(Notice the use of punctuation leading up to a quote. Many students are confused about when to use a comma or a colon, or when to move directly into the quote without any punctuation.) If you bring a name into the text of your paper, it's usually helpful to explain who that person is (this is not necessary in a professional art-historical article but is often a good idea in an undergraduate paper).

- 8) Grammar

Obviously relatively minor problems like grammatical and typographical errors are much less important in writing a successful and meaningful paper than larger-order issues like content (e.g., careful focus of your thesis and clear development of that thesis) and voice (maintaining the strength of your personal voice, especially important as you interact with your sources). BUT they are still elements in the process of communicating your ideas, and persistent problems can interrupt the flow of your ideas (like boulders in a stream) or can be confusing and annoying for your readers (like static on a TV screen). I strongly encourage you to get in the habit of reading and re-reading everything you write before you turn it in (even early drafts). Proofreading is often helped by reading each sentence out loud. Spell-check is useful, but you can't rely on it absolutely since it doesn't catch a lot of problems. Here are some common problems often seen in papers, listed here in no particular order of importance:

1) 1) use of apostrophes (EasyWriter, ed., 190-92) a) in contractions: it's = it is b) in possessive situations: the animal's tail, the animals' tails 6th 2) use of commas (EasyWriter, ed., 180-86) a) to set off clauses at the beginning of a sentence: incorrect: Although, she said she'd come at noon she didn't arrive until 1:00. correct: Although she said she'd come at noon, she didn't arrive until 1:00.

- b) to set off secondary clauses in the middle of a sentence (in which case you need two commas, one at

each end of the clause): incorrect: I saw the cat, which moved like a well-oiled machine creep with cunning ease toward the bird. correct: I saw the cat, which moved like a well-oiled machine, creep with cunning ease toward the bird. 6th c) not to separate two complete sentences (which would be a comma splice; EasyWriter, ed., 186): incorrect: Mary hopped on the bus for her weekly trip to town, she needed some groceries. correct: Mary hopped on the bus for her weekly trip to town, since she needed some groceries; or Mary hopped on the bus for her weekly trip to town; she needed some groceries. d) place commas in a sentence where your voice naturally pauses: incorrect: I was hoping to get the newspaper before my father read the headlines but, he found it before I could hide it. correct: I was hoping to get the newspaper before my father read the headlines, but he found it before I could hide it. 6th 3) subject-verb agreement (EasyWriter, ed., 137-38 ) a) it's easy to get confused by secondary clauses that come between the subject and the verb, but remember that they don't affect the need for subject-verb agreement: incorrect: The purpose for giving so many examples are to reinforce the point. correct: The purpose for giving so many examples is to reinforce the point.

USEFUL REFERENCES REFERENCES (usually found in the library or the Art Dept. Student Lounge) Barnet, Sylvan. A Short Guide to Writing about Art. HarperCollins, 1993. Jones, Lois Swan. Art Information: Research Methods and Resources. Kendall/Hunt, 1990. ---. Art Information and the Internet. Oryx, 1999. 6th Lunsford, Andrea A. EasyWriter, ed. Bedford, 2016. Reid, Donna K. Thinking and Writing About Art History. 2nd ed. Prentice-Hall, 2000. Sayre, Henry M. Writing about Art. Prentice-Hall, 1989.

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