Conventions of Composition
How To Use This Site
Welcome to our attempt at having much of the grammar and writing help you'll need all in one place. For grammar help (students) and marking student essays (teachers), there are three main ways you can use this site.
First, when you’re revising and editing your own work, you might have a question about how to cite a source or where to put a comma. In that case, use the search (magnifying glass icon in the top right corner) or look through the sections until you find the guideline you’re seeking. Each rule provides examples, practice, and resources for further instruction.
Second, when you get an essay back from your teacher, you will need to figure out what each mark/correction/suggestion means. To do that, you can go straight to the number you’re looking for.
Third, if you're a teacher who's tired of fixing the same errors over and over, you could use this site to mark student work. At any error, write the corresponding number. Your students can then use the site to understand how to avoid repeating that mistake. If you'd like a one-page list of the titles of all of the rules, please use the contact information below.
Of course, students, this guide doesn’t substitute for your interactions with your teacher. We designed this guide as a place to start, but if you’re still confused, ask.
The Hotchkiss English Department recognizes that this site is a work in progress. If you notice errors or omissions of any kind, please contact Carita Gardiner, Instructor in English.
Classification of Rules
Index of Rules
Punctuation Rules
1. Coordinating Conjunctions
2. Comma splices
3. Semicolons
4. Commas with Compounds
5. Long/inessential phrases
8. Appositive Noun Clauses
9. Adjective Clauses
11. Adverbial Clauses
16. Parentheticals
22. Essay Formatting
23. Title Formatting (Published)
24. Title Formatting (Student)
25. Capitalization
26. Words under Discussion
28. Appositives
37. Series
41. Colons
57. However
75. Quotation Formatting
76. Long Quotations
82. Vocative
83. Interjections
100. End Marks
106. Apostrophes
123. Numbers
124. Hyphens
Grammar Rules
130. Complete Sentences
131. Which/Who/That
133. Agreement – P-A
135. Agreement – S-V
137. Agreement – other
140. Pronoun Case
148. Possessives for Gerunds
149. Comparatives/Superlatives
150. Adjectives/Adverbs
151. Predicate Adjectives
152. Subjunctive
154. Verb Tense, Own Writing
155. Verb Tense, Fiction
Rhetoric Rules
162. Missing “as”
169. Pronoun Reference
170. Modifier Placement
177. Parallelism
178. Prepositions
179. Articles
188. Double Negatives
189. Mixed Metaphors
200. “Like”
Writing Tips
201. Quotation Integration
202. Referencing a Text
203. Evidence
204. To-be Verbs
205. “And”
206. First/Second Person
207. Passive Voice
209. Authorial Intent
210. Thesis Statement
211. Topic Sentences
212. Transitions
213. Conclusions
214. Paragraphing
215 Show Don’t Tell
216 Slang
217 Clichés
218 Qualifiers
219. Awkwardness
220. Confused Words
222. Repetition/Wordiness