These are general instructions for all undergraduate and graduate courses taught by Lauer

When you write in Spanish (or English for FVS/MLLL classes only), try to do the following: 

• Use the active voice (subject + verb + object).
• Write brief, concise, clear sentences (be aware of parallelisms [faulty parallelisms are common mistakes among writers]). 
• When writing more complex (compound) sentences, use connectors to ease the flow of the narrative (I shall give you a long list of good connectors [see below]). 

• A telling title (this should guide you and your reader through the paper). 
• A clearly defined thesis (an extension of the title). 
• A development of the thesis (examples, evidence, several sentences). 
• A CONCLUSION (which should refer back to the thesis and title).  A conclusion should give a sense of finality to things, not start some new thesis. 
• A Works Cited (Obras citadas) section according to MLA standards (quoted material must be done parenthetically within the text).

A graduate student paper should be between 10-20 pages and include a Works Cited (Obras citadas) section.  MLA guidelines should be followed exclusively. 
A graduate paper is a research paper.  The research paper proves something.  Hence, a graduate paper should have the following components: 

• A state of the question.  This in effect justifies why you are writing a research paper at all. 
• A Statement.  This is your contribution to the topic being researched. 
• A Proof.  Here you give evidence (from the sources listed in the Works Cited section) for your Statement. 
• A Counter-Proof.  Here you challenge previous criticism (if so desired). 
• A Conclusion.  The conclusion is a reiteration of the Statement in a brief and succinct way.  Do not introduce any new elements after this point. 

1. A title (that adjusts itself to the question [or topic] asked).
2. A main idea (which may be compared and contrasted to another, if that is what the question [or topic] asks).
3. A development of the idea (or the comparison and contrast).
4. A conclusion (an answer to the question or main idea suggested by the topic or question asked, or the result of the comparison and contrast).
5. A Works Cited (Obras citadas) section following MLA guidelines.

• Use a computer.  Do not turn in handwritten papers for compositions written at home.
• Turn in a clean copy of your paper.  Make sure you have enough ink in the cartridge of your printer.  Laser copies are easy on the eye. 
• Use only mechanical diacritic (extended characters) marks (also called "symbols" in Word)  or simply change the keyboard in your computer (to "English-International" [trust me on this one]) to create accents, tildes, dieresis, etc.  Do not use pencil or pen markings.  If you make the English-International keyboard your default language, you will get accents and tilde marks by merely pressing the apostrophe button and then the vowel wanted: á, é, í, ó, ú; the double quotation mark and the u to get an umlaut: ü; the tilde mark and the n to create an eñe: ñ; CTRL + ALT + ? to create the interrogative ¿; CTRL + ALT + [ to open a  comilla: «; CTRL + ALT + ] to close a comilla:  », etc.  Otherwise, memorize the PC or Apple ASCII codes listed below. 
• For all papers I highly recommend the following style and font size:  "New Courier 12."  
• Use only white paper (double-spaced, with one inch margins on all sides) and only ONE side of the page.
• Use only ONE side of the paper.
• Double-space every line (do not triple-space between paragraphs or leave less than a double space [e.g., 1.5] between the lines). 
• Indent each paragraph (5 spaces [using "New Courier 12"] from the left [Modern Language Association of America usage]) [i.e., do not use "block" paragraphs or European indentation [more than 5 spaces]. 
• Paraphrase or use indirect style instead of direct style (i.e., "he said he was ill" instead of "he said: 'I am ill.'").  However, quote material that needs to be quoted for emphasis or precision.
• Number pages consecutively, on the upper right corner, after your lastname (e.g., Smith 1, Smith 2, Smith 3, etc.), from the title page to the Works Cited (Obras citadas) section.
• Add a Works Cited (Obras citadas) section.  Quote some material parenthetically within the text as well (that would justify adding a Works Cited [Obras citadas] section).
• Place a paper clip (not a staple) on the upper left corner to hold the pages of your paper together. 
• When quoting material, use ONLY Spanish (French, actually) quotation marks (comillas):  «  . . . ».  Do not use << . . . >> as a substitute for « . . . » or English quotation marks (". . . "). 
• In a series of words, elide the comma between the penultimate and final element: (e.g, «le gusta comer uvas, plátanos y manzanas»).  In English, a comma is used to separate all congeries: "He likes to eat grapes, bananas, and apples." 
• In quoted material, all punctuation marks in Spanish are placed outside the comillas: «le gusta comer uvas, plátanos y manzanas».  In English, the punctuation marks are placed inside the quotation marks: "He likes to eat grapes, bananas, and apples."

LC         =   Lower case:  «Son españoles» (not «Son Españoles»).
Cap       =   Capitalize:  «Son de España» (not «Son de españa»).
WF        =   Wrong font: Use New Courier 12.
 ^           =    Insert
 #           =    Space (add [ + ] or use less [ - ] space)
SP          =    Spelling error (check your sources or look up the word in a dictionary).
 ¶            =    Paragraph (start a new paragraph or do not start a new paragraph: “no ¶ ”).
( / )         =    Use parentheses.
FRAG    =    Incomplete sentence (usually a connecting verb is missing).
(/)            =  Close up space: «¡Hola!» (not « ¡Hola! »:  «(/)!Hola!(/)»).
PUNCT  =   Faulty or no punctuation.
ð             =   Delete (from the Greek letter delta ["d"])
ROM      =   Romanize (use New Courier 12).
TRANS  =   Tranpose:  garcias > gracias
 
 

CONNECTORS:  A además, / es más, A propósito, a propósito de . . . asimismo / así mismo cabe notar/decir A moreover, / furthermore,  By the way,  in regards with / in reference to  likewise,  It should be noted / said  A Además [Es más], no creo que sea suficiente A propósito, ¿sabes cuánto cuesta? A propósito de Juan, ¿cómo está? Asimismo, es posible que vengan. Cabe notar que [Cabe decir que] Juan es analfabeto. A Moreover [Furthermore], I don't thing it will be sufficient. By the way, do you know how much it costs? In regards with [In reference to] John, how is he? Likewise, it is possible that they will come. It should be noted that [It should be said that] John is illiterate. B con tal de que + subjuntivo consiste en  consta de  de acuerdo con . . . debido a (eso), B provided that  it consists of  it consists of (# of parts, acts, etc.)  according to . . .  due to / because of (that),  B Con tal de que venga temprano, no habrá problemas. El problema consiste en no tener suficiente dinero. La ópera consta de tres actos. De acuerdo con la Biblia, Dios creó el mundo en siete días. Debido a las teorías de Darwin, se postulan otra como «diseño inteligente». B Provided he arrives early, there should be no problem. The problem consists of not having enough money. The opera consists of three acts. According to the Bible, God created the world in seven days. Due to [Because of] Darwin's theories, others like "intelligent design" have been postulated. C depende de desde ese punto de vista en cambio en cuanto a / con respecto a  en forma breve y concisa C to depend on (upon)  from that point of view  whereas / on the other hand  with respect (regard) to  briefly (stated),  C --¿Vamos al cine?  --Depende de lo que diga mi hermano. ¡Desde ese punto de vista, cualquier teoría sería correcta! El presidente Carter se considera como un presidente débil por no haber atacado Irán en los años 60; en cambio, el presidente Bush se considera agresivo por haber atacado Irak. En cuanto a [Con respecto a] Cuba, no se sabe a ciencia cierta qué ocurrirá después de la muerte de Castro. En forma breve y concisa, el plan de guerra ha fallado. C "Should we go to the movies?"  "It depends on what my brother says." From that point of view, any theory would be right! President Carter is considered a weak president for not having attacked Iran in the 1960s; whereas [on the other hand] President Bush is considered aggressive for having attacked Iraq. With respect to [With regard to] Cuba, one does not know for sure what will happen after the death of Castro. Briefly stated, the war plan has failed. D en pocas palabras  (eso) viene al caso / (eso) no viene al caso hacer caso / prestar atención  hacer caso omiso de /  pasar por alto /  D to summarize / in other words  To bear (or not) on the subject / to be (or not) pertinent (relevant)  to pay attention  to ignore / to pay no attention to  not to pay attention, to overlook (intentionally)  D En pocas palabras, la venta ha sido un éxito. Hablar sobre eso ahora no viene al caso. Hay que hacer caso (prestar atención) a las palabras del papa. Hay que hacer caso omiso de las palabras de un mentiroso. El juez pasó por alto la opinión del abogado. D En pocas palabras [In other words], the sale has been a success. To speak about it now is irrelevant (not pertinent} [does not bear on the subject]. One must pay attention to the words of the Pope. One must ignore (not pay attention to) the words of a liar. The judge overlooked the lawyer's opinion. E no prestar atención  Huelga decir que / Sobra decir que . . . naturalmente, / por supuesto, / desde luego,  E not to pay attention  Needless to say . . .  Of course  Of course,  Of course,  E María no le presta mucha atención a Juan. Huelga decir que [Sobra decir que] el acusado fue perdonado. --¿Vas a hacerlo?  --Naturalmente [Por supuesto] {Desde luego}. E Mary does not pay much attention to John. Needless to say, the accused was pardoned. "Are you going to do it?  Naturally [Of course]. F no obstante, otrosí, por añadidura,/adicionalmente, por consiguiente, / por ende, por lo tanto, F That notwithstanding, . . . / Nevertheless, . . .  Furthermore / besides, / moreover  Additionally,  therefore,  hence,  F Ana le advirtió a Juan que no se bañara en el lago después de comer.  No obstante, Juan lo hizo. No se bebe fumar en la iglesia.  Otrosí, hay que apagar los teléfonos celulares. No debe fumar.  Adicionalmente (Por añadidura), tampoco debe comer mucho. De joven no ahorró dinero.  Por consiguiente [Por ende], ahora es pobre. Pedro no dejó de preocuparse.  Por lo tanto, sufrió un derrame cerebral. F Ann warned John not to swim in the lake after eating.  That notwithstanding [Nevertheless], John did it. One ought not to talk in Church.  Morevoer {Furthermore], one ought to turn off one's cell phone. You ought not to smoke.  Additionally, you ought not to eat much. As a young person s/he did not save money.  Therefore, now s/he is poor. Peter did not stop worrying.  Hence, he had a stroke. G por mi parte por mucho que + subjuntivo por poco que + subjuntivo  por un lado, por otro lado, / por el otro, por una parte, por otra parte, / por la otra, G as far as I am concerned  no matter how much  no matter how little  on the one hand,  on the other,  on one hand,  on the other,  G Espero que dejes de beber.  Por mi parte, yo dejaré de fumar. Por mucho [poco] que llores, la situación seguirá igual Por un lado [Por una parte], sería bueno que no hubiera guerras. Por otro lado [Por el otro / Por otra parte <Por la otra>], sería malo para los negocios. G I hope you stop drinking.  As far as I am concerned, I will stop smoking. No matter how much [little] you cry, the situation wil remain the same. On the one hand, it would be good if there were no wars. On the other [hand], it would be bad for business. H que yo sepa se sobrentiende Según. / Depende. según . . .  siempre y cuando + subjuntivo sin embargo,  tener presente / tener en cuenta H as far as I know  it is self understood  It depends.  according to . . .  provided that  however, / nevertheless,  to keep in mind  H Que yo sepa, todavía hay campos de concentración en Europa. Se sobrentiende que estoy hanblando de la Europa oriental. --Crees todo lo que lees?  --Depende de quien lo diga Según Juan, nunca ha habido un holocausto. Eso podrá ser cierto siempre y cuando Juan defina sus términos. Sin embargo, la evidencia es obvia. Hay que tener en cuenta [tener presente] que Juan no ha leído mucho. H As far as I know, there are still concentration camps in Europe. It is self understood that I am talking about Eastern Europe. "Do you believe everything you read?" "it depends on who says it." According to John, there has never been a holocaust. That might be true provided that John defines his terms. However [Nevertheless], the evidence is obvious. One must keep in mind that John has not read much.

ASCII Code for Extended Characters (Symbols): Instructions (example): To get an é (an e with an acute accent), press ALT and the appropriate number on the numeric pad of your computer (i.e., ALT + [numeric pad no.] 130).  If you have a Macintosh, press OPTION e then e      Codes for PCs (Microsoft Word or WordPerfect):  á    ALT + [numeric pad no.] 160  (e.g., plástico)  é    ALT + [numeric pad no.] 130  (e.g., éxito)  í     ALT + [numeric pad no.] 161  (e.g., implícito)  ï     ALT + [numeric pad no.] 139  ó    ALT + [numeric pad no.] 162  (e.g., anatómico)  ú    ALT + [numeric pad no.] 163  (e.g., crepúsculo)  ü    ALT + [numeric pad no.] 129  (e.g., lingüística)  ñ    ALT + [numeric pad no.] 164  (e.g., niño)  Á   ALT + [numeric pad no.] 0193 (e.g., Los Ángeles)  É    ALT + [numeric pad no.] 144   (e.g., Éxito)  Í     ALT + [numeric pad no.] 0205 (e.g., Índice)  Ï     ALT + [numeric pad no.] 0207  Ó    ALT + [numeric pad no.] 0211 (e.g., Ópera)  Ú    ALT + [numeric pad no.] 0218 (e.g., Único)  Ü    ALT + [numeric pad no.] 0220 (e.g., PINGÜINO)  Ñ    ALT + [numeric pad no.] 165  (e.g., NIÑO)  ¿     ALT + [numeric pad no.] 168  (¿Qué es esto?)  ¡     ALT + [numeric pad no.] 173  (¡Dios mío!}  «    ALT + [numeric pad no.] 174  («Ser o no ser . . .  »    ALT + [numeric pad no.] 175  . . . he ahí el problema»)  ª     ALT + [numeric pad no.] 166  (Doña Ana > Dª Ana)  º     ALT + [numeric pad no.] 167  (el primero > el 1º)  ½   ALT + [numeric pad no.] 171  (medio {½} litro)  ¼   ALT + [numeric pad no.] 172  (un cuarto {¼} de litro)  Codes for Macintosh computers (WordPerfect or Word):  á      OPTION e then a  é      OPTION e then e  í      OPTION  e then i  ï      OPTION  u then i  ó     OPTION e then o  ú     OPTION e then u  ü     OPTION u then u  ñ     OPTION n then n  Á    OPTION e then SHIFT a  É    OPTION e then SHIFT e  Í     OPTION e then SHIFT i  Ï     OPTION u then SHIFT i  Ó    OPTION e then SHIFT o  Ú    OPTION e then SHIFT u  Ü    OPTION u then SHIFT u  Ñ    OPTION n then SHIFT n  ¿     SHIFT OPTION ?  ¡     OPTION 1  «     OPTION \  »     SHIFT OPTION \  º      SHIFT OPTION 8

Page created in by 
A. Robert Lauer

Last revised on 
5 September 2009