English 1301 Common Issues
from the Diagnostic Essays
Basics
Following instructions – length, topic, file format (i.e., only MSWord & RTF; ODT files are
inaccessible and receive no credit); submitting by the deadline, submitting through Eagle Online
Grammar
their / there / they're (possessive / place / contraction)
its / it's (possessive / contraction)
affect / effect (verb / noun)
thru / through (misspelling / correct spelling)
u / you (texting / standard academic American English)
possessive versus plural “s” (‘s = either possessive or contraction, never plural)
commas (check with Grammar Bytes)
sentence fragments (if it doesn’t have a subject [implied for commands] and a verb, it’s not a
sentence)
verb tenses and moods (check Grammar Bytes)
subject-verb agreement (check Grammar Bytes)
other, minor general proofreading issues
Format
MLA = 1” margins, header in the ½” space (in MSWord, go to “insert” then “page number” then
“top of page” then pick the 3rd option and type your last name and a space before the number that
appears), double-space everything (including the first-page information), center titles, first-page
information against the left margin, body of essay left-justified, tab in once at the beginning of a
new paragraph, no extra lines (under “paragraph” in the MSWord menu) between paragraphs,
etc.
Content
A bit of laundry-list theses (several of you)
A bit of addressing the audience as "you" (avoid that in academic writing; it’s too casual)
One use of an unnamed encyclopedia (without a citation, it’s plagiarism; it also contravened
instructions); one uncited Wikipedia source used (which is not a reliable source for much of
anything – NEVER use it, as it inherently undermines your ethos in academic writing); one
Malcolm X reference (which was sweet, but uncited)