Earwig Style Sheet: A Guide to Great Writing

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Rules to Write By | MLA Format | Sample MLA Paper

Commas | Capitalization | Proofreading Notes | Bibliographies

 

The Earwig Style Sheet is here to answer questions that are frequently asked by middle school writers. If you don't see what you need here, try visiting This Link.

Rules to Write By

Good writing is well organized. Invest a little more time in the planning stages, and you will save yourself time and effort in the long run.

Good writing is clear. Use simple sentence structure to express your ideas with clarity.

Good writing is error-free. All work should be proofread before it is turned in. Print out a copy of your work, read it out loud, and mark any errors. Then go back to your computer and make corrections before printing out a corrected copy to turn in.

MLA Format

What is MLA style?   MLA style is a set of formatting guidelines developed by the Modern Language Association. 

Why should I learn MLA style now?  It is one of the most common formats requested by high school teachers and college professors.  Learning MLA now will help you to be a successful student in the future.

MLA papers must be typed in a legible (Times New Roman is recommended) 12 pt font, double spaced, with 1" margins on all sides.

MLA papers require a heading in the upper left hand corner that is left aligned, double spaced, and includes four lines of information: first and last name, teacher, subject and period, and date.

The title of the paper should be centered below the heading.

MLA also requires that bibliographical citations include certain information and follow a specific format.

Here is a sample paper and works cited page in the MLA format

Comma Rules

• Use a comma to offset an introductory word, phrase, or clause.

• Use a comma between two descriptive adjectives that can be reversed in order.

• Use a comma between three or more items in a series.

• Use a comma before “For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet” (FANBOY) when there is a complete sentence on the other side.

• Use a comma to offset unnecessary and parenthetical words, phrases, and clauses; appositives; and words in direct address.

• Use a comma between days, dates, and years.

• Use a comma after the salutation in a friendly letter.

• Use a comma between cities and states but not between states and zip codes.

• Use a comma to offset quotes, unless you use a ? or

• Use a comma where a natural pause is necessary or to
avoid confusing wordings.

Capitalization Rules

  • Capitalize the first word in any sentence.

  • Capitalize any word that would appear on a map.

  • Capitalize any word that would appear on a store-bought calendar.

  • Capitalize any name that would appear on a person’s name tag at a meeting or family reunion.

  • Capitalize any word that would appear on a person’s name tag at a family reunion.

   • Capitalize all the words in a title, except for conjunctions, articles, and prepositions of four words or less.

   • Capitalize names that refer to a specific period or event in history.

   • Do NOT capitalize a school subject unless it is a language or a numbered course (History 101).

  • Do NOT capitalize summer, winter, spring, fall, sun, moon, stars, planet.

   • Do NOT capitalize names of family relations when they are preceded by a possessive pronoun or article.

   • Do NOT capitalize north, east, south, west or any combinations when they describe a direction.  (Usually these ARE capitalized after the word “the”.)

    • Do NOT capitalize the word after a hyphen unless it follows a capitalization rule

Proofreading Marks

Here are some common proofreading marks

Here is one Mac-specific proofreading mark:

awk = awkward grammar...re-write to improve clarity and flow

Bibliographies

Here are some links to help you with your MLA style bibliography (also known as a works cited list)

A comprehensive source for MLA citations

Noodletools can help you with your bibliography