Forbidden List

HMXP 102

Dr. Fike

Do not write the following things:

• Underline, boldface, or italicize titles
• "I feel" unless you want to emphasize the act of feeling
• "Quote" as a noun; say "quotation"
• Contractions
• Like followed by a clause (subject and verb); say "as if" or "as though"
• The same word or phrase at the end of one sentence and the beginning of the next
• "Other people," "people," "different people," "various people," "some people"
• Plural pronouns with singular referents (e.g., one or somebody or a person talks about their background)
• That when you refer to people (say "who" or "whom")
• "Story" to refer to a nonfiction essay (that is like calling a symphony a "song")
• "Just because...doesn't mean that...."
• "...and stuff like that"
• "...or whatever"
• Split infinitives (e.g., "to truly identify")
• "This" without a noun following it or twice in close succession
• "If he would have begun [incorrect tense; say: had begun] differently he would have seen [correct tense] it can be a good thing."
• "Me and her," "Me and him," "Her and I" + a verb

Get straight on the following things:

• There vs. they're
• Your vs. you're
• Maybe vs. may be
• Affect vs. effect
• Fragments
• Run-ons
• Comma splices
• Dangling modifiers
• How to do a Works Cited list
• How to do titles of short prose works:  "The Allegory of the Cave," "Self-Reliance"
• How to do titles of book-length prose works: The Souls of Black Folk, In a Different Voice
• Note: "From" signals that a text is an excerpt; it is not part of the title
• Present tense when referring to texts
• You must staple your papers!  A stapler is required equipment for this class!
• You must submit your papers to turnitin.com.