Uvic English The UVic Writer's Guide

The Complete Table of Contents

[Essays] [Paragraphs] [Sentences] [Words] [Sources] [Literary Terms Alphabetically] [Literary Terms By Category] [Summaries] [Logic] [Grammar] [Marking Symbols]

Planning, Organizing, and Presenting Essays

Writing As A Process Types of Essays
The Expository Essay The Persuasive Essay The Informal Essay The Review The Research Essay The Literary Essay

Writing Your Essay: Getting Started

Narrowing YourTopic The Thesis Brainstorming The Statement Of Your Thesis When You Don't Know Enough About A Subject To Form A Thesis

Writing Your Essay: Organizing It

Methods Of Organization The Outline The Structure Of The Outline

Writing Your Essay: Getting It Down

Audience And Tone The First Draft Revising Introductions The Structure Of An Introduction The Length Of The Introduction The Body Of The Essay Conclusions

Proofreading and Presenting Your Essay

Proofreading Presentation A Sample Title Page

Doing A Research Essay

Doing Research

Working Bibliography Evaluating Sources Taking Notes Handling Contradictory Evidence Drawing Conclusions

Doing Exam Essays

Before You Write

Common Problems Writing Essays

Summary Of Common Problems

Some Sample Essays To Look At

An Expository Essay A Literary Essay

[Essays] [Paragraphs] [Sentences] [Words] [Sources] [Literary Terms Alphabetically] [Literary Terms By Category] [Summaries] [Logic] [Grammar] [Marking Symbols]

Developing and Ordering Paragraphs

Developing The Paragraph
Unity The Topic Sentence Developing Your Topic Sentence

The Functions of Paragraphs

Paragraphs That Analyze Paragraphs That Contrast And Compare Paragraphs That Define Paragraphs That Show Causes Paragraphs That Show Results Paragraphs That Use Analogy

Paragraph Order
Paragraph Order--An Introduction Paragraph Order--Building To A Climax Paragraph Order--Familiar To The Unfamiliar Paragraphs Order--General To Particular Paragraphs Order--Particular To General Paragraphs Order--Narration Paragraphs Order--Grinding It Out Paragraphs Order--Chronology

Paragraph Transitions
[Essays] [Paragraphs] [Sentences] [Words] [Sources] [Literary Terms Alphabetically] [Literary Terms By Category] [Summaries] [Logic] [Grammar] [Marking Symbols]

Writing Clear Sentences

Some Things To Do
The Need for Variation

Compound Sentences and Complex Sentences Compound-Complex Sentence Absolute Phrase Parallelism Subject/Verb Agreement Pronoun Agreement

Capitalization Using Hyphens

Splitting Words At The End Of A Line Words That Are Always Spelled With A Hyphen

Using Apostrophes
When To Use An Apostrophe: The Possessive Case When Not To Use An Apostrophe: Possessive Pronouns Possession of Inanimate Objects

Some Things To Avoid

The Run-On Sentence Sentence Fragments

Mistakes With Modifiers

Misplaced Modifiers Dangling Modifier Squinting Modifier

Wordiness The Passive Voice Other Common Errors

Mixed Metaphors Sentences That Are Too Long Repetition Within The Sentence

A Summary of Common Errors

[Essays] [Paragraphs] [Sentences] [Words] [Sources] [Literary Terms Alphabetically] [Literary Terms By Category] [Summaries] [Logic] [Grammar] [Marking Symbols]

Choosing and Using Words

Usage
Levels Of Usage Clichs Jargon The Genuine Canadian Buzz-Phrase Generator The English Department Jargon Index Noun Strings

A Dictionary of Usage Gender Inclusive Language

The Generic Pronouns: He, His, And Him A Note On Word Order and Gender Generic Man Titles Direct Quotations

Spelling
Why Spelling Counts A Historical Note About Spelling What Does The Word Sound Like? Unstressed Vowels Homonyms "Ie"/"Ei" Final "E" Final "Y" Doubling Of Consonants -Able/ -Ible Plurals Canadian/English/American Spelling Word Processors And Spelling Checkers A List Of Words Commonly Misspelled

[Essays] [Paragraphs] [Sentences] [Words] [Sources] [Literary Terms Alphabetically] [Literary Terms By Category] [Summaries] [Logic] [Grammar] [Marking Symbols]

Acknowledging Your Sources

General Stategies
What Is A Style? Quoting From Primary Sources Short Quotations Longer Quotations Quoting From Secondary Sources Plagiarism What To Do If You Have An Idea, Then Find It In Print Summary: The Most Common Errors In Quoting

Bibliographies
General Rules for Bilbiographies Alphabetical Arrangement Capitalization Of Titles Titles: Italics Or Quotation Marks?

Quoting Material In Your Work

Accuracy in Quotations Incomplete Quotations How To Fit Short Quotations Into Your Work. How To Punctuate Short Quotations. Short Quotations Of Verse Long Quotations Quoting Prose Quoting Verse

Single Quotation Marks Quotation Marks Used To Modify The Meaning

Acknowledging Sources In Your Text (Parenthetical Citation)

The Two Parts of a Parenthetical Citation Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. Relationship Of Citations To The List Of "Works Cited" A Work By A Single Author Works With More Than One Author One Of Two Or More Works By The Same Author(S) Anonymous Works The Second Part Of The Citation: Location Of The Reference Plays Or Long Poems Where Line Numbers Are Given Quoting A Multivolume Work The Bible Referring To A Range Of Pages Or Lines Quoted Where To Put The Parenthetical Reference Reference Without Actual Quotation Quoting A Quotation In Another Work (Citation At Second Hand)

Footnotes
Footnotes As Citations Offering Incidental Or Further Information

Citing Books
A Book With A Single Author Single Author With Editor Or Translator An Edited Book Or Anthology A Poem, Short Story, Or Article In An Anthology A Book With Multiple Authors Multiple Volumes An Anonymous Book A Chapter Or Section Of A Book An Introduction (Foreword, Afterword, Preface) Of A Book An Encyclopedia Or Dictionary Later Editions, Reprints A Book In A Series A Book With More Than One Publisher

Citing Articles
Articles Pagination Articles With Multiple Authors In A Newspaper

Citing Miscellaneous Sources

Published Correspondence Pamphlets Government Documents Computer Programs Films Or Videos Televison Programs Lectures Personal Interviews

Citing Internet Sources

[Essays] [Paragraphs] [Sentences] [Words] [Sources] [Literary Terms Alphabetically] [Literary Terms By Category] [Summaries] [Logic] [Grammar] [Marking Symbols]

Literary and Rhetorical Terms (By Category)

Narrative Genres
Genres: An Introduction Aubade Ballad Burlesque Comedy Drama Dramatic Lyric Dramatic Monologue Elegy Epic Epigram Fable High Burlesque: Mock Epic (Mock Heroic); Parody Low Burlesque: Travesty (Hudibrastic Poem); Lampoon Lyric Melodrama Novel Ode Pastoral Problem Play Romance Satire Short Story Sonnet Tragedy Tragicomedy

Rhetorical Language
Figures Of Speech Or Rhetorical Figures (Schemes)
Rhetoric And Figurative Language Apostrophe Chiasmus Rhetorical Question Zeugma

Figures Of Thought (Tropes)

Conceit Hyperbole And Understatement Metaphor Metonymy And Synechdoche Oxymoron Personification (Prosopopeia) Simile Symbol

Poetic Tools
Alliteration

Assonance and Consonance Blank Verse Free Verse Heroic Couplet Meter Onomatopoeia Rhyme Stanza Versification

[Essays] [Paragraphs] [Sentences] [Words] [Sources] [Literary Terms Alphabetically] [Literary Terms By Category] [Summaries] [Logic] [Grammar] [Marking Symbols]

General Literary Terms (Alphabetically)

Allegory Ambiguity Aphorism Archetype Bathos Bombast Canon Character and Characterization Chorus Connotation and Denotation Discourse Epithet Euphemism Hamartia ("error" or "flaw") Humour Imagery Indeterminacy Intertext, intertextuality Irony Magic realism Malapropism Metadrama, metafiction Motif Myth Nalrrator Oxymoron Paradox Pathos Persona Plot Poetic Justice Point of View Protagonist Pun Realism Self-reflexive Sign Soliloquy Stock Characters Stock Situations Stream-of-Consciousness Narration Sympathy and Empathy Theme

Tone Voice Wit "Creative" Definitions

[Essays] [Paragraphs] [Sentences] [Words] [Sources] [Literary Terms Alphabetically] [Literary Terms By Category] [Summaries] [Logic] [Grammar] [Marking Symbols]

Preparing Summaries
How Writing Summaries Can Help You Grasp The Main Trend Of Thought Reduce Explanation Use The Most Economical Wording Possible. A Sample Passage For A Precis The Textbook's page The Student's page

[Essays] [Paragraphs] [Sentences] [Words] [Sources] [Literary Terms Alphabetically] [Literary Terms By Category] [Summaries] [Logic] [Grammar] [Marking Symbols]

Presenting Arguments Logically

Undefined Terms Generalization Black or white Abstractions Analogy Syllogisms Circular Argument Begging the Question Argument of the Beard Non Sequiturs Fallacies of Relevance Catchall Explanation Slanted Language

[Essays] [Paragraphs] [Sentences] [Words] [Sources] [Literary Terms Alphabetically] [Literary Terms By Category] [Summaries] [Logic] [Grammar] [Marking Symbols]

Knowing The Basics of Grammar

Forethoughts About Grammar The Sentence Phrases Clauses Pronouns Agreement The subject (subjective, nominative) case The object (objective, accusative)case Verb agreement Punctuation Colons, semi-colons, parentheses and dashes Colons Semi-colons

Parentheses Dashes

A Grammar Glossary
[Essays] [Paragraphs] [Sentences] [Words] [Sources] [Literary Terms Alphabetically] [Literary Terms By Category] [Summaries] [Logic] [Grammar] [Marking Symbols]

Marking Symbols and Grades

Agr (Agreement) Amb (Ambiguity) Awk (Awkward) Colloq (Colloquial) Constr (Construction) CS (Comma Splice) Dgl (Dangling Modifier) Frag (Fragment) Id (Idiom) Para(Paragraph) ll (Parallelism) P (Pronoun Reference) Ref (Punctuation) Red (Redundant) Rep (Repitition) R-O (Run On) Sp (Spelling) T (Tense) Trans (Transition) Wdy (Wordiness) WW (Wrong Word) Grades Or Why Did I Get That B-

[Essays] [Paragraphs] [Sentences] [Words] [Sources] [Literary Terms Alphabetically] [Literary Terms By Category] [Summaries] [Logic] [Grammar] [Marking Symbols]

Start Over The Index(66K) This page updatedSeptember 19,1995

The UVic Writer's Guide

[Essays] [Paragraphs] [Sentences] [Words] [Sources] [Literary Terms Alphabetically] [Literary Terms By Category] [Summaries] [Logic] [Grammar] [Marking Symbols]

Planning, Organizing, and Presenting Essays

Writing As A Process Types of Essays

The Expository Essay The Persuasive Essay The Informal Essay The Review The Research Essay The Literary Essay

Writing Your Essay: Getting Started

Narrowing YourTopic The Thesis Brainstorming The Statement Of Your Thesis When You Don't Know Enough About A Subject To Form A Thesis

Writing Your Essay: Organizing It

Methods Of Organization The Outline The Structure Of The Outline

Writing Your Essay: Getting It Down

Audience And Tone The First Draft Revising Introductions The Structure Of An Introduction The Length Of The Introduction The Body Of The Essay Conclusions

Proofreading and Presenting Your Essay

Proofreading Presentation A Sample Title Page

Doing A Research Essay

Doing Research Working Bibliography Evaluating Sources Taking Notes Handling Contradictory Evidence Drawing Conclusions

Doing Exam Essays

Before You Write

Common Problems Writing Essays

Summary Of Common Problems

Some Sample Essays To Look At

An Expository Essay A Literary Essay