What marks mean
What does it mean to get an A in English? What Marks Mean (Adobe Acrobat file) explains some of the criteria used to mark your papers.
Here's some basic information if you're just starting out:
- What is a literary analysis?
- What is a thesis statement?
- Help with writing paragraphs:
- How do I use formal diction (formal language, formal tone) in my essay?
- How do I incorporate quotations from fiction or poetry into my essay?
- "How to avoid weasel words" (Wikipedia)
Help with the basics (grammar & punctuation)
- OWL (Purdue University website)
Purdue University's On-line Writing Lab (OWL) provides good explanations and definitions of basic problems with grammar and sentence structure (comma splices and run-on (fused) sentences, sentence fragments, pronoun agreement, subject-verb agreement, dangling modifiers, or clarity).
See also Handouts: Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling. You can print these exercises, work through them and then check the answers, which are provided on the site.
OWL also has some very good interactive exercises that you can do online.
- Checkmate companion website (Nelson)
A number of online quizzes and tests are also available on websites that are companions for printed composition manuals. Nelson has an excellent resource that allows you test yourself on thesis statements, grammar, sentence structure, and spelling and mechanics.
- A Writer's Reference companion website (Beford St. Martin's)
Another good resource for practicing and testing yourself is the online companion to A Writer's Reference by Diana Hacker. You can sign in without creating a username and password. (See Writing Exercises for exercises on thesis statements and introductions. See Grammar Exercises for help with dangling modifiers, shifts in person and number, subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement, sentence fragments, run-on sentences, and punctuation, among many others).
- William Strunk's The Elements of Style (1918) is a classic reference book on rules of usage and composition. It remains an excellent resource for basic writing skills.
Help with general writing concerns
- OWL has some helpful commentary on general writing concerns such as argument/persuasion, coherence, conciseness, paragraphs, sentence variety, sentence clarity, transitions, thesis statements, and more
Help with citations and references
Help with writing a literary analysis
- the Gale Glossary of Literary Terms, some of the basic terminology for literary analysis
- Gale's How to Write a Term Paper
- Jack Lynch's Guide to Grammar and Style has commentary on specific mechanics such as grammar and citation, but also general information such as Getting an A on an English Paper