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English 1302 1

Dr. Veronica Pantoja [email protected]

(361) 698-2329 Office: CB 141

Office hours: MW, 2-3 PM; TTh, 3-4 PM; Friday and other times by appt.

Dr. Pantoja’s Writing Pet Peeves Points will be deducted if these are found in any rough or final draft of a major paper. Please

work to delete these irksome phrases and words so your teacher can be happy as she grades. =)

Use CTRL+F in your word processing software to

search for and correct these issues in your writing.

1. Avoid “THERE + VERB” phrases in your writing. “There+verb” phrases make your writing passive; aim for active voice in your writing.

there are…. there were…. there should be…. there is…. there was…. there would be…. there’s…. there could be…. there might be….., etc.

Example: There are many ways to complete this assignment. Correction: This assignment can be completed in many ways. Example: Even though the children were in recess, there should have been a monitor watching. Correction: Even though the children were in recess, a monitor should have been watching. 2. Avoid the use of any form of “you” in your writing. Avoiding forms of “you” can help with clarity. Using “you” can be confusing for the reader.

you your you’re yourself

Example: When Dracula enters the room, you can really sense how the other characters react. Correction: When Dracula enters the room, the other characters react quite dramatically. **No need to use the word “one” either in that example. 3. Avoid the vague use of “we,” “us,” or “our” in your writing. Example: We can see that childcare is an extremely important issue. Correction: Childcare is an important issue to many because….

Example: When the Monster first wakes, we can see how Frankenstein is affected.

Correction: When the Monster first wakes, Frankenstein is clearly affected when he says,....

In either sentence who is “we?” How can the writer know what “we” all think about childcare or what we all see in the novel? I’m not suggesting to never use these pronouns, but always be sure the reference to those pronouns is clear.

4. Avoid the phrase, “Due to the fact that…,” as it’s too wordy. Example: Electrical engineering is a respected field due to the fact that it provides alternative solutions. Correction: Electrical engineering is a respected field because it provides alternative solutions. Find other wordy phrases here: http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/CCS_wordyphrases.html.

http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/CCS_wordyphrases.html

English 1302 2

Dr. Veronica Pantoja [email protected]

(361) 698-2329 Office: CB 141

Office hours: MW, 2-3 PM; TTh, 3-4 PM; Friday and other times by appt.

5. Avoid starting sentences with “Well….” You can find better ways to begin a sentence other than using the word “well.” The word “anyway” is also similar; be sure to use it correctly (and “anyways” should be avoided). Other phrases & words to avoid:

“In my paper I will…” or “My essay will…” “In conclusion…” “Nowadays…” “Now that I’ve talked about ___, I’ll talk about…” “Anyway…” or “Anyways….”

“In the article, it explains…” (I see this issue a lot in writing—keep an eye out for it!)

*For more about writing pet peeves, view the Writing Pet Peeve PPT in Canvas.

Helpful Online Grammar and Writing Resources

Rules for Finding and Fixing Comma Splices and Fused Sentences (Run-on sentences):

http://www.chompchomp.com/handouts/csfsrules.pdf

Rules for Finding and Fixing Sentence Fragments:

http://www.chompchomp.com/handouts/fragrules.pdf

Fragments and Run-on Sentences:

http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/fragments-and-run-ons/

Commas: http://www.chompchomp.com/handouts.htm#Commas

Grammar Resources from the Purdue Online Writing Lab: