(Or, Mrs. Steib’s observations about writing that can be better) Writing Gaffes (Or, Mrs. Steib’s observations about writing that can be better)

Write in the third person NEVER use “you”, as in “You can see that Huck uses the n word frequently….”—Instead, use “The reader notices that….” Most of the time, avoid using “I,” as in “I believe/I think/I feel…..”—just write what you think, feel, or believe. Use of “I” is only ok when using a personal experience for a specific purpose

Avoid passive voice Most of the time, active voice gives a better “flow” and improves writing style. Example: This novel was written by Twain after he wrote Tom Sawyer (passive). Twain wrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn after he wrote Tom Sawyer. (active)

Avoid redundancies (repeating same idea or words) Sample: This book is definitely not racist, since the protagonist is a child whose conscience is bothered by the values of his society. Since he is conflicted because of society’s view, he wonders what to do. (Redundancy: bothered by values of society/conflicted because of his society).

Avoid wordiness Say what you need to say as simply as you can without sacrificing clarity! “The reason I think this about Mark Twain is because…….” (Huh?) “Mark Twain’s novel comments and discusses the values of his society during the time of the 1870s and 1880s due to the fact that he was disturbed by greed, for one thing.” (What’s your point?)

Avoid clichés “Our society has changed by leaps and bounds since then.” “America has been behind the eight ball on this topic for a long time.” “Huck scared the daylights out of Jim when he first showed up on Jacksons Island.”

Use good transitions Use them frequently: to get to the next main point, to show another example, to begin the conclusion, etc. Avoid the “same old” transitions, namely “In conclusion” to begin a conclusion.

Prepositions Don’t end a sentence with a preposition! “Huck and Jim did not know where they were at” (Ick) “When Huck was at the Grangerfords, the Duke and King turned Jim in.” (in where?) The nature of a preposition is the beginning of a prepositional phrase, so include an entire phrase or avoid the preposition.

Clear pronoun reference and Subject/verb agreement Huck felt so bad about how he lied to Jim that he apologized to him and he told him he wouldn’t do it again. (Who is “he”? When it is Huck, and when is it Jim?) The reader guesses what they think might happen next. (Reader is a singular noun, so it should read: The reader guesses what he or she thinks might happen next).

Avoid “There is” or “There are” to start sentences There are many reasons this is not a racist book. Instead, use “This is not a racist book for a variety of reasons.” There is no way Huck would know that the Duke and King took Jim. Instead, use “Huck would have no way of knowing the Duke and King took Jim.”

Unbelievable but true… Some AP English Language and Composition students actually confuse: Their and there Too and to Excuse me?