Style Sheet for papers

Tip sheet for students (suggestions based on your papers)

Parenthetical citation/ MLA Format (general information)

Links about quotation and citation(from my English 3900 class)

Links about grammar and writing techniques (from English 3900)
 
 
 

Writing Papers: A Tip Sheet

In addition to my suggestions here, I urge you to consult your grammar guide by O’Conner.
 

• All papers should have titles.  They should be creative.  "Option 2" is not a title.
• Always use the present tense when you are discussing texts or textual events (even events in the ‘past’).
• A paragraph should be at least three (3) sentences long
• Always use apostrophes for possessive words.  (Dickens’ prose, girl’s house, girls’ houses)
• Plural words do NOT use apostrophes.
• Its = possessive.  (Its tentacles were large.)  It’s = it is.  ("It’s growing," he observed.)
• When possible, avoid the passive voice (being verb + participle).  Instead, try to use direct, active verbs and clear subjects. If you want to discuss certain features of a text and don’t want to use the passive voice, you can also use the author’s name as your subject:
• Passive voice: "When we are introduced to our protagonist…"
• Active voice: "When Godwin introduces us to our protagonist…"
• You can use the first person (‘I’) in papers, just not excessively.
• If you would like to mention readers, they can be either ‘he’ or ‘she.’  It’s your choice.  Mentioning both, however, is a bit awkward.  If you want to avoid this difficulty, use "readers," "we," or "us."
• Commas must be used before clauses.
• Don’t overdo it with semicolons or colons.
• When including quotations or plot details, always explain why they are significant and how they support the overall argument of your paper.
• Literary papers should always support their claims with closely interpreted literary examples.
• Introductory paragraphs should provide a clear and specific ‘preview’ of the arguments that are to come.
• Quotations must be followed by a parenthetical citation of page or line number.

• Once your reader knows which edition of a text you are using, the only information necessary to document a quotation is a line or page number placed in parentheses before the end of your sentence.
• Remember: Always place punctuation AFTER your page or line citations.

1.) For poems whose lines are numbered consecutively, from beginning to end, just use line numbers:

       In "The Reeve’s Tale," the miller’s daughter has "eyen as greye as glas" (120).

2.) For prose works (short stories, novels, and most plays) use page numbers.

       Aristotle defines comedy as "an imitation of characters of a lower type" (51).
 

The above tips on "Parenthetical Citation" are courtesy of http://www.english.uiuc.edu/cws/wworkshop/tips/ handlingquotations.htm (September 19, 2001).
 
 
 

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