Basic Skills

 

13 Rules of Good Writing

Here is a list of 13 important rules. You may have already learned them, but don't discount their importance. 95% of the mistakes that I see every year are careless errors like the ones on the left-hand side of this page.

  1. Capitalize the first word of a sentence.
Mistake Correct

you'd be surprised at how many students make this mistake.

You'd be surprised at how many students make this mistake.

 

  1. Put a period at the end of a sentence. (You can also use a question mark or an exclamation point).
Mistake Correct

I went to the store

I went to the store.

 

  1. Capitalize proper nouns. (Proper nouns are the specific names of people, places, or things).
Mistake Correct

I went to france last year.

I went to France last year.

I go to presidio middle school.

I go to Presidio Middle School.

My best friend is brenda.

My best friend is Brenda.

 

  1. Use a capital "I" when referring to yourself.
Mistake Correct

Last week i felt sick.

Last week I felt sick.

 

  1. Spell out "you".
Mistake Correct

I love u.

I love you.

 

  1. Put a space after a period or comma (not before).
Mistake Correct

I like running .I like tennis .

I like running. I like tennis.

I like cake ,and I like pizza.

I like cake, and I like pizza.

 

  1. Spell out numbers that are less than 10.
Mistake Correct

I have 2 sisters.

I have two sisters.

My family has 3 dogs.

My family has three dogs.

 

  1. Don't forget the apostrophe when forming possessives. (Possessives are words which indicate ownership).
Mistake Correct

I went to my friends house.

I went to my friend's house.

I found Marys hat.

I found Mary's hat.

 

  1. Pay attention to contractions. (Contractions are when you smush two words together).
Mistake Correct

Ill do it tomorrow.

I'll do it tomorrow.

I cant do it.

I can't do it.

 

  1. Put a period between your sentences.
Mistake Correct

We went to Hawaii the hotel was nice.

We went to Hawaii. The hotel was nice.

 

  1. Break your writing up into paragraphs.
Mistake Correct

My dog's name is Snickers. He is four years old. He likes to chase tennis balls. My cat's name is Velvet. She is friendly. She likes to chase butterflies.

My dog's name is Snickers. He is four years old. He likes to chase tennis balls.

My cat's name is Velvet. She is friendly. She likes to chase butterflies.

 

  1. Always spellcheck your work.
Mistake Correct

Speling is importent.

Spelling is important.

 

  1. Format your titles properly.
Mistake Correct

back to school

Back to School

 

Instruction for the Quiz

For each sentence, fix the mistake.

Quiz