bad transitions between paragraphs, misspellings? The more such
comments—and, one would expect, the lower the grade—the more
extensive the “map” your teacher has given you for your next paper,
showing you right where to “locate” your A+.
If you got a low grade on a previous paper but there weren’t any
comments, ask the teacher why you got such a poor grade. You may
get the comments you need to make the next paper better andshow
the teacher you actually care, which could also help your grade the
next time around.
Many employers merrily use resumes and cover letters with gram-
matical and/or spelling errors for wastebasket hoops practice. Don’t
expect your teachers to be any more forgiving—there are definitely
a few out there who will award an F without even noticing that the
rest of the paper is great. Guess it’s just too bad you misspelled
“Constantinople” or left a participle twisting slowly in the wind.
The Fry Paper-Writing System
The more complex a task or the longer you need to complete it, the
more important your organization becomes. By breaking down any
paper-writing project into a series of manageable steps, you’ll start to
feel less chaotic, hectic, and afraid right away.
Here are the steps that, with some minor variations along the way,
are common to virtually any written report or paper:
1.Research potential topics.
2.Finalize topic.
3.Carry out initial research.
4.Prepare general outline.
5.Do detailed research.Chapter 7 ■How to Write Terrific Papers 137