SUMMER READING ESSAYCOMMON ERRORS

Arguable Thesis Statement• Your thesis statement must answer the prompt, but most

importantly be arguable.• For example, “Esperanza and many other characters in The

House on Mango Street face gender inequality.” is not really arguable• We know that she faces this issue in the story, but you are trying to argue

that one of the issues is more dominant in the book and how the characters come into contact with that issue.• Better example: “Esperanza and many other characters in The House on Mango

Street face more issues with gender inequality compared to issues regarding race.”

• Be clear in your thesis. For example, do not say the biggest issue is gender. This makes it sound like it is a crime that Esperanza is a girl. What kind of issue does she struggle with in regards to being a girl?• Gender inequality• Being treated as inferior

Introduction Paragraph• Needs to include author and title you are referencing• Need to begin with an attention grabber

• Series of questions• Bold and challenging statement• Interesting incident or anecdote• Definition• Quotation• Little known or striking fact• Statement of opinion that you intend to challenge• Short bursts that describe a scene

Tense• When writing about a novel, you should always be using

present tense, even if an event had already occurred.• Bad example: Esperanza tried on heels that made her feel

beautiful.• Good example: Esperanza tries on heels that make her feel

beautiful.

Quote Integration• Integrate quotes so that it sounds like part of your own

writing• Explain the importance of the quote and how it fits with

your point• Never begin or end a body paragraph with a quote• Do not use incredibly long quotes. Only use the most

important part of the quote that supports your point.

Main Points• Must be distinctively different than other main points• Each should strongly prove your thesis

• Read through a main point aloud and ask yourself, “Does this really help prove the point I’m trying to make?”

• Focus on proving a point rather than an example from the text. Use examples to prove the point.• For instance, use the idea of physical abuse as a main point and

then use examples of how it shows up the story

Comma Usage• When using a conjunction, a comma needs to go

beforehand ONLY IF an independent clause follows:• Good Example: George kills Lennie, but he does it with good

intentions.• Bad Example: George kills Lennie, but with good intentions.

Subject-Verb Agreement• Your subject and verb should always match• Your subject should remain the same throughout the

sentence.• Bad example: How a person is raised affects their development.• Good example: How a person is raised affects his development.

• In this case, the author refers to “a person” meaning one. Therefore, the author cannot say “their” because it refers to more than one person.

Some MLA Tips• Titles:

• Do not bold or underline• Needs to be point 12 font

• Spacing:• Double spaced everywhere• Go to “line spacing options”

• Click on “Don’t add space between paragraphs of the same style”

In-Text Citations• Need to go at the very end of sentence even if they

quotation is used midway through• Period belongs after the parenthesis

• Example: “Quote” (Cisneros 9).

• If the author is used once, do not include in the in-text citation again unless you include another author

Concluding Sentences• Each body paragraph should end with a concluding

sentence. This will allow you to…• Wrap up the main idea of the paragraph• Transition to next paragraph• Eliminate choppiness of essay

Contractions• Do not use them in a formal paper!

Woman/Women• Woman- one person• Women- several people

Than/Then• To compare something, use than

• Example: Esperanza is more determined than the other girls to get an education.

• To refer to time (something following something else), use then• Example: The boy’s mother waves Esperanza off explaining there

is nothing she can do. Esperanza then turns away and heads home defeated.

Works Cited Page• A works cited page always needs to be included• Title it: Works Cited (each word capitalized and centered)• Needs to be double-spaced• No extra space needed between title and citations• First line of a citation needs to aligned all the way to the left of the page

• Any line that follows the same citation needs to be indented

• Title of the novel needs to be italicized• Example:

Works Cited

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein: A Norton Critical Edition. ed. J.

Paul Hunter. New York: W. W. Norton, 1996

Conclusion Paragraph• Needs to restate thesis statement (in different words)• Needs to summarize all the main points you mentioned in

your body paragraphs• Do NOT add in specific new information that was not

discussed in your body paragraphs.