Each body paragraph will begin with a topic sentence

Each body paragraph will begin with a topic sentence and elaborate upon the idea that the topic
sentence expresses. In your paragraphs, you will note the details and evidence from the text that
support your thesis. Each body paragraph should include at least one quote from the text to support
your thesis. Your paper will end with a conclusion. Here, you will restate your thesis (in different
words) and make a final statement about what your essay shows.
Note the author’s first and last names the first time you mention him. After that, use only the author’s
last name. Cite all direct quotations from the textbook properly. If the quotation is no more than four
lines, simply incorporate it into the text:
Anne Bradstreet writes that her “love is such that rivers cannot quench” (7) in “To My Dear
and Loving Husband.”
If you are using a quotation longer than four lines, you will need to begin the quotation on a new line
and indent each line of the quotation. Cite the page number for the quotation at the end of the quote.
These quotations do not use quotation marks. Look at the following example:
So I sold some of my books to raise a little money, was taken
Project 1 4
ENGH 039

on board privately, and as we had a fair wind, in three days I
found myself in New York, near three hundred miles from home,
a boy of but seventeen, without the least recommendation to, or
knowledge of, any person in the place, and with very little money
in my pocket. (78)
If you have further questions about the proper use of citations, a good reference source is the MLA
Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publications. A summary of the guide is in the Appendix of the
course.
Step 4: Revising
After you have completed your draft, read through it and check for the following. Revise your work as
necessary.
My Thesis
a. Does it directly respond to the assigned topic?
b. Is it an opinionated statement?
c. Do I introduce the writer and the title of the piece of writing?
d. Does my paper cover everything that I promised I would in my thesis? (If not, revise
the thesis or develop the body portion of the essay.)
My Topic Sentences
a. Are each of my topic sentences opinionated statements?
b. Does each statement relate directly to the thesis?
My Evidence
a. Do I have enough evidence to prove each of my topic sentences?
b. Is my evidence specific?
c. Have I cited direct quotations?
My Conclusion
Have I restated my overall point and made a final statement about what my essay
shows?
Step 5: Editing and Proofreading
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ENGH 039

Print a hard copy of your draft. Read it aloud and check for the following:
a. no skipped words
b. complete sentences
c. correct spelling
d. correct words (for example there or their)
e. appropriate use of apostrophes
f. appropriate use of commas
g. appropriate use of semicolons
h. appropriate use of colons
i. appropriate use of quotation marks
Your grade for Part A will be based on the following criteria:
Project Grading Table (Teacher Use Only)
Points
Possible
Points
Earned
The essay contains an effective introduction and a clear thesis
statement about the personality of either Bradford or Equiano. The