This article summarizes what personal essays are and how you can work towards writing a strong one yourself.

To read more examples of bad thesis statements revised into stronger ones, click here. 

For more on thesis statements, read this page from the Purdue Owl.

For tips on giving a strong presentation, check out this article.

To review concise writing strategies, click here.

Check out these videos about understanding the three types of irony.

Here is a sheet explaining the three types of irony in writing.

Here’s an explanation of the difference between simile and metaphor.

Here is a rundown of the use of hyperbole in literature.

Pages 126-131 of your textbook cover, quite thoughtfully I believe, the concept of a thesis statement and how to develop one. I would suggest starting there. Some additional resources for developing a strong thesis statement are this site and this one.

Summary Vs. Analysis Resources: Click here for a helpful breakdown of the differences between summary and analysis. Here is another site explaining the differences.

To review the rhetorical triangle, check out this website.

This book, The Elements of Style by Strunk and White, has been in the private collections of most professional writers and editors since it was originally published in 1920. You’ll find many useful tips on how to improve the style of your writing by browsing a few chapters here and there.

The Purdue Owl is a wonderfully helpful website for help with citations and formatting. Visit them here.

Grammar.com is a website devoted to assisting with all manner of grammar issues, from commonly misspelled words to the correct use of punctuation marks. Check them out anytime you have a basic grammar question.

Grammarly is an extension you can add to Google Chrome which will check your grammar and spelling for you whenever you are typing. I find it very helpful.

These editing tips aimed at magazine editors are every bit as useful for student writers. Try these tips out as part of your revision process.