Elements of Style Workshop
--Golden Rules (and then some) when Responding to Literature—
_____Always include Title, Author, Genre, and either Summary or Situation (background) in your
response—TAGS
o _____ Title: Punctuated correctly—see separate handout
o _____ Author: Include first and last name in the introduction, last name only in body, and first and last
in the conclusion. You may also use narrator or speaker if uncertain)
o _____ Genre: Try to be as specific as possible
 General: play or drama
Specific: tragedy or modern tragedy
 General: poem
Specific: lyrical poem, sonnet
 Never use “book” (use novel)
o _____ Summary: For prose analysis. Include major protagonist, plot and/or conflict
o _____ Situation: For poetry analysis. Include the basic situation (what the poet is doing or what’s
happening
2. _____ Write in the literary present tense: Literary works, paintings, films, and other artistic creations are
assumed to exist in an eternal present. Therefore, when you write about writers or artists as they express
themselves in their work, use the present tense.
o When commenting on what a writer says, use the present tense.
 Example: Dunn begins his work with a view into the lives and motivations of the very first settlers.
 Example: Through this anecdote, Richter illustrates common misconceptions about native religion
and shows why missionary attempts were less than successful.
 Example: In the second stanza, the speaker alludes to the hawk’s fearful yet enticing presence.
o When you are writing about a certain historical event (even the creation of a literary or artistic work), use
the past tense. o Sometimes a sentence must employ both present and past tense.
 Examples: The first part of the poem, which she completed 1804, describes the effects of isolation
from society.
 Aeschylus' drama is concerned with what happens to Orestes after he has killed his mother.
3. _____ No personal pronouns: I, you (use reader or audience instead), we, us, you, or me—unless personal
pronoun appears in a quote
o Do NOT use: I feel/I think/I believe/In my opinion. If you are constructing a response, it is implied that
you are thinking, felling, etc.
4. _____ Avoid ambiguous pronouns that may confuse the reader— especially to start a sentence
o Example: Shakespeare uses dark imagery to convey a sense of gloom. It creates a OR This shows that…
Fixed: These images, when set in juxtaposition…
 What does “it” refer to? What does “this” refer to? Let the reader know
5. _____ Try to eliminate (passive) linking verbs
o No: The poet is comparing…
o Yes: The poet compares
6. _____ Never let a quote stand alone unless you introduce it with a colon
7. _____ The word “page” shouldn’t be in your response (use beginning, middle or end instead)
8. _____ Vary your quote integration strategies (see handout) and always check your quote-related punctuation
9. _____ Vary your syntax—sentence types and beginnings (see handout)
10. _____ Do not start an introductory or body paragraph with a rhetorical question. It is ok to add one or two in the
heart of a paragraph. Try hypophora instead: ask a question and then answer it—see rhetorical devices handout
11. _____ Do not use words such as “very,” “basically,” “really,” “stuff,” “things”
12. _____ No GALATIC CHEESE (“Since the beginning of time…” “Ever since mankind…” “Throughout history…”).
1.
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