Italicize the title of a long work → e.g. novel, play, film, epic poem, anthology (collection of short stories or poems), album, painting
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The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
When writing by hand, underline the title.
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The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Use quotation marks for the title of a short work → e.g. poem, short story, article, song, episode of a TV series
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“The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry
When writing a person’s name, use his or her full name the first time you mention this person; afterwards, write his or her last name.
Use present tense when writing about a fiction work
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However, use past tense for events that happened before a certain point in the story
In a formal essay, do NOT use:
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Sentence starting with a conjunction (see page ___ for full list of conjunctions)
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First-person and second-person pronouns
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However, you may use the first-person plural when it is more natural to do so
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Use “this essay” instead of “I”
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Numbers less than one hundred → sixty-four NOT 64
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Contraction: a shortened version of words → e.g. it’s, can’t, doesn’t
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Abbreviations → e.g. a.k.a., e.g., etc.
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However, you may use well-known abbreviations, such as U.S. or WWI, but write the full name the first time you mention it
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Colloquial language: informal or conversational words and expressions
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Imperative: a command or request with the subject omitted from the sentence
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Questions, rhetorical or otherwise
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Parentheses, except when writing in-text citations (see section ___)
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The words “get” and “thing”—find a more specific replacement
The language used in creative works, oral presentations, or online articles, and the language suitable for a formal essay are different. Use the appropriate tone and style for your writing.
PROOFREAD
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Return to your writing a day later to check for mistakes in grammar, spelling, or formatting
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Distance yourself from your writing and review it as if it were someone else’s work
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Ensure that each sentence…
Is clear and unambiguous Carries concrete information Fulfills a function and is not redundant