Selekted Riting Wrules

Okay — so we don't always have to be so serious. 

1. Verbs HAS to agree with their subjects.
2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
3. And don't start a sentence with a conjunction.
4. It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.
5. Avoid cliches like the plague. (They're old hat)
6. Also, always avoid annoying alliteration.
7. Be more or less specific.
8. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are (usually) unnecessary.
9. Also too, never, ever use repetitive redundancies.
10. No sentence fragments.
11. Contractions aren't necessary and shouldn't be used.
12. Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.
13. Do not be redundant; do not use more words than necessary; it's highly superfluous.
14. One should NEVER generalize.
15. Comparisons are as bad as cliches.
16. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
17. One-word sentences? Eliminate.
18. Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.
19. The passive voice is to be ignored.
20. Eliminate commas, that are, not necessary. Parenthetical words however should be enclosed in commas.
21. Never use a big word when a diminutive one would suffice.
22. Use words correctly, irregardless of how others use them.
23. Understatement is always the absolute best way to put forth earth-shaking ideas.
24. Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "I hate quotations. Tell me what you know."
25. Resist hyperbole; not one writer in a million can use it correctly.
26. Puns are for children, not groan readers.
27. Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.
28. Even IF a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.
29. Who needs rhetorical questions?
30. Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.
And the last one...
31. Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.

Good Examples Continued: Conclusion Section

From time to time, we've been featuring "good examples" of persuasive, argumentative, or different types of writing, by staff, tutors, and students. This most recent example is from Amanda, one of the CAE's student support workers. The concluding paragraph is clearly written with brief, succinct sentences that summarize the arguments made at greater length in the body of the essay, following naturally one from another:

New York made a crucial decision to no longer allow Occupy Wall Street protesters to live in Zuccotti Park. Mayor Michael Bloomberg was judicious in his efforts to force protesters from residing in the park because he had to ensure the welfare of all citizens of New York. The group has caused more harm than good for the entire area. If he had allowed the protesters to remain in the park, who knows how long they would have stayed and how many more millions of dollars would be needed for police response. Everyone is entitled to visit a park and no one could enter Zuccotti with the mass crowd of demonstrators. The citizens of New York are safer now that the government has intervened and eliminated the “Occupy” from Occupy Wall Street. The Occupy movement has no clear goals and it is more confusing than beneficial to the audience that it is trying to relate to. If Occupy Wall Street were to be a successful movement, no arrests would be necessitated because peace should be the priority when trying to make radical changes.