Classics

We've put together this site, and associated marking sheet, to help you improve your academic writing skills and your own writing style. In Classics, we take good writing very seriously, not only because being able to write clearly is crucial to your degree but also because good writing is a major advantage in a highly competitive jobs market.

The site is packed with information, examples and writing exercises derived from real student essays generated from within this subject area. The exercises are grouped into seven main categories, each with sub-categories, as you can see below. The exercises are presented in a numbered list but you can access them in any order, and you'll find four different styles: wordclick, multiple choice questions, select the problem and freetext. Detailed instructions are provided at the top of each exercise.

Above the exercises, you will find a blue question mark. Click on this before you start the exercises themselves. The page that pops up will give a comprehensive explanation of the exercise topic, and also examples.

You can access the writing skills help on this site at any time. You may also find that, through a feedback sheet attached to your returned work, you've been pointed to different sections of the site by the marker of your essay.

We hope you find the site useful, and if you want to comment on it, please do so by sending an email to Katharine.Grant@glasgow.ac.uk.

Classics Writing Skills Action sheet

Punctuation

Punctuation is a key part of written English. The term covers everything in written language that is not a letter or a number, i.e. colons, dashes, apostrophes etc. Punctuation helps to make your meaning clear. Incorrectly used, it can substantially alter the meaning of a sentence or render a perfectly good text incomprehensible. This is a great shame, particularly if you've made an effort with your essay content.

The rules that govern punctuation vary from country to country, and over time. Some elements of punctuation are a matter of personal preference but others have clear rules and intentions. In these exercises, current British English convention is used.

01. Punctuation - apostrophes

02. Punctuation - colons and semi-colons

03. Punctuation - commas and run-on sentences

Formatting

Essays MUST be formatted properly, i.e. laid out correctly, with the proper use of capitals and italics. This is not just academic pedantry. Being able to follow appropriate formatting rules is crucial to any piece of writing. Making sure you format correctly will not only endear you to your classics tutor, it is also excellent practice for every job application you make once you graduate.

04. Capitals

05. Italics

Structure

Essays must have a clear introduction, argument and conclusion. Every part must also be relevant to the essay question. This is not possible if the first rule of structure is not obeyed: write out the essay title. Many students don't do this.

In this section, you'll find information, examples and exercises to help you with preparing an outline, together with opening and concluding lines. You'll also find information and exercises to help you tell argument from description, a key distinction if you want to get good marks.

07. Opening lines

09. Concluding lines

08. Argument versus description

Word choice and style

It's important not only to choose the right word, for example, belief in (not belief on), to dispose of (not to dispose with), but also to get the tone of your essay right. For example, I'm using contractions here - it's instead of it is; I'm instead of I am - because I want this text to read like a conversation. Your essays, however, are academic works, so need a more formal approach, i.e. no contractions.

The categories here reflect common problems with writing style in Classics.

13. Keeping your essay objective

11. Wordiness

12. Poor word/phrase choice

Muddled phrasing

Many good thoughts are wasted because they are expressed badly or, equally frustrating, are lost under a torrent of wordiness. Remember that if what you say isn't clear, your marker won’t know if you’ve answered the question or not. Clearer writing means better marks.

14. Poorly constructed and ambiguous sentences

15. Dangling participles

Referencing

Why is referencing properly so important?

1. It shows a reader where to find the text you have cited.
2. Not acknowledging your sources, whether you quote from them directly or use and expand on ideas put forward by others, will lay you open to charges of plagiarism.

What is plagiarism? Plagiarism is using direct quotations or transcriptions, close paraphrases or summaries of ideas without acknowledging your source: i.e. passing off others' work as your own. For more information about plagiarism, see your tutor and the course handbook.

For formatting of references, both in-text and for the bibliography, we strongly recommend the author/date system (the Harvard or Chicago style).

You may also find the following link extremely useful:
http://www.gla.ac.uk/services/library/howtofindinformation/findingusinginformation/

16. Referencing within your text

17. Bibliographies

Proof reading

So many writing mistakes can be rectified before you hand your work in by spending ten minutes proof reading before the final printout. It's even better if you proof read aloud, as this makes you pay attention to every word. In this section, you'll find text incorporating various mistakes, all of which careful proof reading would have picked up.

Getting into the proof reading habit is essential. Once you leave university and enter the jobs market, you'll be expected to proof read your own work.

18. Proof reading

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