Question

final test
this test reflects all rules from both parts of the formal/informal style packet: vague slang, informal wording, first/second person, contractions, (referring to reader/self/paper), uncertainty, filler words, arabic numerals, & “no-nos” (starting a sentence with a conjunction & ending a sentence with a preposition)
there are over 80 errors. your job is to find 50 of them!
instructions

1. read the two paragraphs below from an essay on joseph conrad’s heart of darkness.
2. underline or highlight every instance of informal language.
3. in the space above each error, rewrite each underlined/highlighted phrase or sentence in a formal style suitable for an academic essay.
4. note: some sentences may have multiple issues—you can fix more than one error in a sentence!

test passage
is joseph conrad’s heart of darkness an anti - colonial novella? not to be overly salty, but this question is kind of sketch in a lot of ways, and it does a disservice to the text in question. first, what does it even mean to be “anti - colonial”? by what standards can you judge the moral and political assumptions and values implicit in the novella in order to make a conclusion? 2nd, it’d be too easy to get bogged down in a quagmire of terms, definitions, and political bias, especially because it is tempting to try and fit post - colonial

Explanation:

1. Identify informal phrases, first/second person, vague language, and casual structure, then rewrite each in formal academic style.
2. Fix conversational tone, replace slang, adjust number formatting, and remove casual framing.

Answer:

1. "Not to be overly salty, but" → To begin with a critical perspective,
2. "kind of sketch in a lot of ways" → problematic on multiple levels
3. "what does it even mean to be 'anti-colonial'?" → what is the precise definition of "anti-colonial"?
4. "can you judge" → may one evaluate
5. "2nd" → Second
6. "it'd be too easy" → it would be simplistic
7. "try and fit" → attempt to force
8. (Ending the first sentence with a question mark after a casual aside is adjusted by rephrasing the opening to a formal transition)