Category · 247 articles
Study Skills
Unsupported Generalizations
A generalization is a statement which applies to most all cases and to most all times. When writers combine specific points of an essay into a broader…
Wordiness | Eliminating Expletives
Expletives are just cuss words! Teach students to eliminate unnecessary words and phrases in their writing in this lesson. Often, expletives add emotion or emphasis to…
Avoid Attention-Getting Alliteration
Avoid using poetic devices, such as alliteration, in essays. Poetic devices focus the reader’s attention on the writing itself, while essays are designed to argue a…
Three Types of Conjunctions
“Conjunction junction, what’s your function?” A clever rhyme, but the rest of the lyric provides little help to answer the question. Here’s the answer with some memory…
Coordinating Conjunctions | Writing Style
Frequently, teachers will tell their students not to begin their sentences with coordinating conjunctions. Teachers give this advice because many students who use these sentence beginnings…
Standards Based Grading Rehab
We teachers are impaired by our culturally inculcated group think. We need to make amends and take the 12 steps in standards based grading rehab.
Similes | Essay Writing Rules
Don’t use similes or other figures of speech in formal writing, such as essays. If comparisons are used to provide better understanding or analysis, the objects…
Split Infinitives
Splitting infinitives is fine in casual conversation and in informal writing; however, avoid adding more than one word between the to and the base form of…