Writing Notes

Format:
• Double Space entire paper
• Use easily readable font, e.g., Times New Roman, Arial, Book Antiqua, etc.
• Use 12 pitch
Heading:
• Your Name
• My Name
• Class Name, Section Letter
• Date

Author Identifier at top of page

 Last name – Space – Automated page number
 Font must be identical to that of the body of the paper
 12 Pitch

Underline of italicize names of documents or books

Ex.: The Declaration of the united States of America or
The Declaration of the united States of America

Citations
 If you cite a passage, you must publish a Works Cited page

Do not use contractions, e.g., can’t, don’t, who’s, etc., in a formal paper.

Do not use colloquialisms in a formal paper.

Do not use superlative adjectives, e.g., best, awesome, most, etc., unless you have proven that the
condition is worthy of superiority with a full discussion of other comparable persons, places or
things.

Do not use familiar forms of names (nicknames, etc.) or other terms in a formal paper. It comes
across as if you are mocking either the subject matter of the teacher’s selection of the subject
matter, even though it may be unintentional.

Do not use a word or phrase in a sentence and then repeat in another sentence which is close to
the first one. It is bad form and looks like you have a poor vocabulary.

Use an outline to organize your thoughts BEFORE beginning the writing of the essay.

• If you introduce an idea, you must follow it up with evidence to be able to make your
idea believable.

Do not restate the ideas of an earlier sentence unless you are explaing those ideas with new and
different words. Ex.: Shakespeare and Burbage are two great artists from the past. Both of
these men are artists in their own way.

Mr. De Vito
English Classes
-1-
 Writing Notes

INSTEAD: Shakespeare and Burbage are two great artists from the past, but each is
unique.

Proofreading and Rewriting:

If it looks like you didn’t proofread your essay, I won’t bother to read it either. I will take it as
an insult that you want me to proofread it for you. When I feel insulted, I grade accordingly.

Mr. De Vito
English Classes
-2-
 Writing Notes

Proofreading / Editors marks:

Symbol Meaning Example

delete

close up

delete and close up

caret

insert a space

space evenly

let stand
transpose

used to separate two or more

marks and often as a concluding
stroke at the end of an insertion

set farther to the left

set farther to the right

set as ligature (such as æ)

align horizontally

align vertically
broken character
indent or insert em quad space

begin a new paragraph

spell out

set in CAPITALS

set in SMALL CAPITALS

set in lowercase

set in italic
set in roman

set in boldface

hyphen multi-colored

Mr. De Vito
English Classes
-3-
 Writing Notes

Symbol Meaning Example

en dash 1965–72

em (or long) dash Now—at last!—we know.

superscript or superior

subscript or inferior

centered
comma
apostrophe
period

semicolon

colon

quotation marks

parentheses

brackets

query to author: has this been

set as intended?

push down a work-up

turn over an inverted letter

wrong font

1
The last three symbols are unlikely to be needed in marking proofs of photocomposed
matter.

Mr. De Vito
English Classes
-4-