1. RATIOCINATION
A revising strategy . . .

2. Circle all the “to be” verbs. Rewrite to remove half.Am Be Is
Are
Were
Was
Being
Been
(And all contractions, such as “isn’t” and “aren’t”)
REMEMBER when you revise, the goal is to remove HALF of all “to be” verbs. This is to create an active voice rather than a passive one.

3. Underline any time you wrote “shows” or “uses/used/use”
Use a verb like this instead:
The author conveys an idea, a theme.
The author presents an issue.
The author portrays a character’s values, attitude, etc.
The author delineates a character’s values, attitude, etc.
The author depicts a character’s values, attitude, etc.
The author asserts that…
The author claims that…
The author indicates that…
The author reveals that…
The author emphasizes that…
The author underscores the importance of an idea by…
The author implies that…
The author suggests that…

4. Highlight every other sentence.
Compare the highlighted sentences. They should vary in length. Aim for an even mixture of long and short sentences.
Remember :
Short sentences convey your main ideas in a forceful way.
Longer sentences should be used to give examples, offer explanations, and fill in detail.

5. Cross out (X) the word “very”
The word “very” does nothing for your paper.
It sounds like you are trying to raise your word count. Get rid of it.

6. Make a wavy line under repeated key words
Try not to repeat the same noun or verb several times in a paragraph.
Note: Be careful as you change up your word choice. You still want to sound like you.
(Ignore function words such as “the,” “of,” “to,” etc. – those need to stay where they are)

7. Put a check beside imprecise words.
Find the best word for the job.
Avoid general, vague, overused words such as:
Good
Great
Awesome
Nice
Bad
Sad
Etc.

8. “X” out all 2nd person pronouns
Get rid of “you” and “your”
You may not use second or first person in an academic analysis essay!

9. Circle each time you’ve written the title of the book and names.
The title of the book should be italicized without quotation marks.
NO: “In Cold Blood”
YES: In Cold Blood
Names should be capitalized. It should be “Capote” not “capote.”

10. MLA Heading
MLA heading should be double spaced and should not be placed in the heading box. Example:
Johnnie Depp
Mrs. Renfroe
AP English Language and Composition Period 6
25 January 2017

11. MLA Page Numbers
Page numbers go at the top right hand corner of each page but the first. Your last name should come before the page number.
Example: Depp 2

12. Put a box around each parenthetical citation…
The parenthetical citation should occur at the end of the sentence in which the quote occurs. If you had more than one source, you would put the last name of the author before the page number. Since you only have one source, you will only put the page number. The period goes after the parenthesis.
Example: Capote emphasizes Perry’s troubled childhood by including his account of “…” (34).