how the author creates a sense of suspense in the story.
Do not: The author creates a sense of suspense in the story by using foreshadowing.
Do: Foreshadowing in the story causes the reader to wonder what may happen next.

15. Summarizing the essay in the conclusion
(ALSO NEVER END WITH PHRASES LIKE: The end; Bye; See you later; And that is why…; Don’t you think…; Questions of any kind.)
Tell why your information in the essay body is important to the reader.
NEVER repeat your introduction verbatim.
End with a zinger!
Connect back to the attention getter!

16. The conclusion should:
TOUCH BACK to the thesis/claim statement, but not restate it.
LOOK TO THE FUTURE of the topic and how it connects to the community, country, world.
GO TO THE HEART of the matter. Connect to the emotion of the topic.
END WITH A ZINGER that makes your essay feel like it has an ending.

17. Listing your reasons in the attention getter or thesis/Claim.
Your thesis/claim statement is the main idea of the essay, not a place to list your reasons.
This is what the body is for.
You may mention them, but don’t simply list them.

18. Starting a sentence with a conjunction: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So (FANBOYS)
It is not academic. Use: However, In addition, Consequently.

19. Purpose statements
NEVER TELL ME YOU ARE GOING TO TELL ME SOMETHING! NO: Today I am going to tell you about…, I just told you about…, This is why I decided to talk about…, In this essay, I will talk about…., Hi. My name is Susie and today, I will tell you…
Leave them out. They are not needed. They are fluffy drivel, and unnecessary. This is an essay, not a speech.

20. Numbered Transitions
NEVER: First of all, to begin with, secondly, second of all, last but not least, lastly, finally.
Use effective transitions: Consequently, In addition, Nevertheless, Furthermore...
Or better yet, use connected ideas instead of a transitional phrase.
Use those phrases inside the paragraphs, not at the beginning of a paragraph.

21. Homonyms and homophones used incorrectly
Use the proper their, they’re, or there
to, too, or two
its or it’s
you’re, your, or yore

22. These things are now dead to us:
Now revise your essay about the Robin Williams article.
Fix any of these bad habits you committed in that essay.
Please correct them in another color than you used in your essay or high light the changes.