Essay

Directions:

--Read the essay “College Pressures" by William Zinsser

Directions:

--Click here Essay Prompts for “College Pressures" by William Zinsser

Choose one of the essay prompts to develop into an essay of at least 5 paragraphs. Be sure to have a clear thesis statement and provide reasons and examples to support your thesis claim.

ENGLISH 79

WRITING GUIDELINES

FORMATTING OF ESSAY

Many different possible formats are used for writing an academic paper. Please use the following to format your paper, but if you have any doubts or questions, ask the instructor!

Word-processing is not just a clever technological device to make your writing look good; use it to make the composing and editing processes easy and even fun.

• All essays must be typed.

• Double-space all typing in all documents.

• A serif typing font should be used. Use Times, Times Roman, or Times New Roman in a 12-point font size.

• Cursive scripts are forbidden.

• Never mix font styles.

• Do not use anything fancy and avoid the non-serif fonts (except for titles and subtitles, if you have any), as they can become difficult to read after a while.

• Use one-inch margins (or less), around the edge of your text. Do not use justified margins (even right margins), even though your word-processor makes that look "nifty." Justified margins tend to create some word-divisions and spacing that are not appropriate.

• Use plain, white, 20-lb., 8 1/2- by 11-inch paper. Do not use tractor-fed paper.

• Use plain black printing off a good laser or bubble-jet printer. Dot-matrix printing is acceptable if the copy is strong and dark; otherwise, take your floppy disc into a computer lab where you can print your paper using a better printer.

• Spacing: With modern word-processors, it is a good idea to get into the habit of using only one space after a period, question mark, semicolon, colon, etc. Word-processors will allow for the appropriate spacing. A double-space can actually do weird things, especially if your margin is justified (which is probably not a good idea). If you have any questions about this, ask your instructor.

• Spacing around quotation marks and parentheses can raise questions.

  The most important rule you must remember about quotation marks is that in the United States periods and commas go inside quotation marks regardless of logic.

  (Titles can be important. If you can't think of a good title, it might mean that your paper has no real focus. Capitalize the first, last, and important words of your title. A title can end in a question mark or exclamation mark, but it cannot end in a period. (This is different from usage in other languages.)

  You might use quotation marks in a title if they refer to someone else's title (of a poem, say), but do not put quotation marks around your own title (e.g., Robert Frost's "Design" could be your title, but not "Robert Frost's 'Design'.").

• A title page is unnecessary.
  Place your name, date, and course number at the top left side of the first page. Place your last name and page number in the upper right corner of every page beginning with page two. Never use the back of a sheet of paper; staple additional sheets at the upper left-hand corner.

• Please do not use plastic binders; they are cumbersome and a waste of money. I like a nice, flat stack of papers to cram into an attache case or backpack, and those plastic folders just get in the way when it is time to grade the papers.

• Evidence of careful re-reading and editing here and there (a last-minute correction done neatly with pen) is permissible; sloppiness is not. Last-minute corrections can be accomplished on a Word document, and your paper ought to be nearly perfect when you hand it in.