REDUNDANCY ()

a : the quality or state of being redundant : SUPERFLUITY

b : the use of redundant components; also : such components
c chiefly British : dismissal from a job especially by layof

2:

PROFUSION, ABUNDANCE

a : superfluous repetition : PROLIXITY

b : an act or instance of needless repetition

4:

the part of a message that can be eliminated without loss of essential information

Chekhov's gun
Chekhov's gun is a dramatic principle that requires every element in a narrative be necessary
and irreplaceable, and that everything else be removed
Remove everything that has no relevance to the story. If you say in the first chapter that there is a
rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go of. If it's not going to
be fired, it shouldn't be hanging there.
Anton Chekhov

Assessing written texts

TOGL (task, organization, grammar and lexis) assessment criteria.
Task
Realizationhas the student fulfilled the task instructions? Have they covered all the points they
needed to address or have they forgotten to write an argument?
Lengthis the text long or short enough according to the instructions? Does the writer waffle on and
on, are they far too brief or do they hit the minimum word length like a bullseye?
Style, tone & registerdoes the writer choose the correct register: formal, neutral or informal? Does the
tone relate appropriately to the reader? Does the style fit the purpose?
Fluency and impact on readerdoes the text read smoothly? How well does the message get across to
the reader - does the reader finish the essay none the wiser on the subject or does the essay leave
them with a new perspective and plenty of food for thought?

Organization
Organizationare the sections, or paragraphs, of the text set out logically?
Cohesion Does the last sentence of one paragraph connect to the topic of the next paragraph or do
the topics chop and change without warning? Do sentences within paragraphs connect?
Linking phrases, connectors and conjunctions to keep their message consistent, or are the
sentences independent of one another without a hint of relevance?
Formatif a text of this type has an accepted visual appearance, does the submitted work reflect this?
Is the chosen font/handwriting suitable or is it nearly illegible?
Paragraphs? Internal structure?
Punctuation: has the author used punctuation marks efectively, or have they written a 200-word essay
in the style of Gabriel Garcia Marquz?

Grammar
Rangeis the text written using a limited variety of structures or does the writer exploit
diferent tenses and aspects to add shades of meaning?

Lexis
Rangeare words or phrases repeated throughout the discourse, lexical variety
New vocabulary? Lexical chains?

Adapted from: http://teflpedia.com/Assessing_written_texts

STEPS FOR WRITING A REVIEW

1) Choose a review site such as TripAdvisor, TravBuddy or TravelPost.

2) Introduce yourself and tell why you took the trip. Share if your trip was business
or pleasure and whether or not you took your family. You might also add your frequency of
travel because that lends to your credibility as a resource for information.
3) Tell what room type you stayed in. This might be particularly helpful as readers are
selecting which reviews to continue reading.
4) Be concise and descriptive with your review, and use proper spelling and
grammar.
Give advice to the travelers such as providing details that you wish you would have
known before you went on the trip.
Give information about the property that can't be found on the website. Tell if there
are a restaurant or two right next door, so meals were relatively inexpensive, or
share that it was in a secluded location and you could only eat at the expensive
hotel restaurant.
5) Provide information specific to your trip, such as if you had a nice concierge
or if the maid created animals out of the towels each day.
6) Include photographs if the site allows it. The old adage is true that a picture can
be worth a thousand words, especially if it shows unsavory conditions that no hotel guest
should be subject to.
7) Include information about the location that you stayed in. List major attractions
that it was by, be honest about how far it really was from the beach, or tell if you had to
pay an arm and a leg in cab fare to get to the hotel from the airport.
8) Share about the amenities. Tell if the pool was really as big as it appeared in the
photographs, write about if the bed was comfortable or if you felt like you were sleeping on
thin mattresses, or mention the quality of the television set and the cable options
available.
9) Discuss the services offered by the property. Write about how courteous or rude
the staf was, whether the staf was timely in handling requests, and definitely comment
about how clean the maids got the room.
10) Focus on the big picture. A small error such as forgetting to bring new shampoo
and conditioner can be forgivable if your overall experience was wonderful. Write to the
overall stay, and don't get hung up on minor, irrelevant details

Express yourselves high school writing