Writing Checklist
Kevin Crittenden Version
03Dec12
Check for correct punctuation
Comma usage
Quotation marks – Capitalize the first word of each sentence
in a quotation.
Titles of books, movies, magazines, stories
Ensure every sentence has a subject and a predicate
Subject – Names the person, place, or thing the sentence is
about
Predicate – tells what the subject is or does.
Check capitalization
Remember to capitalize proper nouns.
A common noun names any person, place, thing, or idea
A proper noun names a specific person, place, thing, or idea.
Check for correct spelling of plural nouns, especially irregular plural nouns.
Box -> boxes
Head -> heads
Child -> children
Mouse -> mice
Check for Subject-Verb Agreement
Incorrect: The
monkey were swinging by its tail.
Correct: The
monkey was swinging by its tail.
Check for correct tense usage
Incorrect: Four
years ago, I opens my own business.
Correct: Four
years ago, I opened my own business.
Check for correct pronoun usage
Incorrect: After
Karen finished she book, her went outside.
Correct: After
Karen finished her book, she went outside.
Check for apostrophe usage
Possessive nouns need an apostrophe –> the cat’s food dish
Possessive pronouns do not need an apostrophe -> our
lunches
Use adjectives to describe what is happening
Original: I
got a bicycle for my birthday.
Better: I
got a shiny, red bicycle for my tenth birthday!
Use adverbs to tell how, when, where, and to what extent
Original: The
baby cried.
Better: The
baby cried loudly.
Original: He
wants his bottle.
Better: He
really wants his bottle.
Use vivid verbs
Original: I
walked out the door and went to the store.
Better: I burst
out the door and raced to the store.
Check for correct use of prepositions
A preposition is used to show the relationship of a noun or
pronoun to another word in the sentence.
Example: He found
the puppy under the porch.
Check for double negatives
Incorrect: I
don’t have no homework.
Correct: I
don’t have any homework OR I have
no homework
Check for correct usage of I, me, they, and them.
Use I and they in the subject
I
like to play baseball
They
have just arrived
Use me and them in the predicate or after a preposition
Jack
wants me to help him.
One
of them is laughing.
Name yourself last.
Kavitha
and I are studying for the exam.
David
gave the books to June and me.
Ensure you have articles (a, an, the) where required.
Incorrect: I
went to store.
Correct: I
went to the store.
No comments:
Post a Comment