The Ten Commandments… (of Writing for Social Studies-Revised by your teachers, with apologies to the Author of the original Ten ) Thou shalt not useth first or second person. First person is I, me, we, our, us, etc. Second person is you, your, etc. Thou shalt strive for academic language above “flowery language” No clichés or clever phrases like “one might say” or “larger than life” – these detract from your writing. Also be sure to use the most concise language. This is not the time to show off your capacious, commodious, and comprehensive vocabulary. Get to the point!

Historical Writing Tips & Hints Thou shalt write as if thy reader is intelligent--but totally uninformed on the subject. Limit the use of pronouns – do not use “they” or “it” tell me who they or it is – too many pronouns cloud your meaning and confuse the reader. Thou shalt avoid discrediting language and believeth thine own argument. Don’t discredit your opinions by using phrases like, “It seems that…” or “I believe that…” I know it’s what you think; your name is at the top of the paper. State your opinions as though they are fact. The more confidence you show in your ideas, the more likely the reader is to believe them. Phrases like “Now let’s turn to…” or “I will demonstrate that…” make you appear unsure of your ideas.

Historical Writing Tips & Hints Thou shalt stick to the facts. Do not make up history or try to make bold connections that you could not prove. Present facts, and then analyze why certain events, people are important. I already know history- tell me what you think about it. Thou shalt not asketh questions. (i.e. - Was this really the Age of the Common Man?) That is your sole purpose of writing an essay – to answer, not ask questions!!

Historical Writing Tips & Hints Thou shalt write consistently in the appropriate verb tense. For the most part, the people that you write about in history are long dead. Therefore, they can not argue, believe, or do much of anything. The only exception would be when you write about modern day situations, in which you can switch to present tense as called for it. Thou shalt organize thine thoughts around thy thesis statement. Spend time outlining and organizing your ideas into three coherent body paragraphs. Then, write your thesis statement, in which you will include the topics of your three body paragraphs. Your paper should revolve around your thesis statement. It’s like your own mini-outline, right there in your introduction.

Historical Writing Tips & Hints Thou shalt not use passive voice. Avoid “be” verbs- was, were, am, etc. For example, instead of “The best high school in Birdville ISD is Richland.”, you could say, “Richland excels above other schools in Birdville ISD.” It makes you appear more confident in your writing! Thou shalt be specific. Information that you use to support your argument needs to be specific. Use precise language to describe quantity, not generalized adjectives such as “a lot, lots of.” In a similar way, you must use precise language to describe elements and characteristics (i.e., “things, stuff”). Also, don’t over-generalize (“all “ or “none” when this isn’t true).

The 10 Commandments…The Sequel A basic essay should have 5 paragraphs: intro, one paragraph for each of your 3 “points” and your conclusion. Each of the body paragraphs should be 4-5 sentences minimum. The thesis statement will serve as your introductory paragraph. Do not introduce new information in your conclusion. Finally…do not use contractions in a formal essay, write the words out: can not sounds more academic than can’t. Remember – these are not graded by computers, so unreadable handwriting will hurt your grade!