Top 10 Conventions of University-Level Literary Essays

1. Write in present tense.

2. Turn passive verbs into active verbs.

3. Do not use “I,” “me,” or “you.”

4. Do not use contractions (ex. “hasn’t,” “isn’t”, “doesn’t”).

5. Do not use informal vocabulary (ex. “kids,” “mom,” “dad,” “so” -- as in “Medea is so hurt,” and “really” -- as in “Medea is really angry”).

6. Do not make generalizations (ex. “In today’s society, everyone sometimes wants revenge”).

7. Avoid vague pronouns, such as “it.”

8. Avoid present continuous verbs (ex. “is going,” “is saying,” “is thinking”).

9. Avoid repetition.

10. Do not write a “3-point thesis” (ex. “Medea evokes the audience’s sympathy because her husband leaves her, she is exiled, and she has nowhere to go”).