Cliffnotes Checklist for Writing an Essay

Checklist

Good writing often comes after revision and rewriting. If you can view your work critically, you will be able to improve it. Use the following checklist before you write a final draft.

Purpose, audience, and tone

These three elements deal with the overall effect of your essay and should guide you throughout your writing.

*If I am writing in response to an assignment, does my essay fulfill all parts of the assignment?
*Is my topic too broad?
*Do I state my thesis or main idea early in the paper? If I don't state a thesis or main idea, is it clearly implied so that there can be no mistake about my purpose?
*Is my thesis or main idea interesting? If this is an essay of argument, is my thesis statement fair? Do I take opposing viewpoints into account?
*Have I thought about my audience? Does my audience have any special requirements? Is my tone appropriate to my audience and purpose?
*Is my tone consistent throughout the essay?

Examples, evidence, and details

These are specific details in the writing process. When you read your essay, you can determine whether you have used these elements well.

*Have I adequately developed my thesis or main idea? Do I use specific details rather than generalities?
*Are my examples and evidence accurate, relevant, and convincing?
*Do I use quotation appropriately? Is too much of my paper quotation? Do I paraphrase carefully?
*Do I cite sources for the words and ideas of others?

Structure

Use an outline to determine the structure of your paper, but be aware that you may need to alter it as you write. Keep in mind the following:

*Do I have a principle of organization? Do I avoid repetition and digressions?
*Is my organization appropriate to my topic and thesis?
*Do I adequately introduce and conclude my paper?
*Are my paragraphs well developed, unified and coherent?
*Does one paragraph grow out of another? Do I use transitions?
*Are my examples, evidence, and details in the best order? Do I save the strongest point for last?

Language and style

Rely on a dictionary and your word processing tools to help you with language and style. Ask yourself some questions.

*Have I chosen my words carefully? Am I sure of meanings?
*Is my language appropriate to my purpose, tone, and audience?
*Have I avoided wordy expressions? euphemisms? clichés?
*Have I avoided pretentious language?
*Have I used idioms correctly?
*Have I followed the guidelines of current written usage?
*Have I avoided sexism in the use of nouns and pronouns?
*Have I preferred the active to the passive voice of the verb?

Sentence construction

Use your editing and revision skills to make sure your sentences are well constructed. Keep the following in mind:

*Are my sentences correct? Have I avoided both fragments and run-ons?
*Are my modifiers in the right place? Do I have any dangling modifiers?
*Do my subjects and predicates agree in number?
*Do I keep parallel constructions parallel?
*Have I avoided short, choppy sentences?
*Do I combine sentences effectively?
*Are my sentences varied in length and structure? Do I avoid monotony?

Grammar

Use this book to augment your grammar skills and keep in mind the following:

*Have I checked
ospelling (including correct plural forms, hyphenation)a
ocapitalization
ocorrect use and consistency of verb tenses
oagreement (nouns, verbs, pronouns)
opronoun cases
opronoun antecedents
ouse of adjectives with linking verbs
ocomparative degrees of adjectives and adverbs

*Does my punctuation make my meaning clear? Have I followed punctuation rules?
*Commas with nonrestrictive elements; no commas with restrictive elements
*Commas with interrupting elements; with introductory phrases and clauses when necessary; between series items; between independent clauses
*Correct use of periods and question marks
*Correct use (and not overuse) of exclamation points
*Correct use of semicolons and colons
*Correct use (and not overuse) of dashes and parentheses
*Correct use (and not overuse) of quotation marks
*Correct use of other punctuation with quotation marks

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