WRT 100 Baseline Skills
1. Heading on paper: name, date, period, and assignment
2. Capitalization: Beginning of sentence, “I,” and names.
3. Legible (a person can read it!)
4. Proper use of all end punctuation: period, exclamation point, and question marks.
5. Underline book titles: Hemingway wrote A Sun Also Rises.
6. Comma for a short introductory element: Bob, could you grab the ketchup?
7. Comma in a series: apples, bananas, and oranges.
8. Indent first line of a paragraph.
9. Spelling:
(Eliminating all contractions during the writing process will help with some of these common errors.)
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Its (pronoun) ---- it’s (contraction of it is)
A lot (two words meaning many) ------ allot (to give out a portion)
They’re (contraction of they are) their (people) there (place)
Hear (with your ears) ---------- here (place)
Weather (sunny or rainy?)
---------- whether (alternatives)
10. Word Choice
 You – be aware of your audience.
 So: replace with: therefore, as a result, finally, consequently, thus, accordingly, due to, in
summary, in short, to sum up, all in all . . .use transition words!
 Get, got, getting – eliminate if possible.
 Good when you mean well.
 Loose vs. Lose with only one "o" should remind you that something is missing as when one loses
or becomes unable to find or keep something or fails to achieve, as in "to lose" a game.
 Accept (receive willingly) vs. Except ("but" or "with the exception of.")
 Affect (influence) vs. effect (result)