The END of the BEGINNING paragraph: THESIS Statements CONTROL (the size of the topic), PREDICT (organize the order of the arguments), & OBLIGATE (angle the direction of arguments for/against, etc). Focus the thesis carefully; it's the reader's blueprint for the rest of the essay

The START UP: Interest readers with concise openings. Rather than "In today's society" or "In this day and age," simply write "Today" or "Now". "In my opinion"? The reader knows this is YOUR work. Begin AFTER "opinion" In my opinion global warming. . .Begin with "Global"

EXAM Slam-dunk: In NON-multiple choice exams, read ALL questions, THEN begin with the one you find EASIEST. Before writing, read the question TWICE, noting instructions (evaluate, discuss, analyze), and then consider organization. Be STRATEGIC! Good luck!

Reduce GUESSWORK on multiple choice exams! Read questions, noting terms such as "NOT" and "NEVER." Eliminate answers you KNOW are wrong to REDUCE errors. Choose the MOST LIKELY of the remaining answers. Unless you are CERTAIN you've made a mistake, leave the answers as they were

TIME after TIME on EXAMS? Time available after finishing questions? DON'T doodle! Use time wisely to provide MORE evidence to support claims. Check for ERRORS in prose . Ensure that you've answered questions EXACTLY. Be the LAST one, NOT the first one, out of the exam room

HYPE on HYPHENS. When a COMPOUND modifier comes BEFORE the noun, use a hyphen. When it FOLLOWS the noun, NO hyphen. The well-read novel. The novel was well read.

On SELFishness: Myself, herself, themselves, himself, etc. = REFLEXIVE pronouns. NOT send the memo to MYSELF, but send ME the memo. NOT the other players and MYSELF were at the game, The other players and I were at the game. They vowed to THEMSELVES that they'd never quit.

E, I, E, I, Ohh? I before E except after C: true, GENERALLY true. There are exceptions. Isn't it WEIRD that the rich FINANCIER at the HEIGHT of her career could NEITHER afford some FOREIGN LEISURE nor spend time alone? There are others as in CAFFEINE, SCIENCE, BEING, SPECIES, etc

The "I" of the form in FORMAL writing? Avoid writing in the 1st person: the reader realizes this is YOUR work. The 2nd person shifts focus to the READER. Use the 3rd person; it relates to the TOPIC 1st = egocentric/2nd=reader-centric/3rd=topic-based, objective.

And then there was ON. Often prepositions after VERBS or other PREPOSITIONS may be deleted. Continue ON? Off OF? Start OFF? Prepositions at the ends of sentences? Try to avoid them by working PREPS back into the constructions

A SURE thing: Avoid verbs that lack CLARITY & POWER. Verbs such as "seems," "appears," "get"? Replace them if you don't wish to emphasize the indefinite. Replace "very" & "a lot of" with precise terms. The water was not VERY hot. It was boiling, scalding, piping hot, steaming.

From the FONT lines: ITALICIZE the names of paintings, ships, films, full-length publications (newspapers, magazines, books, plays), operas, ballets, sculptures, long poems, radio and t.v. shows, bulletins, pamphlets. Use QUOTATION MARKS for shorter pieces WITHIN larger works.

E, I, E, I, Ohhhh? I before E except after C. True -- GENERALLY true. Except when your neighbour, Keith, receives eight counterfeit, beige sleighs from feisty, caffeinated weightlifters. Weird!

In honour of #WorldTeacherDay: If you can read ghoughpteighbteau, thank an English teacher!

All bark and no bite/You can’t please everyone/Actions speak louder than words…especially when those words are clichés (overused expressions). Use language creatively and with purpose.

Calling all students interested in art or fishing! 🎨🐟 The Ontario government is holding its annual Kids’ Fish Art Contest. Students are asked to create original artwork and a short essay. Visit the blog to learn more about contest rules and deadlines: virtualhighschool.com/blog/kids-fish…

📢 Calling all students applying to post-secondary 📢 Make sure to attend the Conestoga College Fall Open House tomorrow morning at 10:00 am in Kitchener! If you'd like to learn more, follow ThinkConestoga and go to the link below for details: blogs1.conestogac.on.ca/events/2018/11…

Today we'll be welcoming Trent University to the VHS studio 🎥 for a LIVE discussion at 4:30 pm ET about this nationally renowned institution. This is your chance to ask the questions 🙋‍♀️ you need answered, and to learn all about what Trent U can offer! facebook.com/VirtualHS/

Applications for the next John Smallwood Bursary are due this FRIDAY! The bursary covers the full tuition fee for one VHS course. Students do not have to be enrolled at VHS to apply. Visit the blog for more information: virtualhighschool.com/blog/bursaryde…