Literacy Narrative DraftsRecurring Errors and Reminders/Solutions

Error 1: Dialogue FormatReminder: Dialogue quotes exactly

what someone said and can’t be altered or explained within the quotation marks.

“Holy s*&%!” he said. (No, he didn’t, unless he said “Holy ess-asterisk-ampersand percentage!”)

He said, “IDK (I don’t know), wyd (what you doing?)” (Don’t translate within the dialogue itself—that comes later.)

Error 1: Dialogue FormatDialogue also has to fit seamlessly into your essay.

“Our conversation went like this:” is awkward.

Yesterday, my niece came over. While sitting on the porch, she looked at me and said, “Why sky blue?”

Error 1: Dialogue FormatSolution: Instructional video will

be added to D2L over weekend—check for it! (Everybody needs different help.)

Error 2: Lack of Stories/Details Reminder: A narrative consists of a story (or

stories) to demonstrate your claim—not hypothetical or general situations.

Vague examples of how you might or would speak to certain people aren’t as effective as specific situations in which you did speak that way.

You may need only one story per type of English you speak—you don’t have to follow the typical support/example body paragraph structure in this genre.

Error 2: Lack of Stories/Details Avoid: When speaking to my friends, I say “sup?” but I would say something more like “How are you doing?” if speaking to my boss.

Say: Last week, after we finished a killer chemistry test, my friend Jess said, “That was whack.”

Error 2: Lack of Stories/Details Solution: A sample essay with instructor comments will be available on D2L shortly—check for it!

Error 3: References to Essay“In this essay I will discuss…”“As this essay has demonstrated…”“I’m writing this paper for English

class…”“For this assignment, I am required

to discuss three Englishes I speak…”

Don’t refer to your own essay in the essay—it isn’t appropriate for

academic writing.

Error 4: Addressing ReaderAcceptable:Have you ever considered…You may find yourself changing

words depending on your audience…

Inappropriate/Unacceptable:“As you can clearly see…”“Now you know…”“That sounds weird to you…”