Project: clichés and revision
objectives
identify and use precise language, avoiding clichés and casual language.
use a style manual to improve writing.
participate in a range of collaborative activities.
vocabulary
cliché a borrowed and overused phrase or sentence
context the meaning of a word or phrase within the text or writing in which it is used
vocab arcade
clichés – what are they?
clichés are expressions in speech that are overused. we hear them all the time: “avoid it like the plague! ”; “it rained buckets.”; “i ran like the wind.”; “busy as a bee”; “dead as a doornail.”
most clichés are trite and commonplace.
once you have identified what clichéd language looks like, it is easy to avoid.
just do your best to follow these three tips:
avoid stereotypes.
write slowly and take your time; make each of your descriptions as accurate and specific as possible.
do not be tempted to take the easy route.
using the mla documentation system
the mla handbook can save you a lot of editing time. the handbook offers advice on:
conventions for names, titles, quotations, numbers, dates and times, and abbreviations;
documenting your research; and
citing print and digital sources.
here is an example of a citation:
townsend, robert m. the medieval village economy. princeton up, 1993.
though the mla handbook is dedicated to explaining the mla system of documentation, the mla also publishes sample papers that show basic formatting for papers. they include a number of useful tips.
click here to view the mla style guide for documenting and citing your sources.
click here to view the rubric for this project.
peer exchange and self-edit
retrieve any essay that you've written in this unit. exchange essays with a peer, if you are able, and use the checklists to edit your peer’s essay. mark places where the writing could use improvement. then, exchange papers again. if you are unable to complete a peer review, you may ask a friend, teacher, or relative to review your essay. or, simply do a self-review.
read through the feedback you have received on your essay. then, revise your own paper, taking your peer’s comments into consideration as you work. resubmit your essay to your teacher, making sure that it still meets all of the requirements of the original assignment.

The following question is based on your reading of a midsummer night’s dream by william shakespeare. why does puck transform bottom? a. to disrupt the play. c. to scare the mechanicals. b. for revenge on theseus. d. to scare the lovers.

21) this excerpt involves david, who travels with an inventor named perry. they test their experimental invention, a vehicle that burrows into the earth's crust. which statement best reflects the human experience that is represented in this excerpt? a) humans are not always reliable guides. b) humans desire wealth and a life of ease. c) humans are drawn to explore and experiment. d) humans attempt to conquer and control nature. 22) which statement best reflects the human experience that is represented in this excerpt? a) humans desire to control nature. b) humans are frightened by nature. c) humans are fascinated by nature. d) humans cannot understand nature. 23) 8 “what do you mean perry? ” i cried. “do you think that we are dead, and this is heaven? ” suppose the author changed section eight as listed below. 8 “perry, i have to object! ” i cried. “you don't think that we are dead, and this is heaven, do you? ” which correctly identifies the author's meaning for the word object? consider the effect of the stressed or unstressed syllable in the word object. a) you would stress the second syllable because the word is a noun and means a goal or purpose. b) you would stress the second syllable because the word is a verb and means to express or feel disapproval. c) you would stress the first and second syllable because the word is a verb and means to modify an adjective. d) you would stress the first syllable because the word is a noun and means a thing that has a finite, physical form. 24) 2 together we stepped out to stand in silent contemplation of a landscape at once weird and beautiful. before us a low and level shore stretched down to a silent sea. as far as the eye could reach the surface of the water was dotted with countless tiny isles—some of towering, barren, granitic rock—others resplendent in gorgeous trappings of tropical vegetation, myriad starred with the magnificent splendor of vivid blooms. 3 behind us rose a dark and forbidding wood of giant arborescent ferns intermingled with the commoner types of a primeval tropical forest. huge creepers depended in great loops from tree to tree, dense under-brush overgrew a tangled mass of fallen trunks and branches. upon the outer verge we could see the same splendid coloring of countless blossoms that glorified the islands, but within the dense shadows all seemed dark and gloomy as the grave. which most completely analyzes this excerpt for a comment about life? a) beauty is kind and inviting. b) nature is evil and forbidding. c) there is no risk in following beauty. d) what appears beautiful can also be deadly.

What are the effects of cellular phones on our lives introduction