1. Revise your paper!

2. Step 1: Transitions Look at your transitions handout.
Revise your essay to have meaningful transitions at the beginning of each paragraph.
Revise your paper to have meaningful transitions throughout your paragraphs.
Highlight your transition words.

3. Step 2: compound sentences
Revise your essay to include at least one compound sentence using a semicolon.
To do this, look for two simple sentences next to each other. Do they discuss the same topic? If you combine them, will it make sense?
If combining doesn’t work for you, look for a simple sentence that you can elaborate. Turn that into a compound sentence using a semicolon.
Check your work! Make sure you really do have two independent clauses!
Highlight your compound sentence in your final paper.

4. Step 3: complex Sentences
Look for a part in your essay where you can add a complex sentence.
Remember if you start with a dependent clause, use a comma.
For example:
When Beneatha discussed becoming a doctor, Walter told her to just get married instead.
If I put the dependent clause in the middle of the sentence, no comma is needed.
Walter told her to just get married when Beneatha discussed becoming a doctor.
Highlight at least one complex sentence in your final copy.

5. Step 4: diction
Instead of using diction that is dull, one should enrich his/her diction by using vocabulary terms or a thesaurus.
Get a vocabulary book or thesaurus.
Replace at least 3 of your words with interesting words.
Highlight your new words in your final copy.
While you are doing this, if you have used any form of second-person (you, your, yourself etc.) take it out and replace with third-person (one, a person, people, oneself etc.)