Writing Basics
This is the main idea or argument of your essay.
What is a thesis statement?
This part of an essay grabs the reader's attention and introduces the topic.
A: What is the introduction?
Using different types of sentences in your writing helps improve this.
A: What is sentence variety?
A: What is sentence variety?
This punctuation mark is used to separate items in a list.
A: What is a comma?
These are used to support your main ideas with information from the text.
A: What are examples or evidence?
This type of sentence introduces the main topic of a paragraph.
A: What is a topic sentence?
These words help connect ideas and create a smooth flow in your writing.
A: What are transition words?
This refers to the writer's unique way of expressing ideas.
A: What is voice?
This term refers to the agreement between a subject and its verb in a sentence.
A: What is subject-verb agreement?
This punctuation is used to indicate a direct quote from the text.
A: What are quotation marks?
This is the recommended time to spend planning your essay before writing.
A: What is 5-7 minutes?
This final part of an essay restates the main idea and summarizes key points.
A: What is the conclusion?
These words are more specific and vivid than general terms.
A: What are precise words?
This type of sentence error occurs when two complete sentences are joined without proper punctuation.
A: What is a run-on sentence?
This phrase is used to introduce a quote or piece of evidence in your writing.
A: What is "According to the text" or similar phrases?
This technique involves reading your essay out loud to check for errors and clarity.
A: What is self-editing or proofreading?
This organizational tool helps you plan your essay before writing.
A: What is an outline?
This literary device compares two unlike things without using "like" or "as".
A: What is a metaphor?
This punctuation mark is used to introduce a list or explanation.
A: What is a colon?
This technique involves explaining how your evidence supports your argument.
A: What is analysis or interpretation?
These four areas are the main focus of the Georgia Milestones Writing Rubric.
A: What are Ideas, Organization, Language Use, and Conventions?
This term refers to the logical order and flow of ideas in an essay.
A: What is organization?
This term refers to the overall attitude or feeling conveyed in a piece of writing.
A: What is tone?
This grammatical error occurs when a pronoun doesn't clearly refer to a specific noun.
A: What is a vague pronoun reference?
This citation style is commonly used in literature essays to reference page numbers.
A: What is MLA (Modern Language Association) format?