essay
Evaluation Writing Guide
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1. (a) Your first sentence of the introduction should be a general topic sentence that clearly
relates the essay back to the essay question and or topic you have chosen to argue. You should
give the name of the author(s) and the name of the text(s) you will be analyzing in your paper.
(b) Your introduction should contain the main argument of your essay i.e. what you will
prove in your paper – your thesis. In addition to your thesis statement, you need to give a
breakdown of the main examples you will use to prove your argument. Thus, your thesis will end
up being a road map for your entire paper and will be several sentences long.
(c) Use the last sentence of the introduction to foreshadow your paper’s conclusion. Try to
have this last sentence be an observation of something interesting or even a secondary argument
that you will prove in your paper through your analysis.
2. Your thesis statement is the central message of an essay. Your thesis should be several
sentences as the thesis needs to do the following:
(a) states the essay’s subject – the topic that you are discussing
(b) includes a focus – your assertion (the point you want to make) that conveys your
point of view
(c) uses specific language – avoid vague words or undefined terms
(d) breaks down the major subdivisions of the essay’s topic re: touches on how you will prove
what you want to prove
3. (a) Paragraphs need to be a minimum of 3 sentences. The sentence that contains the main
idea of the paragraph is called the topic sentence. All the other sentences in the paragraph should
help support the main idea. The writer must move from generalizations, to specific, concrete,
supporting details. Always show how the examples develop the main idea of the paragraph.
Make connections for the reader. Do not expect the reader to do the analysis for you.
(b) The first sentence of the paragraph sets out the idea of what you will prove in the paragraph.
You need to be as analytical as possible in your phrasing. The second sentence of the paragraph
paraphrases an example from the text that you are using to prove your point. The third sentence
of the paragraph explicitly explains to the reader how the example proves the first sentence re:
what you will prove in the paragraph. You must always explain how your example proves the
point you are trying to make.
(c) Although the minimum sentences for a paragraph is 3, paragraphs usually need 5-7 sentences
to explain an idea fully. Once you start writing longer paragraphs, you need to be careful not to
lose control of your paragraph through trying to prove more than one main idea per paragraph.
Just as a sentence talks about one main idea, so should a paragraph.
(d) The LAST sentence of your paragraph MUST connect back either to your topic sentence of
the paragraph or the thesis statement. Do NOT have your paragraph just trail off. You need to
have an integrated argument in your paper.
4. Concluding Paragraph - ends the essay smoothly, flowing logically from the rest of the essay.
Your conclusion often mirrors your introduction. Your introduction sets out what you will prove
in your essay and your conclusion explains what you have proven. You may not bring up
anything in your conclusion which you have not previously discussed in your paper. The one
exception to this rule is that a conclusion may sometimes have a forward looking statement. An
example of a forward looking statement might be as follows: “based on what has been shown
about the more marginalized role of female detectives in Agatha Christie’s works, readers might
be interested in examining the evolution of the female detective in modern television adaptations
of Christie’s novels.”
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5. The goal of writing is to create an integrated argument. That means you try to make
connections in each paragraph back to the thesis statement, to the preceding paragraph, or to the
following paragraph. If you are continually trying to connect your ideas back to what you have
proven, you are creating an integrated argument. You are doing the analysis and not expecting
your reader to make the connections for him or herself.
6. (a) Write English essays in present tense and in third person.
(b) Use language appropriate to formal writing. Do not use colloquial phrasing (words that
you would use in informal conversations) and do not use slang.
(c) Never use contractions in formal writing i.e. do not say “don’t”; instead you must write
“do not.”
(d) Never use the imperative in formal writing i.e. do not give commands to the reader.
(e) Never begin a sentence with “And” as that will immediately turn your sentence into a
fragment which is a serious grammatical error.
7. Avoid pronoun use. Use specific nouns to make your writing as clear and precise as possible.
You are also less likely to make errors with pronoun antecedent agreement (look up in a grammar
handbook if you do not know what that is) or have vague pronoun references if you limit your use
of pronouns. Remember, technically, a pronoun refers back to the last noun mentioned. When
you use strings of pronouns in your sentences, sometimes, you do not realize that the last noun
mentioned is not actually who or what you intended the pronoun to represent. However, your
intentions do not matter – only the grammatical rule that pronouns refer back to the last noun
mentioned.
8. Never use the pronoun “it” in formal writing. “It” is an ambiguous pronoun which means “it”
stands for anything. Something that stands for anything, stands for nothing. Use a noun instead
to give your sentences greater precision. “It” also leads you almost immediately into passive
constructions in your writing.
9. Never use exclamation marks in your writing. They are an uncreative way of attempting to
create a sense of excitement in your writing. Use more precise adjectives and verbs instead to
create power and drama in your writing.
10. There is a fine line between paraphrasing an example from the text you are analyzing and
falling into the trap of plot summary. You need to explain only enough of the example to be able
to show how the example proves your point. When you find yourself re-telling the story, you
have fallen into plot summary and moved away from plot analysis, which is the goal of your
writing.
11. Avoid passive verbs as much as possible in your writing. Passive voice leads to wordiness
and an awkward integration of ideas in your sentences. See a grammar handbook to learn more
about passive verbs and how to avoid them in your writing.
Use active verbs to give sentences greater force and clarity. The simplest way to avoid passive
verbs is to avoid the verb “to be” in your writing i.e. avoid “is” and “are” which are forms of the
verb “to be” in the present tense – which is the tense you use in formal English writing. Use
other verbs instead such as “shows, illustrates, develops, claims, asserts, underlines” etc.
12. Avoid gender bias in your writing. Do not use words such as “mankind”; instead write
“humankind” to be as inclusive as possible in your writing. Avoid sexist language as well i.e. do
not call a woman “a girl” and do not call a man “a boy.”
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13. Do not split infinitives in your writing. An infinitive is the form of the verb with the
preposition “to” in front of the verb. An example of an infinitive is “to go.” An example of a
split infinitive is when you write “to boldly go.” Instead, you need to write, “boldly to go” or “to
go boldly.”
14. Be as clear and precise as possible in the phrasing of your ideas. Try to explain as explicitly
as possible how the example you are using proves or supports or develops the point you are trying
to make overall in your paragraph or essay. You must always explain “why” in order to
develop the significance of your ideas further.
15. You need to ensure that the first sentence of your paragraph is analytical and neither
descriptive nor a general statement of fact nor plot summary. Although, technically, your topic
sentence can be anywhere in your paragraph, less experienced writers must put their topic
sentence as their first sentence of the paragraph in order to ensure they know precisely what they
intend to prove in that paragraph. You must then use specific textual analysis to ensure you have
proven what your topic sentence set out that you would prove in that paragraph. A good topic
sentence will also link back to your introduction and the part of your thesis that divides
your paper into its major subdivisions. This linkage will ensure that you are producing an
integrated argument throughout the body of your paper. See number 28 as well.
16. The majority of the paper must be in your own words. Next may be examples
paraphrased from the text. Analyze the actions of characters not their words as there is
frequently a contradiction between what a character says and what a character does. Quotations should be used sparingly and only when absolutely essential. Furthermore, you must
introduce the context of the quotation as you would any example you paraphrase and use from the
text. You also still need to explain the significance of the quotation to proving your point. Do
not use a quotation simply to repeat a point you have already made through analysis of textual
evidence. Use of a quotation does not in itself prove your point or replace careful textual
analysis. Most students use unnecessary or overly long quotations as a substitution for
careful and thoughtful textual analysis. Do not be one of those students.
17. Never use “this” by itself as a pronoun. For example, never say, “this shows that...” You
need to be as precise as possible in your phrasing of ideas in your sentences. Instead, you must
use “this” with a noun. For example, you could say, “this conversation shows that...”
18. Work on constructing smoother transitions between your sentences and your paragraphs.
Review list of transitional expressions which should be found in any grammar handbook. If you
read your paper aloud and hear choppy and abrupt phrasing, that choppiness is an indication that
your paper lacks transitional phrases. Work on integrating ideas more smoothly in your writing.
See also number 11 for another possible cause of awkward sounding sentences.
19. Avoid making general statements that however true do not explicitly support or link back to
your paper’s thesis, topic sentences, or overall argument. Always try to tie your statements back
to proving something in your paper. See numbers 5 and 14 for further help.
20. Always try to find the best textual example to prove the point you are trying to make as
clearly and effectively as possible. Make sure you introduce the context of the example and
clearly explain how the example you are using precisely proves the point you are trying to make.
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21. Do not ask rhetorical questions in your writing. Turn these questions into analytical
assertions instead i.e. Answer questions for your reader and do not expect your reader to answer
the question for him or herself. For instance, do not write, “What makes Sherlock Holmes a great
detective?” Instead, you must turn this rhetorical question into an analytical assertion. Ex.
“Sherlock Holmes’s attention to detail and ability to relate present events to past experiences
makes him a great detective.”
22. You need to introduce textual evidence more smoothly and carefully in your writing. You
need to give the context of the example. You then need to explain explicitly what happens in this
example and how this example proves your overall point. Just giving an example does not prove
your point. You cannot expect the reader to do the analysis of the example for you.
23. Be as clear and concise as possible in your sentence construction. Do not try to pack too
many ideas into each sentence. Shorter sentences are more powerful than long, wordy ones.
24. Do not use a slash in your writing. For example, do not write “his/her” or “and/or.” Instead
write “his or her” or “and or.”
25. (a) Use “ ” for direct quotations.
Ex. As he crossed the Rubicon, Julius Caesar said, “The die is cast.”
(b) Use ‘ ’ for a quotation within a quotation.
Ex. “According to the Roman historian Suetonius, Julius Caesar said, ‘The die is cast’ as he
crossed the Rubicon.”
Ex. “According to the Roman historian Suetonius, Julius Caesar said, ‘The die is cast.’”
(c) Put periods and commas inside quotation marks. Ex. “The die is cast.”
(d) Use quotation marks around words used in a special sense.
Ex. We are all encouraged to “be green” in our everyday choices as we live our lives.
(e) Put colons and semicolons outside quotation marks.
Ex. We all know the three tenets of “being green”: reduce, reuse, and recycle.
(f) Long quotations – use an indentation to set off block quotations (3 or more lines)
from the main body of your writing. Do not use quotation marks with a block quotation. The
following is an example of the format (the parenthetical number is a MLA source citation):
According to Professor Mohammed’s evaluation writing guide, students “need to introduce
textual evidence more smoothly in [their] writing.” Professor Mohammed says for students to do
the following:
You need to give the context of the example. You then need to explain explicitly
what happens in this example and how this example proves your overall point.
Just giving an example does not prove your point. You cannot expect the reader to
do the analysis of the example for you. (Mohammed 4).
Clearly, Professor Mohammed expects students to do their own analysis and not rely on simply
quoting passages straight from the textbook in the misguided expectation that those quotations
will prove their point for them.
Evaluation Writing Guide
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26. Do not end sentences with a preposition. Examples of common prepositions are as follows:
“by,” “for,” “at,” “about,” and “of.” There are many prepositions than these given here; look up
prepositions in a grammar handbook or on the internet to learn more of them.
27. For English papers, do not bluntly state what you will discuss in your essay. You need to be
more subtle in constructing a sentence that talks about these ideas.
Incorrect Example:
“This paper will compare Oronoco and Kindred and the two main characters’ loss of
innocence and their different outcomes.”
Correct Example:
“In Aphra Behn’s Oronoco, Oronoco’s loss of innocence weakens him and leads to his
ultimate martyrdom. However, in Octavia Butler’s Kindred, Dana’s loss of innocence
strengthens her and leads to her ultimate salvation.”
28. Your topic sentence of each paragraph must directly connect back to something you have
said you will prove as part of your thesis statement. See number 15 as well.
29. You must indent the first sentence of each new paragraph 5 spaces.
Incorrect Example:
Clearly, Professor Mohammed expects students to do their own analysis and not rely on simply
quoting passages straight from the textbook in the misguided expectation that those quotations
will prove their point for them.
Correct Example:
Clearly, Professor Mohammed expects students to do their own analysis and not rely on
simply quoting passages straight from the textbook in the misguided expectation that those
quotations will prove their point for them.
30. In general, do not make unsupported assumptions. That does not necessarily mean that I
do not believe what you are saying to be true. Your assumptions, may, in fact, be valid; however,
you cannot have your reader assume that what you are saying is true. You must find textual
evidence that through careful analysis proves your assumption to be true. Review numbers 3. (a)
and 3. (b) re: paragraph construction.
31. (a) Every essay should have a title. The title of your essay is the first thing that your reader
sees. Your title should be informative as to the topic being discussed as well as interesting in
order to hook your reader’s attention and make him or her curious about your essay. Your title
should not merely state the topic of your essay but try to give insight into the argument you will
make.
Ex. Nature – the Reluctant Thespian in an Anthropocentric World
Ex. The Confusing and Contradictory Role of the Narrator in Murakami’s Hard-Boiled
Wonderland and the End of the World
Ex. In Praise of Mary Jane – Why Marijuana Should be Decriminalized in Canada
(b) The title of your essay should be correctly formatted. If your essay is in Times New
Roman, 12-point font, then your title should be as well. Do NOT increase the font size of your
title to make the title larger than the font size of the rest of your paper.
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(c) Do NOT underline your own title. Do NOT bold your title. Do NOT end your title
with a period. Do NOT put your title in all capital letters. Do NOT put quotation marks around
your own title.
(d) The principal words of your title should be capitalized. ALWAYS capitalize the first
letter of the first word of your title even if the first word is an article, preposition, or
coordinating conjunction. However, do NOT capitalize articles, prepositions, and coordinating
conjunctions that fall in the middle of a title. See the title examples in 31(a).
(e) Your title needs to be centred at the top of your page.
32. (a) Unfortunately, I do not understand what you are saying in your sentence. Your
sentence does not make sense as it is written. There may be serious structural problems
in this sentence.
(b) Your sentence contains an awkward arrangement of words that makes the meaning of
your sentence difficult to decipher and or does not flow together in a unified and
coherent fashion.
(c) Your sentence does not follow the grammatical or stylistic rules for writing sentences.
(d) You are using the incorrect form of a word or words so your sentence is ungrammatical
and hard to understand. You may also be missing words that are necessary for your
sentence to make sense.
33. Titles of short stories, poems, specific scenes from movies, and specific episodes of TV
shows are put in quotation marks.
Example: In H.P.’s Lovecraft’s “Rats in the Walls,” the narrator goes mad after entering the
antechamber of hell.
Example: In the scene “Disturbing Encounter” from the movie The Descent, Sarah sees a glimpse
of the degenerated, animalistic human beings but none of the other cavers believe her.
Example: In the TV show’s Family Guy’s “Fifteen Minutes of Shame,” the Griffins get their own
reality TV show.
34. Titles of novels, movies, and names of TV shows are EITHER underlined OR put in italics.
Never use both underlining and italics. Never use quotation marks for titles of novels, movies,
and names of TV shows.
Example: In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor and his monster have a tortured parent-child
relationship. OR In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor and his monster have a tortured parent-
child relationship.
Example: In the TV show’s Family Guy’s “A Picture is Worth a Thousand Bucks,” Chris Griffin
becomes a famous artist in New York City. OR In the TV show’s Family Guy’s “A Picture is
Worth a Thousand Bucks,” Chris Griffin becomes a famous artist in New York City.