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AP Lit. Writing Guidelines for College-Level Papers. When Writing at the College Level…. Things to do. 1. You must address each element of the prompt. 2. Write in present tense . 3. Use Active Voice .
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AP Lit Writing Guidelines for College-Level Papers
When Writing at the College Level…
Things to do... 1. You must address each element of the prompt. 2. Write in present tense. 3. Use Active Voice. 4. Back up every opinion or general statement with an example or quote from the text. 5. Simple and direct is best.
Things to do... 6. Who vs. that 7. Correct usage of could vs. can, would vs. will. 8. Titles 9. Numbers 10. Omit needless words. 11. Make sure the antecedent and pronoun agree.
Things to avoid... 12. Avoid summary. 13. Avoid mentioning yourself. 14. Avoid directly addressing the reader as “you”. 15. Avoid contractions. 16. Avoid “is” as a helping verb. 17. Avoid absolutes.
Things to avoid... 18. Avoid Redundancy 19. Avoid the What If? problem. 20. Avoid ending a sentence with a preposition.
And finally… 21. Writing is Rewriting
1. Address the prompt You must must must Pay attention to what the prompt is asking!
For Example… The prompt may ask you to talk about specific elements in the work like… imagery, form, diction, and tone.
Or it might only suggest you talk about these things. In either case, make sure you do it.
2. Write in Present Tense • If I told you there was a fight yesterday just outside this window, you may or may not be interested. If I told you there is a fight right now just outside this window, you would have to force yourself not to look.
This also applies to your writing Write about the work as if it is happening right now, and it will be much more interesting than if you write about it as a dusty old museum piece.
For Example In the last act of the play, Romeo killed himself. In chapter one, Lenny and George met at the lake. Is not as powerful as… In the last act of the play, Romeo kills himself. In chapter one, Lenny and George meet at the lake.
Besides, you can open the text to the part you are writing about at any time… and it is happening - right now!
3. Always Use Active Voice
Writing has two“voices”… Passive and Active
In the same way that writing in present tense makes your writing more alive and involves the reader, so does using active voice.
What is Passive Voice? Glad you asked…
First, Passive Voice This is when the subject of a sentence is not doing anything. Something is being done to it. It receives the action, i.e. it is passive.
For Example The play was written by T. S. Eliot. The winning shot was made by Michael Jordan. Dinner is being prepared right now. Something is being done to the subject. Notice that a “by” clause is either present or implied.
Active Voice is when the subject of a sentence performs the action…
The play was written by T. S. Eliot. The winning shot was made by Michael Jordan. Dinner is being prepared right now. T. S. Eliot wrote the play. Michael Jordan made the winning shot. I am preparing dinner right now. Notice thatActive Voice usually uses fewer words.
Saying more with fewer words is one of the hallmarks of good writing. Make every word count. UsingActive Voice will help you achieve this.
For Example… • It has been found regrettable that the villagers’ lives were terminated. Really? Who regrets it? and Who“terminated” them?
It has been found regrettable that the • Villagers’ lives were terminated. (this one’s a double-fault, two passive verb structures)
InActive Voice… I regret I killed the villagers. At least this killer gets to the point and takes some responsibility for his/her actions.
1. Sentences in passive voice… are usuallywordy, clumsy, and non-specific.
2. And worse, passive voice… … allows a writer or speaker to avoid responsibility (that’s why politicians love to use it).
No one makes the mistake. It is simply "made."
This is the mistake most commonly made. By whom? The reader? The writer?
In passive voice, nothing is ever anyone's fault, because people do not do things. Things happen to people. “Irving ate the food” is active. “The food was eaten” is passive. Notice that Irving has vanished completely. The food and the action of eating are made more important than the person who does them.
Errors were made. Funds were misused. Damage was done. Really? BY WHOM????
There are four phrases above Which is the strongest?
Look for the appearance or suggestion of a “by clause.” (it’s technically a prepositional phrase)
If something is being done to the subject of your sentence, it has to be done by someone or something.
Beware of any form of the verb is. are, was, and be as a helping verb This can also indicate passive voice.
For Example… • It can be seen that the flower is blue. • A stronger way to say it is… • We can see that the flower is blue.
Or… • Another difference can be found in line four. • A stronger way to say it is… • We find another difference in line four.
But even in Active Voice, avoid the helping verb is. • The author is using a paradox here. • A much stronger way to say it is • The author uses a paradox here.
The movie was made by Steven Spielberg. • Steven Spielberg made the movie. • The songs were written by Paul McCartney. • Paul McCartney wrote the songs. • The author is using vivid imagery. • The author uses vivid imagery.
In the real world you will use both active and passive voice. • When to use passive voice will eventually be a matter of choice, but for now always use active voice.
Simply put…. Have the subject of your sentence do something.
4. Back Up Every General Statement • … or observation with a quote or specific example from the text. Assertion is not evidence. Just because you say something is so does not make it so. You must show proof to support your assertions.
5. Simple and Direct is Best Don’t let your desire to impress get in the way of what you are saying. Have fun with your writing but style should follow function. That is, your purpose is to persuade or investigate, not to show off.
Another way to say this is... Don’t let your ego get in the way of your point.
6. Who vs. That Simply put, a person is a who. Everything else is a that. There is the dog thatbit me. There is the man who bit me.
7. Could vs Can and Would vs Will Could and would are conditional statements. That is, they rely on a condition (usually the word if) to work correctly.
For Example... • [no] I could go to the movies with you. • The condition is missing - something like... • I could go to the movies with you if I had the money. • [yes] I can go to the movies with you.
