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Describe sights, sounds, smells, actions, reactions.

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Use direct quotes.
Attribute all quotes.
In quote attribution, use “said,” not commented, observed, stated, yelled, etc.

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Use specific facts.

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Use vivid verbs.

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Use plain language.
Say “he said” instead of “he stated.”
Use precise words.

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Write to the emotions. Include the senses.
Use active voice.
(Passive voice) The ball was thrown by the quarterback.
(Active voice) The quarterback threw the ball.
Make positive statements.

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Write in the third person.
Write in past tense.
Tie your conclusion to your lead.

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Proofread and correct all spelling and grammar errors.

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Have a copy read-around to get input from others in your class.

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Avoid writing anything that can tell the story of any other high school somewhere else.

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Don’t use dates/labels:
The 2013-2014 Northstar High School Band.
This year, the varsity cheerleaders did many new and exciting routines.
This year, the 2013-2014 Lady Gators at Northstar High School...

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Avoid using clichés such as:
Purpose
The purpose of learning history is to find out what happened in the past.
Goals
The goals of the English Department were to teach...
During
During the year, the students of Northstar High School were interested in...
Hard work, dedication, team unit.

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Worthless Quote
“English was a lot of fun. We did lots of different things.”

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Yes/No Question
Do you know what happened in Science this year?

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Saying nothing
Lots of new things happened this year at Northstar High School. The students were
together more than ever and they had more school spirit than ever.

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Editorializing
Don’t write your own opinion. Include facts and quotes in your story instead.

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Avoid writing the obvious.
Get behind the scenes with in-depth reporting and research.

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Numerous
Various
Many
Some
Several
Few
A lot
Not many

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Spell out numbers one through nine.
Use Arabic numbers above nine.
Spell out numbers that begin your copy.

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Spell out numbers one through nine.
Use Arabic numbers above nine.
Spell out numbers that begin your copy.

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Report about this year. Never predict anything about next year.

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Never let editorial terms creep into copy.
Avoid using words such as “beautiful,” “spectacular,” “wonderful,” “seemingly,”
“apparently” or “awesome.”

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Capitalize all proper nouns.

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Do not classify students into different years or classes (Mary Jones, ‘04 or Junior Matt
Dell)

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Do not invert sentences or verbals. Use active voice, not passive voice.

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Use “The play was memorable.” Don’t use “Memorable was the word for the play.”
Use “The quarterback threw a touchdown.” Don’t use “The touchdown was thrown by
the quarterback.”

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Learn the difference between “its” and “it’s.”
Its is possessive. “The dog wagged its tail.”
It’s is the contraction for it is. “It’s going to be a great day.”

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Learn subject-verb agreement and use it correctly.
“Everyone said they enjoyed the show,” is incorrect. “Everyone” is singular and “they” is
plural.