Dear Students: Here are some (FREE!) writing tips...

Whatever has been going on "since the beginning of time" is probably on too large a scale for your three-page essay, even (especially) as an introduction to the topic. If you can be precise about what is going on in the book you've read for this assignment, I will be delighted.

Apart and a part are not the same thing. In fact, they are pretty much opposites. To be a part of something is to be included in it. To be apart of something is to be distanced from it (both in space and in grammatical correctness). Cheese and macaroni are each a part of the same dish. For most people, a nice fillet of salmon, no matter how tasty, should be kept well apart from grandma's homemade macaroni and cheese.

Plagiarism. Just say no. You will get caught. And the only one it really harms is you.

Its and it's are not just different ways to write the possessive form of it.

We all make mistakes. We all write things that would be better if they were revised one more time. We all could benefit from having someone push our ideas further and proofread for our typos. That's why we call writing a process.  

The 1800s constitute the nineteenth century not the eighteenth century. In the 1800s, no one spoke Old English. In the Renaissance, when Shakespeare wrote, no one spoke Old English. Not even Chaucer, the great Medieval writer, wrote or spoke in Old English. (P.S. the Medieval period should not be confused with the Mid Evil period, which theoretically comes between Early Evil and Late Evil.)

There, their and they're are not interchangeable.

Plural's and possessive's do not both take apostrophe's. It is worthwhile to learn which one's do, if you want to avoid looking foolish.

"Would of" and "could of" and "should of" are not verbs. They are the grammatical equivalent of potpourri (random elements bumped up next to each other in the same bowl). Though you might pronounce the phrases this way, what you really mean are would have and could have and should have.

If you don't know how to do something, ask. There is no shame in asking. That's why we're called teachers.

Commas and semi-colons -- and punctuation marks in general, really -- are sometimes likened to condiments in that they lend flavor to your writing. However, it is important to remember that these small dots are, in fact, not to be applied liberally in an eyes-closed-while-vigorously-shaking-the-pepper-mill kind of way. Unlike pepper, it actually matters where in the dish you put these little black flecks.

Ideas are the most important part of any paper. Nearly all errors of the grammatical and punctuational variety will be muted by really interesting thinking. If you can show me that you've read, pondered and bothered to wrestle with complex issues, I will celebrate that. So will almost any teacher I have ever met.

There is no job in the world in which being better at communicating is a liability. Language is powerful. Using language is a power. Taking the time to build your writing skills, to strive for more articulate and persuasive prose, is a gift you give yourself.