Alison Plus

I help student writers organize their papers. Check back every day for a writing tip!

[Alison Plus @AlisonPlus]

I.e. means “in other words.” Use it for a restatement or definition of an idea. #dailytip

[Alison Plus @AlisonPlus]

Do not use e.g. at the start of a complete list. The “e” stands for “example.” #dailytip

[Alison Plus @AlisonPlus]

E.g. means "for example." Use it to preface an example of something. #dailytip

[Alison Plus @AlisonPlus]

Etc. means "and others." If you write “and etc.,” this means “and and others.” #dailytip

[Alison Plus @AlisonPlus]

Etc. means "and others." Use etc. at the end of a list to indicate that there are other examples that would fit on the list. #dailytip

[Alison Plus @AlisonPlus]

Use a hyphen if the dictionary spells the word with a hyphen. Recollect and re-collect are two different words. #dailytip

[Alison Plus @AlisonPlus]

Do not follow an adverb ending in -ly with a hyphen. Truly amazing students. #dailytip

[Alison Plus @AlisonPlus]

Use a hyphen to link compound adjectives. Two-term president. #dailytip

[Alison Plus @AlisonPlus]

Use a hyphen to link the suffix -elect to a noun. Chairman-elect. #dailytip

[Alison Plus @AlisonPlus]

Use a hyphen to link the prefixes ex-, self-, and all- to a noun. Ex-wife, self-employed, all-star. #dailytip

[Alison Plus @AlisonPlus]

Use hyphens to link prefixes to proper capitalized nouns. Anti-American. #dailytip

[Alison Plus @AlisonPlus]

Use hyphens to link the numerical part of fractions when they must be spelled out. Three-quarters full. #dailytip

[Alison Plus @AlisonPlus]

Use hyphens to link compound numbers when they must be spelled out. Fifty-seven. #dailytip

[Alison Plus @AlisonPlus]

Don’t forget to put a period at the end of each sentence. It’s easy to overlook the small details sometimes. #dailytip

[Alison Plus @AlisonPlus]

Proofread by reading aloud or asking someone to read your paper aloud to you. #dailytip

[Alison Plus @AlisonPlus]

Always run the spell checker. It won’t catch every error, but it is still worthwhile. #dailytip

[Alison Plus @AlisonPlus]

Do not use emphasis quotes in academic writing. The tone is too informal. #dailytip

[Alison Plus @AlisonPlus]

Do not use exclamation marks in academic writing. The tone is too informal. #dailytip

[Alison Plus @AlisonPlus]

Dashes are too informal for academic writing. Use either colons or parentheses instead. #dailytip

[Alison Plus @AlisonPlus]

In academic writing, an ellipsis (three dots) indicates missing words or information. #dailytip