Category: Editing Tips

For students in my classes, this is where you will find editing guidelines for your papers, team projects and presentations.  Please be sure to read over the guidelines before you submit your work.

That

Students often overuse the word: that

When you are editing, underline all of the that’s in your document.

    • Read, and then read again, all sentences which contain the word “that.”
    • Many times “that” can be omitted, or the word “which” or “who” may be substituted.
    • Sometimes, however, “that” is necessary and must remain in the sentence.

Example:

  • I’m certain that you understand everything I’m trying to say.
  • Better way: I’m certain you understand everything I’m trying to say.

NOTE: Only by reading the sentence out loud and concentrating on it, will you be able to delete all unnecessary usage of the word that.

HINT: Use the “find” feature in your word processor for locating all of the times you used “that” in your manuscript.

The Writing Process Chart

Pre-write
Get your ideas down
Brainstorm!

Draft
Get your ideas into some working form – organize topics and sub-topics into sentences & paragraphs.
This is a rough draft.

Share
Share the first draft with a partner or teacher. Get feedback. What needs to changed?

Revise
Rework ideas – add, cut.

Redraft
Rewrite your first draft with your revisions.

Edit
Check spelling, sentence structure, organization, punctuation, capitalization.

Write final copy.
Publish or Present!

Writing Partner Directions

1.   Pair off into groups of two to four. Each participant shares their writing by reading it aloud. The other members of the group listen for the following:

  • What is the writer’s thesis/claim in the paper? Is this position clearly communicated to the reader?
  • What evidence does the writer use to support his/her position?
  • How is the writing organized? Does the writer follow a logical sequence to guide the reader through his/her reasoning?
  • Think about the overall effectiveness of the piece. Does the writer accomplish his/her goals?

2.  Take turns talking about what you like/found enjoyable/made you think about the content of your partner’s writing.

  • Ask questions about items in the paper.
  • Make positive suggestions to the writer of the piece such as “Write a little bit more about…..” or “Perhaps you might want to clarify this part….”

3.  Once everyone has read and made positive critiques of each piece of writing, go back and revise the work.

4.  Once you are done with revisions, schedule an editing conference with your partner – Carefully look at each sentence and check the following:
a. Does the sentence make sense?
b. Are the words in the sentence in the correct order?
c. Are articles (a, an, the) used correctly?
d. Is the subject/verb agreement correct?
e. Is the correct verb tense used?
f. Are the prepositions (e.g. to, at, in, on) used correctly?
f. Is the punctuation correct?
g. Is the capitalization correct?
h. Are all the words spelled correctly?

If you have a question about grammar and usage, ask your instructor

5.   Make corrections and do the final draft. Read it out loud again to make sure your work is cohesive and flows well. Process your final, best copy and turn it in.