Project: clichés and revision
objectives
identify and use precise language, avoiding clichés and casual language.
use a style manual to improve writing.
participate in a range of collaborative activities.
vocabulary
cliché a borrowed and overused phrase or sentence
context the meaning of a word or phrase within the text or writing in which it is used
vocab arcade
clichés – what are they?
clichés are expressions in speech that are overused. we hear them all the time: “avoid it like the plague! ”; “it rained buckets.”; “i ran like the wind.”; “busy as a bee”; “dead as a doornail.”
most clichés are trite and commonplace.
once you have identified what clichéd language looks like, it is easy to avoid.
just do your best to follow these three tips:
avoid stereotypes.
write slowly and take your time; make each of your descriptions as accurate and specific as possible.
do not be tempted to take the easy route.
using the mla documentation system
the mla handbook can save you a lot of editing time. the handbook offers advice on:
conventions for names, titles, quotations, numbers, dates and times, and abbreviations;
documenting your research; and
citing print and digital sources.
here is an example of a citation:
townsend, robert m. the medieval village economy. princeton up, 1993.
though the mla handbook is dedicated to explaining the mla system of documentation, the mla also publishes sample papers that show basic formatting for papers. they include a number of useful tips.
click here to view the mla style guide for documenting and citing your sources.
click here to view the rubric for this project.
peer exchange and self-edit
retrieve any essay that you've written in this unit. exchange essays with a peer, if you are able, and use the checklists to edit your peer’s essay. mark places where the writing could use improvement. then, exchange papers again. if you are unable to complete a peer review, you may ask a friend, teacher, or relative to review your essay. or, simply do a self-review.
read through the feedback you have received on your essay. then, revise your own paper, taking your peer’s comments into consideration as you work. resubmit your essay to your teacher, making sure that it still meets all of the requirements of the original assignment.