1. Revising, Proofreading, and Formatting Comm Arts I Mr. Wreford

2. Revising, Proofreading, and Formatting Revising, Proofreading, and Formatting: Some writers consider it an afterthought. Help you present your ideas in the best possible way. Revising helps capture your ideas more clearly. Proofreading and formatting help give them the polish they need.

3. Revising, Proofreading, and Formatting Revising: Adds polish. You must anticipate a reader’s objections and meet them. Helps spot possible misunderstandings. A process of stepping back and looking at your work with the eyes of a reader.

4. Revising, Proofreading, and Formatting Revising: Literally, means “to see again.” The difficult part is looking at your work with new eyes. You often see what you meant to say. Time is your best ally. Have someone else look at it.

5. Revising, Proofreading, and Formatting Checklist for Revision: The Topic Sentence: Does the paragraph have a topic sentence that clearly states the main idea of the entire paragraph? Is the topic sentence the first or second sentence in the paragraph?

6. Revising, Proofreading, and Formatting Checklist for Revision: The Supporting Sentences: Does each sentence of the paragraph support the topic sentence? Do your examples and explanations provide specific detail to support the topic sentence? Is each point you raise adequately explained and supported?

7. Revising, Proofreading, and Formatting Checklist for Revision: The Ending: Is the last sentence satisfying and final-sounding? Does the last sentence serve as a summary or closing sentence for the entire paragraph? Checking Coherence: Is the order of ideas clear and logical? Are transitional words used effectively? Exercise 1 on page 77.

8. Revising, Proofreading, and Formatting Proofreading: Misspellings take a reader’s focus away from your ideas. An essential last step in your writing. A chore, but a necessary chore. After final revision, proofread at least twice.

9. Revising, Proofreading, and Formatting The Top-Down Technique: First proofreading. Ensure connections between ideas are smooth. Check flow of sentences and paragraphs. Check for parallel structure, clear pronoun reference, and appropriate transitional expressions.

10. Revising, Proofreading, and Formatting The Bottom-Up Technique: Second proofread. More labor intensive and focused. Read it one sentence at a time. No focus on connections or flow.

11. Revising, Proofreading, and Formatting The Targeting Technique: If you have a “favorite error,” try an additional proofreading to target that error. Subject-verb agreement: Check each subject- verb sequence. Look for present-tense verb forms and make sure they agree with their subjects.

12. Revising, Proofreading, and Formatting The Targeting Technique: Comma splices and run-ons: Target long sentences; they are more likely to be run-ons. Target commas and see if there is a sentence on both sides of the comma; if so, you have a comma splice.

13. Revising, Proofreading, and Formatting The Targeting Technique: Other comma errors: Target each comma and question its reason for being there. If you aren’t sure why it is there, maybe it doesn’t belong. Pronoun agreement: Look for the plural pronouns they and their, and make sure that they have a plural, not a singular, antecedent.

14. Revising, Proofreading, and Formatting The Targeting Technique: Sentence fragments: Using the bottom-up technique, read each sentence to see if it could stand on its own.

15. Revising, Proofreading, and Formatting Proofreading the Word-Processed Paragraph: Spelling and grammar checkers can be helpful in proofreading, but they are no substitute for knowledge and judgment. Weather or knot ewe use a spelling checker, you knead too proofread. Group Exercise 1 on page 81.

16. Revising, Proofreading, and Formatting Formatting: First impressions count. Entire books have been written about it. Always follow your professor’s instructions. If you have no specific instructions, here are some tips.

17. Revising, Proofreading, and Formatting Handwritten Documents: Paragraphs and Essays: Use lined white 8 ½ X 11-inch paper and blue or black ink. Write on one side of the paper only and leave wide margins. Put your name and the date in the upper right-hand corner. Add instructor’s name and class title if you wish.

18. Revising, Proofreading, and Formatting Handwritten Documents: Paragraphs and Essays: Center your title, if any, on the first line of the paper. Indent each paragraph five spaces. Do not skip lines unless directed to do so. Draw a single line through errors.

19. Revising, Proofreading, and Formatting Word-Processed Documents: Use easily readable font and font size. Do not use a bold or italic font. Place a single paper clip in the upper left corner. Double-space the text. See example on page 85.