Guidelines for Your Essay

1. 12 pt. New Times Roman Font.
2. Margins, header and footer should be 1''
3. Write in the past tense
4. Keep verb tenses consistent.
5. Avoid using the verb "to be" (was, were)
6. Use action verbs.
7. Write in the active voice.
8. Be sure your intro has background information and a thesis statement.
9. Be sure each body paragraph has a topic sentence, evidence, analysis and a transition.
10. The conclusion should restate your thesis and connect to a larger theme.
11. The first time you introduce a person be sure to use the full name after that you can refer to the person by last name.
12. Any number under a hundred needs to be spelled out.
13. Avoid using the word "very"
14. Make sure you have subject and verb agreement.
15. Eliminate redundancies (decided in my mind, end result)
16. Delete empty words and phrases (In my opinion, The area of linguistics)
17. Reduce inflated expressions (at this point in time, due to the fact of, for the purpose of)
18. Avoid slang.
19. Avoid cliches (believe it or not, last but not least, rear its ugly head, hit the spot)
20. Avoid biased language.
21. Be sure you cite your quotes correctly. We will use parenthetical for essays.
22. Be sure you chck spelling and grammar.