Thoughts while grading essays

not "this"

It occurred to me on the third essay that all of them would have been considerably improved and earned higher grades if my students did two things:


1. Introduced each quotation.  E.g.:

As the prominent French knight Geoffroi de Charny said in his Book of Chivalry, "He who does more is worth more."

2. Began no sentences with a bare "this."  E.g.:

This is very important.  Rather: This characteristic statement is very important.

Oh, the vagueness and confusion that could be eliminated by these two simple steps!
(Doesn't that last line sound like an Internet weight loss ad?)