Writing Checklist
Good writers
are multiply literate, able to choose appropriate styles for different
purposes. These guidelines apply to writing formal English where, as in academic
contexts, it is important to write clearly for an unknown or open-ended readership.
This checklist is an ongoing collaboration between Matt Silliman and David Braden-Johnson;
we offer it to our students and colleagues for their use, adaptation, and
amusement. [1]
[Updated 1/2023]
___ 1. Aviod misspelling, and use the write word, not
just the won that looks or sounds rite, to.
Spell-check programs are no substitute for your own critical eye.
___ 2. Also using sentence fragments and incomplete
sentences that are too long and run-on
sentences. A complete sentence has a subject, a
verb, and an object, normally in that order, and punctuation that closely
mimics the cadence of the spoken word.
___ 3. Be
sure the verb and the subject agrees in number. In particular, limit the use of ‘they’ and ‘their’
in referring to singular nouns, unless consciously intending to align with a specific person's identity. It is often helpful in this regard to recast sentences using plural nouns.
___ 4. Kept
noun and verbs consistent in number and tense. It is usually best not to combine plural and singular
nouns, and to remain in the past, the present, or the future, rather than
jumping around.
___ 5.
Remember not to boldly split where no infinitive has gone before. Form the infinitive of an English verb by
placing the preposition ‘to’ in front of it. Let nothing come between them.
___ 6. Its
important alway’s to use ones apostrophe’s correctly. With few exceptions, form possessives
by adding an apostrophe and an ‘s.’ However, the possessive of ‘it’ is ‘its,’
since by custom we reserve ‘it’s’ for the contraction of ‘it is.’
___ 7.
Like, don’t use contractions or slang and stuff in formal writing. Like overworked clichés and colloquial expressions,
contractions are informal, so usually unsuitable for formal prose.
___ 8. Semicolons separate independent clauses of a
sentence; each of which is, in itself; a
complete sentence
on its own. A semicolon
links two closely related thoughts, often where one explains or depends on the
other.
___ 9.
Everyone that refers to persons as objects is a brick. ‘That’ is for things. Use ‘who’ for persons.
___ 10. It
is harder-to-read sentences with misplaced hyphen-disorder. Hyphenate to combine confusing multiple-word
modifiers into a single compound adjective. However, the ‘ly’ of an adverb replaces
the hyphen.
___ 11. It
is in the book we read in class, Awkward
Introductions, written by the author Wry Tur, where he believes… Writing is an art form; not only clarity
of expression but grace, elegance, and beauty matter, so edit out wordy,
awkward, stilted, clichéd, and inelegant prose. In place of the above sentence,
try: “In Awkward Introductions, Tur writes…”
___ 12. Doesn’t
everybody know rhetorical questions
are dismissive and obnoxious? A rhetorical
question is just a disguised statement. To avoid putting your readers off,
write declaratively.
___ 13.
Save “quotation marks” for when you are directly “quoting” a “person” or
“text.” Writers use scare quotes to express their
suspicion of certain terms, but far better either to say what is misleading
about a term, or choose one that conveys your meaning.
___ 14. The passive voice is to be avoided; it is generally
preferred that the subject be identified
clearly. Passive voice, or indirect discourse,
conceals the subject altogether (as in Rumsfeld’s faux apology for the Iraq
war: "Mistakes were made") or tags it on awkwardly at the end of the
phrase ("The bathroom was gone to by me"). There is nothing wrong
with the occasional use of the first person in formal writing; hiding behind
the passive voice lends your prose only the illusion of objectivity.
___ 15.
Since before the dawn of time, writers have sought to express themselves
clearly and simply, eschewing vague, grandiloquent composition and lugubrious
tracts of laborious periphrasis. Be
clear and direct, and avoid making global claims for which you lack evidence.
___ 17. Mankind can no longer tolerate, in his
language, the presumption of maleness as
the norm. Misplaced gender-specific language is
both imprecise and offensive. Use ‘humanity’ instead of ‘mankind,’, and look
for similar ways to say, gracefully, what you really mean. Remember that ‘they’
is plural, so either use a pronoun suited to the person about whom you are
speaking, or recast the sentence in the plural.
___ 18. I feel it is misleading to express your
thoughts and claims as though they were
sensations
or emotions. Feelings are
important, but you experience them, as with emotions, sensations, or
intuitions. A thought is potentially more public, something you do, and is subject to intellectual challenge
and question. Formal writing should almost always invite correction or
challenge, so never use ‘feel’ where ‘think’ will do.
acknowledge
the sources of your ideas." Notes should
credit and direct readers to all substantive sources of your ideas and
language, not distract them from what you are saying.
___ 19. Rely
primarily on your choice of words, rather than {extra punctuation!!!!!}, non-standard fonts, CAPITALS, underlining, or italics, to express emphasis or
creativity in your writing. Unless a
particular task demands a different format, present your writing in Times New
Roman 12-point type, double-spaced, flush left, one inch margins, black ink on
8..5” x 11” paper, stapled if more than one page. If you set the defaults in
your word processor to these parameters, most of the time you will not have to
think about it.
