Business History research paper
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tipsheet_on_papers.docxTipsheet on Papers
A good little book on writing: William Strunk and E.B. White, The Elements of Style.
Comma Rules:
1. Subject verb, and subject verb OR subject verb and verb.
· The girl hit the ball, and she ran to first base.
· The girl hit the ball and ran to first base.
2. In a series: 1, 2, and 3.
3. After a dependent clause:
· Although he came from New York, he could not root for the Yankees.
There is, there was, it is, it was
In general, these are not good expressions to use because they don't refer to anything.
· There was a sense in the room that no one liked the Yankees. (BAD)
· A sense existed in the room that no one liked the Yankees. (BETTER)
· (OR) The people in the room understood that no one liked the Yankees. (REWORDED)
Passive/Active Voice
Scientists write in the passive voice, but it's not recommended for the great bulk of English-speaking humanity. Ruthlessly scour your paper for passively constructed verbs and change them to active. Typically, this also forces you to identify the subject causing the action. Here are two examples, but you can find all sorts of grammar examples on the web.
· Passive: The ball was thrown. Or, the ball was thrown by the pitcher.
· Active: The pitcher threw the ball.
Since/Because
"Since" should only be used in reference to time. If you can substitute "because," then use "because."
· Since 1960, three players have broken Babe Ruth's home run record. (GOOD)
· Because he hit so many home runs, Babe Ruth's pitching career is often forgotten. (GOOD)
· Since he pitched relatively few games, he is more famous as a batter. (BAD)
Other things:
1. Do not (don't) use contractions in a formal paper (although I understand some of you have chosen to write in a vernacular for this paper, and that is acceptable).
2. Don't use "so" as a conjuction, as in: Throw a strike, so he can't walk to first. (BAD)
3. "It's" means "it is." On the other hand, "its" connotes the possessive.
4. Write out numbers under 100. One, two, three, 101, 102, 103. And nineteenth century, not 19th century.
5. "Fewer" and "number" refer to countable numbers; "less" and "amount" refer to uncountable numbers.
· Fewer boys and girls turned out for Little League, but they ate a larger number of hot dogs.
· Yogi Berra asked for less mustard on his hot dog.
· The manager kicked up a large amount of dust while protesting the umpire's call.
6. Minimize the negatives in your sentences.
· She was not able to yell at the batboy. (OKAY, but not great)
· She was unable to yell at the batboy. (BETTER)
7. Minimize the forms of is/was/were.
The "to be" verb is vitally important, but the language has many more interesting verbs, and you should try to find different ones just as often as possible.
· She was blue over the Yankees' victory. BETTER: She felt blue over the Yankees' victory.
· The bunt was exactly as he'd dreamed. BETTER: He dreamed of exactly that bunt.
8. Don't split your infinitives.
What's an infinitive? The verb form: "to be" or "to go" or "to read" or "to expostulate", etc. Splitting an infinitive means sticking a word between "to" and its verb, such as Star Trek's infamously incorrect "to boldly go." Or "to openly say" or "to speedily read." Instead, use "to go boldly" or "to say openly" or "to read speedily."
