Lakeland College
P.O. Box 359
Sheboygan, WI 53082-0359

ELI Writing Tips

From Suzanne House
 

Rule Number One for writing papers: 

• Allow time.  Allow lots of time.  Allow at least twice as much time as you think you'll need to write your paper.

Rule Number Two for writing papers:

• Concentrate on ideas in your rough draft; don’t worry about grammar.  As you improve your ideas in each draft, you will change your words and have to change your grammar.  Why waste time correcting something you’ll change later?

Rule Number Three for writing papers:

• When you ask native English speakers to read your paper – and you should ask them – sit next to them while they read.  They should explain what needs to be fixed; they shouldn’t just write things on your paper.  Do not allow them to rewrite your paper.  It is yours!  Readers can offer suggestions, but if they rewrite it, they are changing your ideas and then the paper is not yours anymore.  Don’t let that happen!

Editing tips for ESL students:

Look at the big (global) parts first. 

1.  If you know sentence structure is a problem for you, identify the subject and verb in each clause to be sure none are missing or unnecessary.

2.   Check verb tense, subject/verb agreement, and modals.

3.  Look at the connecting words (conjunctions).  Are they used correctly?  Do they mean what you want to say?

Now look at the small (local) parts.

4.  Look at word forms – are your nouns really nouns, your verbs really verbs, your adjectives and adverbs correct?

5.  Check for article use.  Remember the best rule:  Singular countable nouns need articles!

6.  Ask a native speaker to read your paper.  They will find things you have missed and can help with articles and prepositions.