All papers must come to me as either Word or Pages documents so I can edit them.
| Heading. |
| Contains your name, my name and title spelled correctly, class and section, and date. Make sure you have the correct title and when you write your paper make sure you stick to the topic. |
| Submission. |
| Send me your paper as an email attachment. Label your file with your last name and assignment number (for example, Mozart 5). Send to jablonsky@optimum.net |
| Margins. |
| One inch all around. |
| Justifying. |
| Do not justify the right margin of the text. |
| Line Spacing. |
| Use 1.5 line spacing. It saves paper. Use only 12 point serif type. |
| Sentence Spacing. |
| Use one blank space after a comma and period. |
| Punctuation. |
| Check a style manual if you are not sure of punctuation usage. Do not use too much or too little. Punctuation indicates the relationship of ideas. It also tells you when to breathe between clauses or sentences. |
| Spelling. |
| Use a dictionary and/or Spell Check before you print. |
| Tense agreement. |
| Make sure that the time elements in the sentence agree with each other. |
| Singular/plural. |
| Make sure the quantity of the subject agrees with the form of the verb. |
| Syntax. |
| Make sure the word order is correct. Try to make sure you have communicated exactly what you wanted to say in the simplest, most direct way. Sometimes it is better to break a lengthy, complicated sentence into two simpler ones. |
| Grammar. |
| Make sure you handle adverbs and adjectives correctly. Adverbs modify a verb, adjective or other adverb. They often end with the letters ”ly.” Adjectives modify a noun. Do not mix them in a series. |
| Past tense. |
| Many verbs end with the letters “ed” if the action is in the past. |
| Contractions. |
| Use them only for dialogue or informal communication |
| Articles. |
| Foreign students should remember to use “a” and “the” before a noun. |
| Redundancies. |
| Try not to repeat important words, phrases or ideas in the same or consecutive sentences. |
| Word count. |
| Stay within the 90-110% range of the suggested length. For example, if the paper is to be 600 words long you may write anywhere from 540 to 660 words. |
| Editing. |
| Read your paper carefully to make sure it represents your best work. If I am the first person to read your paper, you are in trouble. |
| Warning: |
| Do not write a cosmic introduction or flowery conclusion. |
