cite (v.) to quote or mention as an example sight (n.) something seen or visible; the faculty of seeing site (n.) location; (v.) to locate desert (n.) dry area; (v.) to abandon dessert (n.) sweet course at the end of a meal every day (adv.) each day everyday (adj.) ordinary, daily fair (adj.) light in color; favorable; just, unbiased; (n) gathering or exhibition for sale of goods, shows, and entertainment fare (n.) price charged for a passenger to travel; food provided; (v) to progress (we fared well on our journey) hear (v.) to perceive with the ears here (adv.) in this place know (v.) to understand, be aware of no (adj./adv.) negative—opposite of yes loose (adj.) not tight, not confined lose (v.) to misplace; to fail to win may be (v.) might be (possibility) maybe (adv.) perhaps morning (n.) the first part of the day mourning (n.) grieving passed (v.) past tense of pass (to go by) past (adv.) beyond; (n.) events that have already occurred patience (n.) quality of being patient, able to wait patients (n.) people under medical care personal (adj.) private or pertaining to the individual personnel (n.) employees presence (n.) condition of being presents (n.) gifts principal (adj.) most important; (n.) head of a school principle (n.) fundamental truth – GUIDE TO EFFECTIVE WRITING– 263 right (adj.) correct; (adv.) opposite of left rite (n.) ceremony write (v.) produce words on a surface scene (n.) setting or view seen (v). past participle of see than (conj.) used to compare (he is taller than I) then (adv.) at that time, therefore (first this, then that; if you think it’s good, then I’ll do it) their (pn.) possessive form of they there (adv.) location; in that place through (prep.) in one side and out the other; by means of threw (v. past tense of throw to (prep.) in the direction of too (adv.) in addition, excessive two number waist (n.) part of the body waste (v.) to squander; (n.) trash weak (adj.) feeble week (n.) seven days weather (n.) climatic conditions whether (conj.) introducing a choice which (adj./pn.) what, that witch (n.) woman with supernatural powers Unfortunately, the only thing you can do to master homonyms is to memorize the correct meanings and spellings. Try using mnemonic devices to remember which word is which. For example, stationary versus stationery: Remember that “stationery” is the one to write on because it is spelled with an “er” like the letter you are writing. (See page 25 in Chapter 2 for more about mnemonic devices.) For a list of over 700 pairs of homonyms, visit www.cooper.com/alan/homonym_list.html. You can also find homonym quizzes and worksheets at http://www.edhelper.com/language/Homonyms.htm. – GUIDE TO EFFECTIVE WRITING– 264 – GUIDE TO EFFECTIVE WRITING– 265 absence abundance accidentally accommodate acknowledgment acquaintance aggravate alibi alleged ambiguous analysis annual argument awkward basically boundary bulletin calendar canceled cannot cemetery coincidence collegiate committee comparative completely condemn congratulations conscientious consistent convenient correspondence deceive definitely dependent depot descend desperate development dilemma discrepancy eighth eligible embarrass equivalent euphoria existence exuberance feasible February fifth forcibly forfeit formerly fourth fulfill grateful grievance guarantee guidance harass hindrance ideally implement independence indispensable inoculate insufficient interference interrupt jealousy jewelry judgment leisure length lenient liaison lieutenant lightning loophole losing maintenance maneuver mathematics millennium minuscule miscellaneous misspell negotiable ninth occasionally occurred omission opportunity outrageous pamphlet parallel perceive permanent perseverance personnel possess potato precede preferred prejudice prevalent privilege procedure proceed prominent pronunciation quandary questionnaire 150 Most Commonly Misspelled Words receipt receive recommend reference referred regardless relevant religious remembrance reservoir responsible restaurant rhythm ridiculous roommate scary scissors secretary separate souvenir specifically sufficient supersede temperament temperature truly twelfth ubiquitous unanimous usually usurp vacuum vengeance visible Wednesday wherever – GUIDE TO EFFECTIVE WRITING– 266 The following section offers specific tips and strategies to use on the AWA during the exam. Practice these strategies as you complete the sample essay prompts that follow. General Writing Strategies ■ Remember the general guideline for dividing your time on an essay exam: use about one-fourth of the time to plan, one-half of the time to write, and one-fourth of the time to revise and edit. ■ Look for key words in the essay prompt to be sure you address all aspects of the assignment. ■ The key to brainstorming is to avoid censoring yourself. Keep an open mind and write down whatever ideas come to you. You do not have to use everything in your essay. ■ Remember that your brainstorming and outline are for your eyes only. Use whatever brainstorming and outlining techniques you find most useful. ■ On an essay exam, every minute counts. Don’t wait around for ideas to come to you. If you are having trouble coming up with ideas, use brainstorming techniques such as listing and freewriting to get ideas down on paper. CHAPTER Tips and Strategies for the AWA 16 267 ■ A good thesis makes an assertion about the topic; it does not just repeat the topic or ask a question. Make sure your thesis takes a clear position on the issue or argument. ■ Your planning time is probably the most crucial part of an essay exam. Create a detailed outline to organize your ideas. Revise your outline before you begin writing to make sure you have sufficient sup- port and specific examples and that you have addressed all of the elements in the prompt. ■ Make sure you have at least two or three supporting ideas for your thesis. If no other organizational pattern makes sense, put them in order of importance, with your most important idea last. ■ Remember, it’s important to get going and keep moving. If you can’t think of the exact word or phrase you are looking for, approximate. You can come back to fix it later if you have time. For now, writing something that is close enough must be good enough so you can get the rest of your ideas down. ■ Remember to keep it simple. Your time is limited, and your readers will be looking for basic structural and organizational elements. Don’t worry about impressing your readers with sophisticated organiza- tion or style; you don’t need anything out of the ordinary to impress your readers. A formulaic but clear essay will do better than one that is overly complex. ■ Remember that first impressions are important, but it’s more important to finish your essay. Don’t get hung up trying to write a perfect introduction. Simply summarize the argument or issue and state your thesis. If you have time later, you can come back and write a catchier introduction. ■ Signpost, signpost, signpost. Use strong transitions throughout your essay to make the relationships between ideas clear. Remember that both your human reader and E-rater® will be looking for these guides. ■ A specific fact or detail has more power than a general statement. Include specific examples whenever possible. ■ In general, unless you have less than five minutes left, revise first and then edit. Save your grammar and spelling check until after you have made “big picture” changes to your essay. If you are nearly out of time, read through your essay quickly and make any revisions or editorial changes. ■ If a sentence seems unclear to you, it may be that you are trying to do too much in one sentence. Try breaking it up into two simpler sentences that are more clear. ■ Remember the guidelines for effective style: be precise, be concise, use the active voice, vary the sen- tence structure, and avoid jargon and pretentious language. Make sure you use an appropriate level of formality and a serious, respectful tone throughout your essay. ■ Correct punctuation is important, but don’t get hung up on trying to determine whether you need a comma or a semicolon. Make your choice quickly and move on to the next issue. ■ If you are unsure about capitalization, ask yourself whether the word in question is something specific or general. If it is a specific person, place, or thing, then it probably should be capitalized. Remember, in this regard, specific means particular or individual, not detailed. For example, a poodle is a specific type of dog, but it is not capitalized because it doesn’t refer to a specific (individual or particular) dog. Rover, however, should be capitalized because Rover is a specific (individual or particular) dog. ■ If you have the time, read your essay backward line by line. This will enable you to spot errors that you might miss reading straight through. – TIPS AND STRATEGIES FOR THE AWA– 268 . Words receipt receive recommend reference referred regardless relevant religious remembrance reservoir responsible restaurant rhythm ridiculous roommate scary scissors secretary separate souvenir specifically sufficient supersede temperament temperature truly twelfth ubiquitous unanimous usually usurp vacuum vengeance visible Wednesday wherever – GUIDE TO EFFECTIVE WRITING 266 The following section offers specific tips and strategies to use on the AWA during the exam. Practice these strategies as you complete the sample essay prompts. compare (he is taller than I) then (adv.) at that time, therefore (first this, then that; if you think it’s good, then I’ll do it) their (pn.) possessive form of they there (adv.) location; in that. listing and freewriting to get ideas down on paper. CHAPTER Tips and Strategies for the AWA 16 267 ■ A good thesis makes an assertion about the topic; it does not just repeat the topic or ask