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COURSE OUTLINE
Instructor: Jeannine Stanko

Semester/Session: Spring 2016

Course Number: ENG101

Course Title: English Composition 1
Course Credits: 3
Lecture hours: 3

Lab hours:

Other hours:

Pre-requisite(s): English Placement Test or ENG100 and Reading Placement Test

or successful completion of DVS101 or DVS103

Co-requisite(s): NONE
Course Description:
This is a course that introduces or continues to familiarize students with critical thinking, the principles of academic
writing, and rudimentary research skills. Through the writing process, students refine topics; develop and support
ideas; investigate, evaluate and integrate appropriate sources; edit for effective style and usage; and determine
appropriate approaches for a variety of contexts, audiences, and purposes.
Students must earn a C grade or better to register for the next course in this discipline or to use this course as a
prerequisite for a course in another discipline.

Learning Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of the course, the student will:
Write academic essays that
o Develop a thesis
o Create an organizing structure appropriate to purpose, audience and context
o Make valid inferences
o Support ideas with relevant explanation and substantial evidence details
o Integrate and cite information from relevant print and/or electronic sources
o Provide a coherent introduction and conclusion
Revise drafts to develop or support ideas more clearly, address potential objections, ensure effective transitions
between paragraphs, and correct errors in logic
Edit and proofread, using standards for formal written English

LISTED TOPICS
Review as Needed:
1. Using standard written English
2. Writing process from prewriting to rewriting
3. Developing ideas and supporting them with details
4. Creating introductions and conclusions
5. Using primary and secondary sources
6. Quoting, summarizing, paraphrasing sources
Further Develop:
1. Evaluating basic library and Internet sources
2. Using examples to clarify ideas vs. proving an idea
3. Avoiding 'cut and paste,' plagiarism and fabrication
4. Revising to accommodate differences in audience, tone, persona
5. Comparing and contrasting

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Introduce:
1. Distinguishing observations, inferences & value judgments
2. Summarizing or reporting a position vs. arguing for or against a position
3. Problem-solving techniques
4. Critiquing the informational or argumentative weaknesses of a document
The student will produce five to seven reading based multi-paragraphed expository and argumentative essays of
increasing difficulty, totaling 15-20 pages for the semester.

REFERENCES, RESOURCES OR LEARNING MATERIALS:

(May be unique to each class)
Current recognized texts, handouts, videos, study sheets, Internet resources and multi-media

Class Section(s) Time & Location:

Instructor:
Telephone:
E-Mail Address:

Jeannine Stanko
724-396-4158
jstanko@ccac.edu

Section
BC08

Dates
1/19-5/9

Days
T/TH

Office Hours:
Office Location:

Time
9:30-10:45AM

Room
N307

T/TH: By Appointment
Writing Lab

Materials and Resources:

Required Text(s):
Reinking, James and Robert Von Der Osten, Strategies for Successful Writing:
A Rhetoric, Research Guide, Reader, and Handbook.10th ed., Boston: Pearson,
2014.
Required Materials:
internet access
Recommended Material: flash drive
Open Lab, Tutoring, etc.
The Learning Assistance Center and the Learning Commons provide free
tutoring to registered CCAC students. Online services are available through
smartthinking.com
Teaching Methods:
The course will include direct instruction in the form of lectures; guided practice to include whole, small, and
flexible group discussions, in-class writing, in-class grammar activities; and independent practice through
homework assignments, essays, quizzes, and examinations.
In order to be successful in this course, each student should plan to spend 1.5 to 2 hours on classroom
preparation for each hour of class. If the student is in class 3 hours a week, the student should plan to
spend approximately 4.5 to 6 hours per week preparing for class.
Communication:
A website is used to communicate with students outside of class. All materials presented in class by the
instructor will be made available on the website. The URL is www.ConsolEnergyCenter.weebly.com
Evaluation Plan:
Your final grade will be determined by dividing the points you have earned by the total points possible to
earn. Rubrics will be given with each assignment to provide a clear understanding of how writing will be
evaluated. Every essay will be thoroughly marked to give as much feedback as possible. Essays earning
below a C may be revised and resubmitted. Please remember that students must earn a C grade or
better in this course in order for it to count as a prerequisite for another course.
The grading scale is as follows:
100-90% - A;
89-80% - B;

79-70% - C;

69-60% - D;

59-0% - F

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Assignment values are as follows:

Tests, Quizzes & Attendance
33% of final grade
Reading quizzes 50 points
Final Exam 80 points
Final essay 100 points

Newsletters
30% of final grade

Essays
45% of final grade

1st submission (2/24) 100 points

2nd submission (3/17) 100 points

Narration 100 points

Comparison 100 points
Causal 100 points
Argument 100 points
Literature 50 points

Total 200 points

Total 450 points

Attendance minimum 120 points

Total 330 points

Grades will be updated periodically on BlackBoard.

Other Policies and Procedures:
Attendance:
Students are expected to attend every class. Each class is worth a portion of your final grade. Rough
drafts, in-class work, and quizzes cannot be made up. Any homework assignments due the day of
absence will not be accepted. If absent for a quiz, the mulligan is forfeited. If an essay is submitted
after its due date, the mulligan is forfeited. If you choose to come to class unprepared, you will be
marked absent. For example, in order to participate in the peer review process, you must have a
completed rough draft. In order to earn credit for a rough draft, you must participate in the peer
review process during your class time. You will be considered absent if you are not in class. You will be
considered late if you arrive after I have taken roll. Lateness or early departure of 20 or more minutes
counts as a complete absence. After three late entries or early departure, coming in late or leaving early will
count as an absence. After 3 classes, the final grade will drop 1 letter grade for each subsequent
absence. One class constitutes one hour of instruction.
In accordance with Title IX of the Educations Amendments of 1972, absences due to pregnancy or related
conditions, including recovery from childbirth, shall be excused for as long as the absences are determined
to be medically necessary. Students will be provided with the opportunity to make up any work missed as a
result of such absences, if possible. The College may also offer the student alternatives to making up
missed work, such as but not limited to, retaking a semester, taking part in online instruction, or allowing the
student additional time in a program to continue at the same pace and finish at a later date. For more
information or requests for accommodations, students should information their instructor(s) and/or contact
Sumana Misra-Zets, Title IX and ADA/504Coordinator, at 412-237-4535 or smisra@ccac.edu.
Homework:
Homework will be assigned periodically, as needed. Late homework will not be accepted.
Newsletters:
After receiving a series of grammar instruction, the newsletters will be submitted with corrections completed
to the covered topics. This process will be completed 2 times throughout the semester. Newsletters must
follow MLA formatting guidelines. Newsletters are cumulative. Newsletters are to be downloaded from
BlackBoard.
Essays:
Essays:
Essays must follow MLA formatting. Any essay submitted without a rubric forfeits its mulligan. Rubrics are
distributed in class and are available on the class website. Essays must be submitted at the beginning of
the class period to be on time. Due dates for all work are listed on the course plan. No late papers will be
accepted for full credit except in the case of an emergency. Problems with a computer are not an
emergency situation; CCAC has computers for student use.

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If you miss class the day a paper is due, email your essay to me as an attachment and copy/paste it into the
body of the email for full credit. The email must be sent prior to the beginning of your class time. I will
not accept essays for full credit when you return to class. When I receive your essay, I will respond to let
you know that it was received. If you do not receive acknowledgement from me, you know that I did not
receive the essay! It is your responsibility to ensure that I receive your essay. Do not wait until the next class
period to resolve this because I will not accept the essay.
Quizzes & Exams:
If absent on the day of a quiz, the mulligan for that quiz is forfeited. Exams may not be made up. If an
emergency arises, it is your responsibility to contact me within 24 hours to make arrangements.
Mulligans:
For each essay and newsletter, one mulligan or do-over will be offered. Any assignment submitted without a
rubric forfeits its mulligan. All mulligans are due before the next assignment in the course outline sequence.
Any essay submitted after the mulligan due date will not be accepted. The mulligan is forfeited if absent on
the day of the original assignments due date as listed in the course outline.
When submitting an essay mulligan, the essay showing corrections, the original essay, and its
rubric must be submitted. When submitting a newsletter mulligan, the corrected version, the
original version, and its rubric must be submitted.
Plagiarism:
A plagiarized essay will result in an automatic failure for the assignment. Plagiarism is representing
someone elses research, writing, or ideas as your own. Depending on the severity of the offense, a
plagiarized essay or assignment may result in course failure and/or academic dismissal from the college.
Miscellaneous:
All electronics (cell phones, iPods, etc.) must be turned off and put away during class. Texting or engaging
in any electronic social networking will result in a class absence. If class is held in a computer lab, students
who choose to engage in internet or computer activities without instructor consent will receive an absence
for that class period.
Students should not be receiving personal calls nor taking restroom breaks during class time. If there is an
emergency or medical problem, please let me know ahead. Otherwise, plan to stay in the room for the
entire time.
Please be aware that it is very disruptive when students talk in class while the instructor is teaching or other
students are asking questions. Every student should have a copy of the Student Handbook which outlines
acceptable and unacceptable behavior. Any student who demonstrates an inability to conform to acceptable
social conduct will be subject to the disciplinary policies and procedures of the college.
Please remember that it is school policy that children are not permitted in classes.
Drop/ Add/ Withdrawal
Notifying the instructor of your intention to drop or withdraw does NOT count as an official withdrawal from
a course. Procedures for drop/add/withdrawal can be found at www.ccac.edu/registration-services/.
Students receiving financial assistance through grants, loans, and veterans benefits should consult with
the Financial Aid or Military and Veterans Service Center before dropping, adding, or withdrawing from
class. Students aid may be impacted by a change to the total number of credits in which the student is
enrolled, or by receiving a W grade in one or more classes.
Consult the Academic Calendar on MyCCAC portal for these important deadline dates. Note that courses
that do not meet within the standard 16- and 14-week terms have unique drop/withdrawal deadlines.

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Failure to process these forms with the Registration office by the published deadline may result in F
grades and have financial consequences.
Students with Disabilities
The Community College of Allegheny County makes every effort to provide reasonable accommodations
for students with disabilities. Questions about services and procedures for students with disabilities
should be directed to the Office of Supportive Services at your campus.
Title IX Notification
Know your rights as a student. Title IX, the Clery Act and the SaVE Act prohibits sexual harassment,
sexual misconduct and acts of sexual violence, including sexual assault, domestic violence, dating
violence, and stalking. See the complete policy and how to report at
https://www.ccac.edu/nondiscrimination/.
MyCCAC Portal and Academic Email
The MyCCAC portal provides access to all course, grade and administrative information at
https://my.ccac.edu. All email correspondence regarding your academic work is to be conducted to and
from your CCAC academic email account.

Access your course information, email, Student Handbook, incident

reporting and college services at:

https://my.ccac.edu
Course Outline Corrections:
During the semester/session, reasonable changes to the course outline may be academically appropriate.
Students will be notified of these adjustments by the instructor in a timely manner.

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The following is the tentative class schedule for the Spring 2016 semester. In the event of cancelled or
shortened days due to severe weather or emergencies, the schedule may be modified.

Course Plan:
Class
Week/Date
Week 1
January
19, 21

Week 2
January
26, 28

Week 3
February
2, 4
Week 4
February
9, 11

Week 5
February
16, 18

Week 6
February
23, 25

Week 7
March
1, 3
Week 8
March
8, 10

Lesson or Topic
Syllabus review,
grammar diagnostic

Learning
Activities
introductions

Writing: A First Look,

Planning and
Drafting Your Paper:
Exploration,
Revising and Editing
Your Paper:
Courageous
Transformations,
Paragraphs, MLA
MLA, shifts, Writing
About Literature,
Poetry discussion

Lecture, group
work, in-class
writing

Writers
conferences,
scholarly article
discussion, writers
workshop
Active verbs,
prepositions,
Narration: Relating
Events, pronoun and
antecedent
agreement
Reading discussion,
run-ons, fragments,
writers conferences

Peer review, group

discussion

Writers workshop,
sentence variety,
Comparison:
Showing
Relationships
Reading discussion,
capitalization,
writers conferences

Peer review,
lecture, discussion

Assignments

Evaluation

Thoroughly read syllabus

Grammar
diagnostic

Read chapter 1 (pgs. 218), chapter 3 (pgs 3556), chapter 4 (pgs. 5781), chapter 5 (pgs. 82103)

Due Diagnostic
Essay

Read chapter 21 (pgs.

395-421)
Lecture,
discussion, jigsaw
discussion

Read chapter 21 (pgs.

395-421), chapter 6
(pgs104-116), handbook
(pgs. 607-719), chapter
19 (pgs. 318-346)
Read ancillary materials

MLA assignments

Due Lit paragraph

rough draft

Lecture, discussion

Read chapter 6 (pgs104Due Lit paragraphs

116), handbook (pgs. 607719), chapter 8 (pgs. 141157)
pronouns

Group work,
lecture, discussion

Read Dan Greenburgs

Sound and Fury, Maya
Angelous Mommas
Encounter, and Marta
Salinas The Scholarship
Jacket (pgs. 464-474),
chapter 6 (pgs104-116),
handbook (pgs. 607-719)
Read chapter 13 (pgs.
219-231), chapter 6
(pgs104-116), handbook
(pgs. 607-719)

Due Essay #1
rough draft

Read Chris Lees

Invasion of the Body
Builders, Richard
Rodriquezs Private
Language, Public
Language,

Due Essay #2
rough draft

Group work,
lecture, discussion

Due Narrative
analysis rough
draft, Essay #1 final
copy

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Class
Week/Date

Week 9
March
15, 17
March
22, 24

Lesson or Topic

Learning
Activities

Week 14
April
26, 28

or Henry Jenkinss Art

for the Digital Age (pgs.
527-537), chapter 6
(pgs104-116), handbook
(pgs. 607-719)
Read chapter 14 (pgs.
232-246), chapter 6
(pgs104-116), handbook
(pgs. 607-719)

Due Newsletter
Revisions #1
Due Essay #2 final
copy

Peer review,
lecture, discussion

NO CLASS

SPRING BREAK

NO CLASS

Reading discussion,
commas, writers
conferences

Group work,
lecture, discussion

Due Essay #3
rough draft

Writers workshop,
semicolons, colons,
Argument:
Convincing Others

Peer review,
lecture, discussion

Read Caroline Knapps

Why We Keep Stuff,
Chris Mooneys The
Science of Why We Dont
Believe Science, or
Luscombe & Stinchfields
Why We Flirt (pgs. 543557), chapter 6 (pgs104116), handbook (pgs. 607719)
Read Chapter 16 (pgs.
263-301), chapter 6
(pgs104-116), handbook
(pgs. 607-719)

Reading discussion,
other punctuation,
writers conferences

Group work,
lecture, discussion

Due Essay #4
rough draft

Writers workshop,
parallelism,
misplaced and
dangling modifiers,
numbers
Homophones,
commonly confused
words, appropriate
language, exact

Peer review,
lecture, discussion

Read Marissa Browns

Teacher Natalie Munroe
Has a Right to Call Kids
Lazy and Rude,
Jonathan Zimmermans
When Teachers Talk out
of School, Byron Yorks
A Carefully Crafted
Immigration Law in
Arizona, or Conor
Friedersdorfs
Immigration Policy Gone
Loco (pgs. 579-588),
chapter 6 (pgs104-116),
handbook (pgs. 607-719)
Read chapter 6 (pgs104116), handbook (pgs. 607719)

Week 12
April
12, 14

Week 13
April
19, 21

Evaluation

Writers workshop,
who/whom,
apostrophes, Cause
and Effect:
Explaining Why,
quotation
punctuation
SPRING BREAK

Week 10
March
29, 31

Week 11
April
5, 7

Assignments

Lecture, group
discussion

Due Essay #3 final

copy

Due Essay #4 final

copy

Read chapter 6 (pgs104Due Newsletter

116), handbook (pgs. 607- Revisions #2
719)

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Class
Week/Date

Week 15
May
3, 5

Lesson or Topic
words, streamlining,
visual analysis
Cumulative grammar
review, grammar
assessment

Learning
Activities
Review activities

Assignments

Review games,
assessment

Evaluation

Grammar
assessment

Final Exam

wjp10/24/06
Approved by Academic Deans 10/24/2006

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Newsletter Corrections #1
Directions: Following in-class direct instruction and practice, proofread the newsletters. The
newsletters can be downloaded from Blackboard in Word format. The purpose of this assignment is to
practice proofreading skills by systematically applying grammar rules to correct and refine the
newsletters. This assignment should also show students the importance of following grammar rules in
every major.
A 10 pts.
B 8 pts.
All
1
MLA format characteristics characteristic
apparent
is weak or
missing
All
1
Active verbs
characteristics characteristic
apparent
is weak or
missing
All
1
ending
characteristics characteristic
prepositions
apparent
is weak or
missing
All
1
shifts
characteristics characteristic
apparent
is weak or
missing
Pronoun &
All
1
Antecedent
characteristics characteristic
Agreement
apparent
is weak or
missing
All
1
Fragments
characteristics characteristic
apparent
is weak or
missing
All
1
Run-ons
characteristics characteristic
apparent
is weak or
missing
All
1
Sentence
characteristics characteristic
Variety
apparent
is weak or
missing
All
1
Capitalization characteristics characteristic
apparent
is weak or
missing
EARNED:

C 7 pts.
2
characteristics
are weak or
missing
2
characteristics
are weak or
missing
2
characteristics
are weak or
missing
2
characteristics
are weak or
missing
2
characteristics
are weak or
missing
2
characteristics
are weak or
missing
2
characteristics
are weak or
missing
2
characteristics
are weak or
missing
2
characteristics
are weak or
missing

D 6 pts.
3
characteristics
are weak or
missing
3
characteristics
are weak or
missing
3
characteristics
are weak or
missing
3
characteristics
are weak or
missing
3
characteristics
are weak or
missing
3
characteristics
are weak or
missing
3
characteristics
are weak or
missing
3
characteristics
are weak or
missing
3
characteristics
are weak or
missing
90 Points Total

F 5 pts.
4 or more
characteristics
are weak or
missing
4 or more
characteristics
are weak or
missing
4 or more
characteristics
are weak or
missing
4 or more
errors in
grammar and
mechanics
4 or more
characteristics
are weak or
missing
4 or more
characteristics
are weak or
missing
4 or more
characteristics
are weak or
missing
4 or more
characteristics
are weak or
missing
4 or more
characteristics
are weak or
missing

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THINK PINK. THINK AGAIN!

You wake up and on your morning commute the city skyline is illuminated in pink. You walk
into the office and your coworkers are sporting hot pink shirts and buttons. At lunch you see
those same coworkers munching way on KFC from a pink bucket and washing it down with
pink bottles of Pepsi. After lunch your boss calls a team meeting because Katherine was just
diagnosed with breast cancer, the third coworker this year, so he rallies the troops to support
her by baking a dozen for the cure and wearing even morepink tomorrow. you come home
exhausted from the day and put on Monday night football to sell all of your favorite athletes,
wearing what other than pink. You say to yourself If I didnt know better I think I have been
pink washed.
The Pink Campaign is in the Epicenter of a Bad Health Paradigm
When you believe that the human body was created with flaws, that we are destined for
suffering and cancer, then your approach to health comes from the defensive and not the
offensive. If you believe that more pink is the solution to our countries cancer epidemic you
are participating in this flawed thinking. Here is the problem with pink it represents all that is
wrong with allopathic western medicine and the theory that you will get cancer, there is
nothing you can do so find it early keep your fingers crossed and hope for the best. The
majority of money outside of marketing and huge salaries for their top personnel (I bet their
checks are even pink) goes to early detection of cancer with mammograms and treatment
with drugs and surgery. One of those drugs, Tamoxifen, created by AstraZeneca (whom the
pink campaign owns stock in) has a black label listing because it is a known to cause uterine
cancer. http://ww5.komen.org/BreastCancer/Tamoxifen.html Studies have shown that women
whom receive the most mammograms have he highest incidence of breast cancer because of
the high amount of concentrated radiation directly into breast tissue. Susan G. Komen also has
a very close financial tie to EG and lists them as million dollar contributer on their website
http://ww5.komen.org/MeetPartners.aspx GE just so happens to make mammography
machines. http://pubs.rsna.org/doi/full/10.1148/radiol.10100570 The money to fund such a
campaign comes from corporations whom pink up their products like a bucket of fried chicken
from KFC and beauty products with known carcinogens on the ingredient list. Fighting cancer
with known carcinogens-insane however justified by believing in a flawed health paradigm
that the body was created unintelligantly with flaws and we are destined for suffering disease
and cancer.
Maximized Living The Health Paradigm That is Sweeping the Nation
Now to the other end of the health paradigm that is centered around the belief that the human
body is a self regulating self healing mechanism and needs no help to survive and thrive just
no interference with its ability to do so. What causes the interference in the bodys ability to
heal? Subluxation in the spine choking off the brain from the body, a poor diet, lack of oxygen
to the cells from a sedentary life style, a toxic overload of our cells and organs from living in
such a toxic world, and the belief in the wrong health paradigm sound familiar? When we
participate in the correct paradigm of health we no longer need to be afraid. We understand
that cancer is not caused by a lack of mammograms, chemo and radiation cancer is caused
by a body that is unable to heal itself. We no longer need to surround ourselves in pink to feel
safe from cancer; because we innately understand that we are destined for health not disease.
Our model of health is your gateway to a long and fruitful life far from the oncology ward.
Lets put an end to this pink washing madness and create a community of Cancer Killers.
Someone once said that a small group of determined individuals can change the world.

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A Guide to be Healthy for Holidays!

And so it begins November has arrived and we are officially in the Holidays, that exciting
time of the year when we get to spend time with family, friends and loved ones but lets be
honest, that time is usually spent overindulging in food, drink, and spending. Add the stress of
picking the perfect gift with little or no time to do so and we have created the perfect storm
for a health disaster! We tend to celebrate the holidays from October 31 st until the first week
of January for simplicity sake lets consider that a total of 60 days celebrating. Add another 30
days throughout the year celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, national holidays, national
doughnut day etc. and you have spent a total of 90 days an entire 25% out of your calendar
year neglecting your health! If you add all those Holidays up an entire 10 years of your first
40 on earth are spent overindulging during the holiday season no wonder we suffer from the
most heart disease, cancer and diabetes than any other people on the face of the planet!
Research shows that the average American will gain between 1-5lbs over the Holidays that
they will never loose. Add up a decade of this behavior and you have watched your weight
increase 10, 20, 30, 40, 50lbs in a decades time! Much of your middle aged weight gain can
be a direct result of what you have done during a lifetime of celebrating the Holiday season.
The Holidays are a designated time out of our year to celebrate and appreciate Gods
blessings upon us. Today the holidays have resulted in a time dedicated to decreasing your life
expectancy as well as your God given potential. Clearly a misrepresentation of what the
Holidays are all about.
Of the thousands of people I have consulted with about their health not one of them had said,
I wish I would have spent less time focusing on my health. In fact when I sit down and get
eye to eye and heart to heart with someone in the middle of a health crisis they undoubtedly
make the realization that they had spent too much time focusing on the things that didnt
matter getting a cookie recipe just right, serving the right bottle of wine at a party, finding
the perfect gift, and having the tree look better than last year. Not that there is inherently
anything wrong with the above list but when that gets the attention and your health gets put
on the back burner people get hurt. Ask any child what they would rather have, mom and dad,
grandma and grandpa wound for an extra ten Christmass, or the perfect ham, cookie, outfit or
toy and I believe you will have your answer to what is important this holiday season.
Here is the secret to a happy holiday season enjoy it! Spend 6-12 days celebrating and
overindulging (I will) not the 60 days the rest of America will be celebrating. After your
overindulgent days make sure to exercise, follow the advanced plan for a week by cutting all
sugars and refined carbohydrates while focusing on increasing high quality saturated fats, get
plenty of rest simply scheduling a 20 minute power nap can drastically improve your health
and cognitive function, take extra supplements, vitamin D3 at 10,000 IUs will keep your
immune system strong and curcumin and Indian gooseberry will aid in decreasing
inflammation caused by holiday foods both curcumin and Indian Gooseberry can be found in
our Daily Defense formulation. Most importantly schedule extra adjustments (I will). Like I said,
I never hear, I wish I would have spent less time focusing on my health. I almost always
hear, I wish I would have met you years ago. The perfect gift is the gift that keeps on giving
a true health care system that empowers an individual to extend their years and live out their
God given potential. Give that gift to someone you care about this holiday season.

Page 12 of 12

Proofreading Guide
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Circle all be verbs.

Circle the prepositions that end sentences.
Check the verb tenses to ensure that none of the verbs shift.
Ensure that there arent any shifts from a statement to a question or vice versa.
Underline all pronouns. Check the pronouns antecedent to ensure that it exists. Ensure that the
pronoun and antecedent align in singularity and plurality.
6. Double check that there arent any fragments or run-ons. Ensure the existence of sentence variety.
7. Check the application of capitalization rules.
8. Test the homophones their/there/theyre, youre/your, two/to/too
9. Cross out any inflated phrases, meaningless phrases (ie. due to the fact that), and clichs. Check for
offensive and sexist language.
10. Ensure that all apostrophes are used correctly. Remember apostrophes show only possession or
omission.
11. Look for dependent and transitional words (ie. When, therefore, secondly). Ensure that commas are
used after the dependent phrase or word. Do the inversion test.
12. Look for multiple adjectives describing a noun. Use the And Test to determine whether or not
commas are needed between the adjectives.
13. Look for extra information not needed for understanding the sentence. Use commas, dashes, or
parenthesis to offset this extra information.
14. Highlight all of the FANBOYS. If the FANBOY is between two complete sentences, make sure that a
comma is before the FANBOY. If the FANBOY is not between two complete sentences, ensure that a
comma is not used before the FANBOY.
15. Look for colons. Make sure that a complete sentence is before the colon. After the colon should be
either another complete sentence or a list.
16. Look for semicolons. Make sure that the semicolon is between two complete sentences or is used to
separate items in a list already containing commas.
17. Check hyphen usage. Hyphens are used when two or more words are used together as an adjective
before a noun; between fractions and numbers; prefixes all-, ex-, self-; the suffix elect; and between
double or triple letters.
18. Are all quotation marks used in pairs? Make sure that any shorter works like short stories, poems, and
songs are surrounded by quotation marks. Make sure that all direct quotations are placed inside
quotation marks as well.
19. Check for parallelism in all items in a series, in items with conjunctions, in items with correlative
conjunctions. Make sure that all function words (by, to, that, because) are repeated to clarify parallels.
20. Look for limiting modifiers (only, even, almost, just, nearly) and place in front of the verb only if its
the word being modified. Make sure that modifying words and phrases are placed adjacent to the
words being further described. Check for split infinitives, dangling modifiers, and squinting
modifiers.
21. MLA