Editing Process: English 10 Spoken Language

Preparing to proofread Allow time for a brain break. Put your essay away for a day…or even 30 minutes! Print a hard copy and grab a pen Have a list to check as you proofread A pre-made list A list of your own common errors

Strategies for Proofreading Don’t rush! Read slowly and carefully so your brain can process and your eyes can find errors Read out loud! Read out loud to yourself Read out loud to a friend (get some feedback) Listen to a friend read to you (don’t look at your essay) Imagine you are the audience instead of the writer Read sentence by sentence, starting from the end

More Strategies for Proofreading Source: https://writingcenter. unc Don’t rely entirely on spelling checkers. Spell checkers will not catch misspellings that form another valid word. Grammar checkers can be problematic. These programs work with a limited number of rules, so they can’t identify every error and often make mistakes. Proofread for only one kind of error at a time. If you try to identify and revise too many things at once, you risk losing focus, and your proofreading will be less effective. Read slow, and read every word. Try reading out loud, which forces you to say each word and also lets you hear how the words sound together.

Even more Strategies for Proofreading. Source: https://writingcenter Separate the text into individual sentences. This will help you to read every sentence carefully. Simply press the return key after every period so that every line begins a new sentence. Then read each sentence separately, looking for specific errors. Circle every punctuation mark. This forces you to look at each one. As you circle, ask yourself if the punctuation is correct. Read the paper backwards. This technique is helpful for checking spelling. Start with the last word on the last page and work your way back to the beginning, reading each word separately. When in doubt, look it up! You’ll often find things that don’t seem quite right to you, but you may not be quite sure what’s wrong either. If you’re not sure about something, check your resources.

Step 1: Editing Content Source: https://writingcenter. unc Have you done everything the assignment requires? Are the claims you make accurate? If it is required to do so, does your paper make an argument? Is the argument complete? Are all of your claims consistent? Have you supported each point with adequate evidence? Is all of the information in your paper relevant to the assignment and/or your overall writing goal?

Step 2: Editing Unity & Coherence Source: https://writingcenter. unc Does your paper have an appropriate introduction and conclusion? Is your thesis clearly stated in your introduction? Is it clear how each paragraph in the body of your paper is related to your thesis? Are the paragraphs arranged in a logical sequence? Have you made clear transitions between paragraphs? One way to check the structure of your paper is to make a reverse outline of the paper after you have written the first draft.

Step 3: Editing Unity & Coherence within Paragraphs Source: https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/editing-and-proofreading/ Does each paragraph have a clear topic sentence? Does each paragraph stick to one main idea? Is there any extra or missing information in any of your paragraphs?

Proofreading for Sentence Structure Fragments? (Missing a subject or verb or complete idea) Crazily hitting the side of the wall. (missing a subject) The beginning of the day. (missing a verb) When the car started heading towards me. (missing a complete idea) Run-ons / Comma Splices? The water crept closer and closer I started to feel terrified. The water crept closer and closer, I started to feel terrified. Conjunction / Punctuation Errors?

Grammar: Count/Non-count Nouns & Articles Count vs. Non-count Nouns correct? When in doubt, check it out! Any missing or extra articles (a, an the)? Know when you should or should not include an article. Correct article usage? Make sure you have chosen the correct article to use.

Grammar: Verb Errors Consistent verb tense? If you start in past tense, you need to write the whole paragraph in past tense Subject/verb agreement errors? He like pizza. (Correction: He likes pizza) They goes to school. (Correction: They go to school.) https://whathowtowhy.com/verb/

Grammar: Pronouns Pronoun reference? Is it clear who or what (he, she, it, they, which, who, this, etc.) refers to? Plural / Singular Agreement? Does the pronoun agree in number with the antecedent? Gender Agreement? Does the pronoun agree in gender with the antecedent? New paragraph / antecedent repeated?

Grammar: Prepositions Correct Preposition? Study your prepositions and common verb/preposition combinations, but when in doubt, check it out! Is the prepositional phrase necessary? Limit your use! Reminder: the noun or pronoun that follows a preposition forms a ‘prepositional object’.  If it is a pronoun, it should therefore be in the objective form (me, her, them), not subjective form (I, she, they): This is from my wife and me. (not ‘my wife and I’)

Grammar: Word Form Noun form? Verb form? Adjective form? Adverb form? When in doubt, check it out! https://slideplayer.com/slide/4264712/

Sources: Https://writeshop.Com/reasons-to-brainstorm/ https://owl.English.purdue.edu/owl/owlprint/561/ https://writingcenter.unc.edu