Writing Help

Help available at the U of Saskatchewan

Make sure you visit the University Learning Centre, where you can drop in and get some help from a tutor. Check out the Centre's workshops and video series, too.

What marks mean

What does it mean to get an A in English? What Marks Mean (pdf) explains some of the criteria used to mark your papers.

Here's some basic information if you're just starting out:

• What is a literary analysis?
• What is a thesis statement?
• Help with writing paragraphs:
  • a guide to writing good paragraphs
  • a checklist for writing paragraphs
  • a list of transitional words and phrases
• How do I use formal diction (formal language, formal tone) in my essay?
• How do I incorporate quotations from fiction or poetry into my essay?
• "How to avoid weasel words" (Wikipedia)

 

Help with the basics (grammar & punctuation)

• OWL (Purdue University website)
  Purdue University's On-line Writing Lab (OWL) provides good explanations and definitions of basic problems with grammar and sentence structure (comma splices and run-on (fused) sentences, sentence fragments, pronoun agreement, subject-verb agreement, dangling modifiers, or clarity).
  
  See also OWL's exercises section. You can print these exercises, work through them and then check the answers, which are provided on the site.
  
  
• Checkmate companion website (Nelson)
  A number of online quizzes and tests are also available on websites that are companions for printed composition manuals. Nelson has an excellent resource that allows you test yourself on thesis statements, grammar, sentence structure, and spelling and mechanics.
  
  
• William Strunk's The Elements of Style (1918) is a classic reference book on rules of usage and composition. It remains an excellent resource for basic writing skills.
  

 

Help with general writing concerns

• OWL has some helpful commentary on academic writing such as establishing arguments (thesis statements, research and evidence, organizing your argument, and rhetorical strategies for persuasion), conciseness, paragraphs, using appropriate language, active versus passive voice, sentence variety, and more

Help with citations and references

• Department of English Requirements for Essays

Help with writing a literary analysis

• the Gale Glossary of Literary Terms, some of the basic terminology for literary analysis
• Gale's How to Write a Term Paper
• Jack Lynch's Guide to Grammar and Style has commentary on specific mechanics such as grammar and citation, but also general information such as Getting an A on an English Paper

 

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