Department of English
Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University
Writing
Quick Reminders (more detailed discussion and examples below) |
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1. |
"Go for the jugular." |
2. |
Be clear and precise. |
3. |
Support your ideas. |
4. |
Use complete sentences. |
5. |
Avoid colloquialisms. |
6. | Proofread for spelling, other grammar, logic, argument, substantiation, etc. |
Tips (Exam Writing) |
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1. |
Read the exam questions and make sure you are doing what the questions are asking you to do. |
2. |
Pace yourself. |
3. | Write legibly. |
Checklist spelling not being argumentative enough (too descriptive) |
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"Go
for the jugular" (as my English teacher used to say) means
get right to the point from the beginning of your essay (or
paragraph, as they case may be). This is meant to remind
students who like to begin their writing with sentences that are
truistic or too general (like "It is difficult to learn a new
language" the truth of which is so obvious as to not be worth
mentioning) to jump right into the topic, define your focus,
scope and stance, and set up the structure of your
essay/paragraph and the progression that you would like to
build. For example, you would show more focus if you began your
paragraph on "problems you have with English language learning"
in this way: |
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Be
clear and precise in your writing. Vague and general
statements (like "Knowledge is everywhere," "Sources of
knowledge are important," or "Communication is complex.") are
easy to write but they are not very informative. Readers are
kept wondering "Where?" and "How?" Instead of waiting to reveal
more detailed examples later and waste one sentence, go ahead
and show clear places where knowledge can be found and the
ways in which the source of knowledge matter. Your illustration
will be more effective and the points you make will be stronger. |
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Avoid contractions and colloquialisms in writing academic English. Some awkward contractions and chatty language that students have used include: |
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Literary
Present Tense
It is the convention in writing
about literature to write about character actions in the present tense.
MLA Style
If you are asked by your
instructor to use the MLA format and citation style, follow the guidelines
in the most recent edition of the MLA
Handbook for Writers of Research Papers.
Outline
If you are asked to hand in an outline by your instructor, here is the outline form that you should use:
Outline style is taken from
MLA Handbook for Writers of
Research Papers. 7th ed. New York: Modern Language
Association of America, 2009. 45. Print.
Name Last Name 2202111 English I Acharn Puckpan Tipayamontri July 5, 2012 Outline
Title
I. Your text A. Your text 1. Your text a. Your text (1) Your text (a) Your text (b) Your text (c) Your text (2) Your text b. Your text c. Your text d. Your text 2. Your text 3. Your text 4. Your text B. Your text C. Your text II. Your text III.
Your text |
Example of a
sentence outline.
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Example of a
topic outline.
Proofreading Marks
Home |
Last
updated
February 6, 2015