ENGLISH 10: EXERCISE THIRTEEN

Exercise Thirteen: Helpful Essay Hints -- Mistakes to avoid
Students make a variety of errors in their writing. What follows is a list of things to avoid that weaken your essays, and are actually considered wrong in essay writing.
1. DON’T MENTION THE ESSAY ITSELF.
eg. “After reading this essay…” or “In my essay…” or “In this essay…”

2. DON’T MENTION ANY PART OF THE ESSAY.
eg. “In this paragraph…” or “This paragraph will discuss…” or “In the next paragraph” or “The body of this essay…”

3. DON'T USE "LIKE" IN YOUR ESSAY WHEN YOU INTEND TO PROVIDE AN EXAMPLE OR CLARIFY SOMETHING.
e.g. This happens many times throughout the novel like when...
Use "for example" or "for instance" or "such as"
e.g. This happens many times throughout the novel; for instance, when...
*Note punctuation.

4. DON’T JUST STATE A FACT IN YOUR THESIS STATEMENT; DIRECT YOUR ESSAY.
eg. “Golf is the best sport.” This thesis statement doesn’t direct your essay. “Golf is the best sport for a variety of reasons” does. (see exercise 4 "writing thesis statements")

5. DON’T START YOUR ESSAY WITH ONLY A THESIS STATEMENT. YOU MUST HAVE AN INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH. (see exercise 6 "Writing the introduction and conclusion of an essay")

6. MAKE SURE EACH PARAGRAPH HAS A MINIMUM OF 3 SENTENCES IN IT. Each sentence should relate only to whatever “reason” or “evidence” you are presenting in that paragraph. (Don't confuse sentences with lines!)

7. MAKE SURE YOUR ESSAY HAS A MINIMUM OF FIVE PARAGRAPHS TOTAL.



ACTIVITY 12A
Edit your essay for any of the errors mentioned above.