I have been asked to comment on the tone of a piece, and I'm not sure where to start. What does one say about tone?
My instructor has let me know that my writing is too informal, and that I should work to develop a more formal, academic style. Where should I begin?
My conclusion doesn't feel complete. Can you give me some ideas for how to improve it?
Improving writing through specific, concrete details: avoiding general statements
On my last paper, my instructor crossed out my entire first sentence and nearly half of the words in my introduction. What am I doing wrong?
My instructor commented on my paper that I should avoid cliches in my writing. I'm not sure why or how to do that.
Ideas for Strong Thesis Statements
I understand the basic concept of the thesis statement, but I still seem to struggle with actually developing them for my papers. The process is always agony. Can you help?
How do you revise a paper? Revising is different from editing, as this solution will demonstrate.
What exactly does an instructor want in a revision? Don't be afraid to ask your English instructor specific questions, but you also need to ask yourself these questions about your paper.
What is the difference between quoting and paraphrasing? Do you still need to cite your sources when you paraphrase? You betcha. Here are some practical steps to effective paraphrasing.
Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing
This handout is intended to help you become more comfortable with the uses of and distinctions among quotations, paraphrases, and summaries. The first part of the handout compares and contrasts the terms, while the second part offers a short excerpt that you can use to practice these skills.
Most paragraphs are organized one of five ways.
