1. Informational Essay Writing Workshop

2. 1.Circle and put a line through contractions: can’t, won’t, haven’t, don’t, didn’t, doesn’t, hasn’t, they’re, couldn’t, wouldn’t etc. spell out contractions (can not, will not, have not, etc.) FYI: would’ve = would have, NOT would of Style and Tone

3. Upgrade basic sentences and phrases, like these: No: “In this essay….” No: “This quote shows that…” No: “This is why…” No: “My first example/My next example/My last example…” Better: (phrases like these suggest analysis/interpretation) “As demonstrated by the character’s...” “The setting of the story reveals that…” “The interaction between the characters shows…” ETC. Style and Tone

4. Don’t start a sentence with the FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) A conjunction joins two thoughts together While we’re at it, check for: comma splices (a comma between two independent clauses) joining independent clauses ( : ; -- ) joining independent and dependent clauses Conjunctions vs. Transitions

5. Goal: Use only third-person pronouns; remove/revise others 1.Cross out any first- and second- person pronouns 1.Revise. You might replace the first- or second-person pronoun with a third-person pronoun, or with a non-specific word like “people,” “individuals,” “society,” etc. Pronouns ** This does NOT apply to quotations ** First-personSecond-personThird-person I, me, my, mine us, we, our, ours you, your, yourthey, them, their it, he, she, his, hers, him, her

6. 1.Underline or circle any pronouns (third-person and indefinite) 2.Draw an arrow to its antecedent. 3.Make sure that there is a clear, specific antecedent 4.Then make sure the pronoun agrees with the antecedent in number and gender. Pronouns ** This does NOT apply to quotations ** Third-person they, them, their it, he, she, his, hers, him, her SINGULAR indefinite each, other / another, either / neither, little / much, anybody, everybody, somebody, nobody, one, anyone, everyone, someone, no one, anything, everything, something, nothing PLURAL indefinite both, few, many, others, several SING. or PLURAL indefinite all, any, more, none, some, most

7. Look for words that recur (repeat) often in your essay Words like folktales and survival will show up often because this is the topic of your essay. However, try to space them out and limit their use if at all possible. 1.Focus on one paragraph at a time. 2.Count the number of times that folktales and the number of times that survival appear in that paragraph. 3.Decide if you should revise any, then decide whether you can revise without losing your meaning. Word Choice

8. ➢ Look for words that are vague and could be more specific ○ Revise any of these words: Word Choice a lotbadstuff thingsinterestingimportant extremelyverymany

9. 1.Find a partner 2.Switch papers 3.Edit your partner’s paper for the following: a.Capitalization- the first word in a sentence, proper nouns, titles, articles, the first word in a direct quote b.Ending Punctuation c.MLA Works Cited page 4.Provide appropriate feedback/suggestions Quick Grammar Check

10. ❏ Underline your thesis statement two times. ❏ Put a star ( ) next to your attention grabber/hook. ❏ Put a “TS” beside the topic sentence of each paragraph. ❏ Put a star ( ) next to three transition words. ❏ Highlight your parenthetical citations. ❏ Underline the restatement of your thesis in the conclusion. ❏ Put a smiley face ( ) next to your clincher in your conclusion Final Checklist– Before turning in your paper: