1. Baseline expectations for your writing
Writing Hacks
Baseline expectations for your writing

2. Author vs. Narrator
I see you looking at me. Well, not at me, but through me. You’ve rendered me invisible; yet, somehow, you’ve also mastered the art of looking down at me, even though I’m taller than you. My black skin must exude some property, a food for your hatred to consume, like the opposite of kryptonite, to give you such powers.
Narrator = a black person
Author = Tydings (a white guy)

3. You In formal writing, don’t use it
Inaccurate (“You” implies speaking to the reader)
Inconsistent
Unfortunately for Tan, feeling as though you have to prove your worthiness can be extremely detrimental, sometimes even leaving you broken and hopeless in a cloud of regret.

4. Lead-ins
Use them
Be as accurate as possible (The author says…It says…The story says…Jing- mei says)
Vary your lead-in style. The somebody says lead-in gets repetitive quickly.
Don’t tell me what paragraph the quote is in

5. Lead-In Types Somebody said lead-in Blended lead-in Sentence lead-in
The lead-in links the quotation to what surrounds it in the context of the paper. If the quote is just dropped in to a sentence with a proper lead-in it is called a dropped quote. Do NOT use dropped quotes in your writing.
Dropped quote example:
Leonato is a very caring person; he tries to make things happen in relationships. “Well niece, I hope to see you one day fitted with a husband (Shakespeare 20).

6. Somebody Says Lead-in
This type of lead-in is most frequently used, but be careful to not overuse it. The author’s name is used to introduce the quote (academic articles) or the character/narrator of a narrative.
Examples:
Jane M. Agee comments, “Many students who would not have attempted college even seven years ago are not coming into universities through junior colleges” (10).
The messenger says, “He hath borne himself beyond the promise of his age, doing in the figure of a lamb the feats of a lion” (Shakespeare 21).
In a play, the somebody says lead-in should note the same of the speaker of the quote.

7. Blended Lead-in
Blended lead-ins provide flexibility to the writer. The writer chooses the part of the quote necessary for his paper and blends it smoothly into the rest of the sentence.
Example:
State universities are serving a broader student population than ever before by admitting students from junior colleges and through “special remedial programs where students who do not meet entrance requirements are admitted on probation” (Agee 10).

8. Sentence Lead-in
A sentence lead-in is an effective lead-in where the sentence prior to the quote leads directly to the following sentence. It is almost an introduction to the quote.
Examples:
Agee insists that English instruction on the college level will not be improved until educations examine the situation realistically: “Public school teachers, professors of English Education, students, and state leaders need to sit down together and evaluate the current realities before any real progress can be made” (10).
Beatrice constantly looks down on Benedick and degrades him with her quick wit: “Scratching could not make it worse and it were such a face as yours were” (Shakespeare 14).

9. Examples of Lead-ins Somebody Says / Blended
When using these, make sure the lead-in and sentence flow together coherently.
Argues
Maintains
Believes
Presents
Claims
Remarks
Concludes
Shows
Defends
Suggests
Disputes
Establishes
Illustrates
Questions
For instance…
According to the text…
From the reading…
The author provides…
The author concludes that…

10. Avoid Useless Phrases This shows… In the story…
The evidence…(when you are using the word evidence as in CEI)
This proves…
In this quote…
This quote…

11. MLA Citations: “………..” (Tan 5). Heading:
Author’s last name and page number
That’s it…Nothing else…Seriously, stop putting anything else in there! 
“………..” (Tan 5).
Heading:
Name
Dr. Spruill
Honors World Literature
29 January 2018
12 point font, Times New Roman/Arial, 1 inch margins, heading, double spaced
Title – Collaborative Synthesis Essay

12. Ambiguous Pronouns
When introducing two females in the sentence, use of pronouns may be ambiguous…it is difficult to decipher to which female is being referred.
The mother was wrong to force her child to do something that she wasn’t skilled at, causing her to feel bad about herself.

13. Transitions Need transition between EI and EI within a body paragraph.
Need transition between body paragraphs
Think of how the concluding sentence in the previous body can be that transition/set- up for the next claim OR the overall concluding sentence.

14. Strong Verbs
Avoid linking verbs (be, is, am, are, was, were seem, feel, look, sound, taste)
Get rid of the is + -ing phrases – EX: is trying = tries; is illustrating = illustrates; is yelling = yells

15. Titles of Texts
Use quotation marks for short story/essay/poem from an anthology/collection; episodes of television series
Use italics for books or articles/journals