Notes for Writers

1. Verbs has to agree with their subjects.
2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
3. And don't start a sentence with a conjunction.
4. It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.
5. Avoid cliches like the plague. (They're old hat.)
6. Also, always avoid annoying assonance
7. Be more or less specific.
8. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are (usually) unnecessary.
9. Also too, never, ever use repetitive redundancies.
10. No sentence fragments.
11. Contractions aren't necessary and shouldn't be used.
12. Foreign words and phrases are neither apropos nor de rigueur.
13. Do not be redundant; do not use more words than necessary; it's highly superfluous.
14. One should NEVER generalize.
15. Comparisons are as bad as cliches.
16. Don't use no double negatives.
17. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
18. One-word sentences? Eliminate.
19. Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.
20. The passive voice is to be ignored.
21. Eliminate commas, that are, not necessary. Parenthetical words however should be enclosed in commas.
22. Never use a big word when a diminutive one would suffice.
23. DO NOT use exclamation points and all caps to emphasize!!!
24. Use words correctly, irregardless of how others use them.
25. Understatement is always the absolute best way to put forth earth shaking ideas.
26. Use the apostrophe in it's proper place and omit it when its not needed.
27. Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "I hate quotations. Tell me what you know."
28. If you've heard it once, you've heard it a thousand times: Resist hyperbole; not one writer in a million can use it correctly.
29. Puns are for children, not groan readers.
30. Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.
31. Even IF a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.
32. Who needs rhetorical questions?
33. Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.
34. The passive voice should never be used.
36. Do not put statements in the negative form.
37. Verbs has to agree with their subjects.
38. A writer must not shift your point of view.
39. Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences of 10 or more words, to their antecedents.
40. If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
41. Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors.
42. Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
43. Always pick on the correct idiom.
44. Be careful to use the rite homonym. And Finally...
45. Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.

A Glossary for Text Commentary (AK)

OVERVIEW

Genre Fact: brochure, speech, dialogue, biography, magazine etc Fiction: novel, mystery, science fiction, gothic etc
Purpose Express as a verb: To entertain, to arouse sympathy, to sell something, to amuse, to criticize etc
Tone (Mood) Express as an adjective: persuasive, critical, laudatory, humorous, informative etc . Does it change or develop throughout the text? Do relationships between people change throughout the text?
Audience Is it for a general or specific readership? If specific, who will read it?

STRUCTURE
Vocab.(Diction) Shows tone. Positive/Negative/Neutral. (In)formal? Contrast in the vocab, between and within paragraphs? Specialized?
Punctuation Use of (semi-)colons, commas, brackets, quotation marks etc. What is the effect?
Grammar Length of paragraphs and sentences. Tense? 1st/2nd/3rd Person? Parts of speech (nouns, verbs etc), Direct Speech?

FIGURES OF SPEECH
Simile X is like Y or X is as ____ as Y. "My love is like a rose which blooms in Spring”
Metaphor X is Y. “My love is a rose which blooms in Spring”
Personification Giving human characteristics to non-human things. “The old car wheezed as it fought its way up the hill”
Rhetorical Question Asking a question to make a point, not requiring an answer. “Why do I have to do everything round here?”
Onomatopoeia Sounds like a sound. Bang, crash, crackle, pop, splash, whizz.
Alliteration Repetition of initial consonant sounds, usually harsh ones. “Big, brown bear” “A piece of paper”.
Assonance Repetition of vowel sounds within words, “a ship in distress”, usually in poetry rather than prose.
Contrast Two opposite ideas placed in juxtaposition, “’It was the best of times, It was the worst of times”
Oxymoron A seeming contradiction. “Artificial grass, fighting for peace, a quiet scream”
Hyperbole Exaggeration: “I’ve told you a thousand times, stop exaggerating!”
Repetition “Physics homework, English homework, Geography homework, will it never end?”
Pun A word with a “double meaning” used for humorous effect. “A backward poet writes inverse”
Euphemism Language used to avoid offence. “I’m going to the little girl’s room to powder my nose”. “His father passed away.”
Irony Saying the opposite of what you mean. “No, I’m not upset you are dumping me!” she sniffed.
Idiom Device whereby the words used do not contain their literal meaning. “The cat got your tongue!” (You can’t speak)
Connotation Suggestion evoked by word or phrase e.g. bachelor (cool guy about town) spinster (old woman left on the shelf)
Imagery Pictures created in readers’ minds, using comparisons (simile, metaphor)
Juxtaposition Placing things next to each other to show a relationship.
Prose Continuous writing which is not verse or dialogue.

Parallelism. A balance of two or more similar words or phrases. Giving two or more parts of the sentences a similar form so as to give the whole a definite pattern.

Have a look at this link for "Everything you ever wanted to know about figures of speech but were afraid to ask." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Figure_of_speech

Blocks 3 and 4. Cambridge

Here is the link I told you about. Click it, or paste it into your address bar, or just click the title of this post. Download 2005 Paper 1, Paper 2 and examiner's report, print them out and we'll look at them next week.

http://www.cie.org.uk/qualifications/academic/uppersec/alevel/subject?assdef_id=778