A FibOfAllFibs Guide to Spiffing Up Your Essay

AGuide
~to~
Turning a 3.0 Essay into a 4
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I've always hated that feeling, I know you probably have too, when you work SO hard on that essay and stay up SO late the night before it's due, only to, upon getting it back, see a grade below the one you think you deserve. This guide is to show you how to bump those annoying "B" or "C" essays, a grade higher!
Note: This guide is purely on mechanics, and how to make your essay a pleasure to read. In my experience (after years of getting A's in Honors/AP English), these are the things that teacher's look for in good essays. This guide does not cover content or "how to write a perfect essay."

Criteria
1. Proper Format (traditionally MLA)
One major thing that teachers look for is the proper MLA format. an easy way to knock off some points with a teacher is to have your essay set up in the wrong manner. Always make sure to...
A: Have a heading (not a header, this will be talked about next) at the top left corner of your page. The heading should look like the following...

Your Name (First Last)
Teacher's Name (Mr./Mrs./Ms. Lastname)
Class, Period# (Ex: English 12, Period 1)
Date (Day Month Year, Ex: 1 January 2011)

B: Have a header at the top right corner of your page. The header should look like the following...

Lastname Page# (Ex: Smith 1)

C: Indent your paragraphs, plain and simple. This consists of just pressing the "tab" button at the beginning of each paragraph.

2. Sentence Structure
I guarentee that the number one way that people have been docked mechanics points throughout my entire high school years has been for not using proper Sentence Structure. SS errors include run-on sentences, fragments, and others. The following is simply the basics of sentence structure, and the two main types of sentences. Here are some basic terms I will be using that you probably already know.
IC (Independent Clause): This is a phrase with a subject and a verb that can stand alone. E.G, if you said it to one of your friends they would understand what you are saying. Example: The dog fetched the bone.
DC (Dependent Clause): This is a phrase with a subject and a verb that starts with a DC word and cannot stand alone. Example: Because the dog fetched the stick. (Note, this is VERY important: DC's MUST have a subject and a verb otherwise it is not a complete phrase. I will talk more about this later.)

Compound
The first type of sentence is the compound sentence. The compound sentence consists of this format: IC + GLUE + IC. However, such a simple format comes with a catch: their are three forms of GLUE that can be used.
GLUE 1: ,FANBOYS FANBOYS are coordinating conjunctions, including: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so.
GLUE 2: ;
Glue 3: ;long conjunction, Long conjuctions include: also, consequently, currently, finally, hence, however, indeed, likewise, moreover, nevertheless, next overall, primarily, rather, similarly, then, therefore, thus.
:Examples:
Compound (IC + Glue 1 + IC):The dog fetched the stick, and it rolled over.
Compound (IC + Glue 2 + IC):The dog fetched the stick; it rolled over.
Compound (IC + Glue 3 + IC):The dog fetched the stick; also, it rolled over.

Complex
A complex sentence follows this formula: IC + DC or DC, IC. In a complex sentence, there is NO GLUE. Remember that a dependent clause is pretty much exactly the same as an independent clause, but with a "DC word" at the beginning. "DC Words" include: after, although, as, as if, because, before, even though, how, if, since, so that, than, though, unless, until, what, when, whenever, where, whereas, wherever, whether, while.

:Examples:
Complex (IC + DC): The dog fetched the stick because its master threw it.
Complex (DC, IC): Whenever its master throws the stick, the dog fetches it.

Phew, now the sentence structure section is over. I know it was tedious, but now on to simpler matters.

3. Vocabulary
Finally, my favorite part. This is the thing I always do in my final drafts to make sure I get a 4.0. I beef up my vocanulary. Teachers LOVE to see students use big words, and they give major points for it. Even Microsoft Word gives vocabulous sentences a higher grade level.
For example...
In Microsoft Word, I type the sentence "The dog fetched the stick," and Word gives it a 0.0 grade level (click here for how to find this grade level). However, if I type "The dog gallantly fetched the stick," the grade jumps a whole 2.4 grade levels. That's quite a lot just for one word. Now, in the same way, I write "The obedient, bland-colored dog gallantly obtained the knobby branch." Word gives me a 10.2 grade level. My point is, vocabulary is a huge factor.
Now, here's a handy tip how to add high level vocabulary to your sentences quick and easy. In microsoft word, right-click on a word in your paper and a drop menu will open up. Click on the option "synonyms" and a menu will appear with some words that are similar in meaning, and often more high level.


4. Passive Voice
This is the last section of my guide, but I feel that it is one of the most important. In my experience, teachers are impressed with students who avoid using passive voice because it is a very high level technique that makes reading your essays more enjoyable. Eliminating passive voice is rather tricky to do, but it comes down to a couple basic steps.
1. Being: Absolutely never EVER use this word as a verb. Being can only ever be used in your essays as a noun, such as "human being." I don't want to talk very much on this topic, but just see for yourself. Compare the sentences "He is not being very funny" and "He is not very funny." Which one sounds better?

2. Passive Verbs: My teachers always tell me to try to avoid linking verbs such as "is" and "was." This is vor the purpose of making your sentence sound more active. For example, the sentence "He is running fast" is less active than the sentence "He runs fast." Honestly, I really don't know why this it, it is just better and more professional to use active verbs instead of linking verbs.

Thanks for reading my guide! I hope you liked it, and now have some more insight as to how to improve the little details of your essays. Remember, I'm at the top of my class, so you're learning from an informed source. Here's a picture of my report card.

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Alright, so if you guys have any suggestions as for things to add, things I could do to improve my guide, or any comments and opinions, feel free to post! Thanks!

 

Very good! I already use some of this, can you go into depth on how one finds the grade levels from word?

 

Sure, if I can find a place to put it. Where would you suggest?
EDIT: I ended up creating a whole knew guide for it, I could find anywhere to conveniently place it. If you have a suggestion, I will move it here instead. http://sythe.org/showthread.php?p=8348342#post8348342