Writing Tips from Students
Always reread your work before you turn it in
Do not start all your sentences with the word THE
Do not have run on sentences
Use commas in the right way (series of 3 or more items, set off introductory elements, etc.)
Don't always use the same words all the time (see below for different words)
Use a question mark (?) at the end of every question
Never start a sentence with BECAUSE or AND
Any number fewer than one hundred you always spell it out. For example: twenty and thirty-six.
More Writing Tips
BE SPECIFIC and DON'T ASSUME THE READER KNOWS WHAT YOU KNOW!
AVOID starting sentences with the same word. For example, the words The and I. Try using First, Then, Next, After, Finally, Again, However, When, and They.
AVOID writing short sentences. Combine two short sentences with words such as and, then, because, or also.
ALWAYS read your work aloud quietly before handing it in. Does it sound right?
AVOID beginning your sentences with:
So... This may be the way you speak in conversation, but avoid it in your writing. It does nothing for the sentence. It is not a good sentence starter. For example:
Rather than: So we went to the football game early to get good seats.
Write: We went to the football game early to get good seats.
And now I am going to tell you
... Of course you are going to tell the reader something, you are the writer, get to the point! For example:
Rather than beginning with: Now I am going to tell you about my life.
Write: My life is very interesting because I have lived in four different states.
Here are some of the…
Get to the point, begin your sentence with the something you are listing or describing. For example:
Rather than: Here are some of my favorite games.
Write: Play Station 2 is my favorite game system.
AVOID starting your paragraph or paper with Hello my name is Spike.
AVOID starting every sentence with the word the or I
NEVER begin a sentence with the word And
AVOID ending you paragraphs with:
Questions For example:
Rather than: Don't you agree?
Write: I know other kids my age like Play Station 2 also.
AVOID ending your paragraph or writing piece with: And now you know my story.
Using Different Vocabulary Writing Tips
AVOID using like, it, thing, a lot, and good in your writing
Here are some descriptive words you can use:
Appearance - adorable, attractive, beautiful, bright, brilliant, clear, colorful, curved, damaged, dark, deep, elegant, fancy, filthy, glamorous, gleaming, gorgeous, hazy, hollow, narrow, round, pale, spotless, steep, straight, unusual, wide
Condition - adequate, alive, busy, careful, cautious, clever, concerned, confident, courageous, cowardly, crazy, curious, daring, defective, determined, different, difficult, eager, easy, effective, energetic, entertaining, exhausted, famous, fragile, frail, gentle, guilty, harmless, healthy, helpful, helpless, important, impossible, innocent, lazy, lucky, modern, outstanding, poor, powerful, relaxed, rich, sickly, shy, sleepy, tense, tough, uninterested, useless, weak, wild
Feelings - affectionate, afraid, aggravated, aggressive, agitated, agreeable, alarmed, amused, angry, annoyed, anxious, ashamed, awful, bad, baffled, beautiful, bewildered, blunt, bored, brave, bright, calm, caring, charming, cheerful, clean, colorful, comfortable, confused, cooperative, courageous, courteous, creepy, crooked, defeated, defiant, delighted, depressed, determined, discouraged, disgusted, disturbed, ecstatic, eerie, embarrassed, envious, evil, excited, fair, faithful, fearful, fierce, foolish, frantic, friendly, frightened, funny, furious, generous, gentle, glad, glamorous, gloomy, gratified, grotesque, happy, harsh, hateful, hazy, healthy, hilarious, hopeless, hostile, hurt, impatient, irritated, jealous, jolly, joyful, kind, lovely, lucky, marvelous, miserable, moody, mysterious, nasty, nervous, obedient, outraged, overwhelmed, panicky, patient, pleasant, pleased, proud, reliable, relieved, repulsive, rude, sad, satisfied, selfish, sensitive, successful, suspicious, sweet, terrified, thrilled, tired, uncertain, upset, uptight, vicious, violent, weary, wicked, witty, wonderful, worried
Quantity - abundant, empty, few, heavy, light, numerous, plentiful, plenty, scarce, skimpy, sparse, sufficient
Size - average, bulky, colossal, gigantic, great, immense, lengthy, mammoth, massive, microscopic, miniature, narrow, petite, puny, scrawny, towering, tremendous, wide
Taste - bitter, delicious, dry, fresh, gummy, juicy, mushy, nutty, ripe, rotten, smoky, spicy, stale, sticky, strong, sweet, tangy, tart, tasteless, tasty
Time - ancient, annual, brief, centuries, daybreak, daylight, decade, dusk, early, evening, fast, flash, intermittent, late, lengthy, modern, moment, monthly, old-fashioned, outdates, periodic, punctual, quick, rapid, speedy, sunrise, sunset, swift, tardy, twilight, weekly, yearly, youthful
Touch - boiling, bumpy, chilly, cool, cuddly, curly, damp, dull, dusty, even, flat, fluffy, frosty, greasy, loose, melted, moist, prickly, rough, sandy, sharp, silky, slick, slimy, slippery, slushy, smooth, sticky, tender, tight, uneven