Transcript Wordy

Revising, Editing and
Proofreading
Editing isn’t a cosmetic process. It’s
a thinking process.
Richard Rhodes, author
Making of the Atomic Bomb
Revision is an ongoing process of rethinking
your paper.
 Reconsider your




arguments
Review your
evidence
Refine your purpose
Reorganize your
presentation
Revive stale or
wordy prose
During the revision process, focus on two or
three main areas each time.
 Wait awhile after
you’ve finished a
draft before you look
at it again.
 Concentrate on the
large issues in the
paper, not the
commas.
Start at the beginning of the document.
 Start reading at the
beginning when you are
drafting and revising, and
read until you come to a
section where you will be
working.
 BUT be careful not to do
endless revisions of the
beginning of the paper!
Rename your drafts.
 Every time you open
your file, save it as a
different file.
 Put a date/time
header on each draft.
Check the FOCUS of your paper.
 Is your topic too big
or too narrow?
 Do you stay on track
through the entire
paper, or do you
have extraneous
information that can
be deleted?
Consider your THESIS.
 Does your paper
follow through with
what the thesis
promises?
 Do you support all the
claims in your thesis?
 Does it generalize
instead of taking a
specific position?
Think about your PURPOSE in writing.
 Does your
introduction
state clearly
what you intend
to do?
 Will your aims be
clear to your
readers?
Check the ORGANIZATION of your paper.
 Does your paper
follow a pattern that
makes sense?
 Do the transitions
move your readers
smoothly from one
point to the next?
 Do the topic
sentences of each
paragraph introduce
what that paragraph is
about?
Check your INFORMATION.
 Are all your facts
accurate?
 Are any of your
statements misleading?
 Have you provided
enough detail to support
your thesis and back up
your arguments?
 Have you cited all your
information
appropriately?
Examine the BALANCE within your paper.
 Are some parts out of
proportion with others?
 Do you spend too much
time on one trivial point
and neglect a more
important point?
 Do you give lots of detail
early on and then let your
points get thinner by the
end?
During the revision process, look at your
content first.
 Revision doesn’t
necessarily mean
rewriting the entire
paper.
 Revision does mean
tightening up your
document.
How do I go about the process of revising?
 Work from hard copy
rather than on the
computer screen.
 Read your paper out
loud.
 Pick a few of the
questions on content
to examine each time
you revise.
 Solicit feedback and
criticism of your
writing.
How do I get to be good at revising?
 Do it often. Be
disciplined.
 The more you
write, the more
you can cut.
 Imagine yourself
as a reader
looking at your
paper for the first
time.
Give yourself time to revise.
Something that sounded
brilliant the moment
you wrote it can prove
to be less-than-brilliant
when you give it a
chance to incubate!
Pay attention to the “big picture” elements.
Higher Order
Concerns
 Thesis or focus
 Audience and
purpose
 Organization
 Development
Pay attention to the “big picture.”
Lower Order
Concerns
Sentence structure
Punctuation
Word choice
Spelling
Revising a document is like leveling a piece
of land.
In the first couple of
revisions, you use a pick
or shovel for
groundbreaking.
In your remaining
revisions, you use a rake
for smoothing.
At some point, you have
to say “enough.”
Revising
And Editing
On Computers
Revising “On Screen” vs. “On Paper”
 Avoid doing a lot of revising on screen.
(Numerous research studies show that text
revised on screen tends to be digressive,
unfocused, wordy, and less concise.)
 Print out a double-spaced copy of your
draft for major revisions and for editing.
Source: leo.stcloudstate.edu
Using spell checkers
 Check a print
dictionary for the
correct spelling of a
word before you add
the word to your
custom dictionary.
 Look carefully at
each word the spell
checker isolates.
Source: leo.stcloudstate.edu
Use the Search & Replace Feature
 To scan for
commonly misused
words or phrases
 To scan for your
favorite punctuation
errors
 To scan for your
wordiness patterns
Source: leo.stcloudstate.edu
Editing and
Proofreading
Your Paper
Source: UNC Writing Center
When editing your paper, check for the
following:
Run-on Sentences
and Sentence Fragments
 Does each sentence have
a subject, verb, and a
complete thought?
 Are your sentences too
long or too short?
 Does each sentence follow
clearly and logically from
the one before it?
How do I edit at the sentence level?
 Use forceful verbs.
 Look for places
where you’ve used
the same word or
phrase twice or
more in consecutive
sentences.
 Check your
sentence variety.
How do I edit at the sentence level?
 Cut as many
prepositional
phrases as you can
without losing your
meaning.
 Be precise in word
choice.
 Get rid of
extraneous words
and phrases.
Methods of Eliminating Wordiness
 Eliminate unnecessary determiners
and modifiers.
 Wordy
 Any particular type of dessert is fine with me.
 More Concise
 Any dessert is fine with me.
Source: owl.english.purdue.edu
Methods of Eliminating Wordiness
 Change phrases into single words.
 Wordy
 The employee with ambition…
 The department showing the best
performance…
 More Concise
 The ambitious employee
 The best-performing department
Methods of Eliminating Wordiness
 Change unnecessary that, who, and
which clauses into phrases.
 Wordy
 The report, which was released recently…
 All applicants who are interested in the job
must…
 More Concise
 The recently released report…
 All job applicants must…
Source: owl.english.purdue.edu
Methods of Eliminating Wordiness
 Avoid using expletives at the beginning
of sentences.
 Wordy
 It is the governor who signs or vetoes bills.
 There are four rules that should be observed:…
 More Concise
 The governor signs or vetoes bills.
 Four rules should be observed: …
Source: owl.english.purdue.edu
Methods of Eliminating Wordiness
 Use active rather than passive verbs.
 Wordy:
 An account was opened by Mrs. Simms.
 Your figures were checked by the research
department.
 More Concise:
 Mrs. Simms opened an account.
 The research department checked your figures.
Source: owl.english.purdue.edu
Methods of Eliminating Wordiness
 Avoid overusing noun forms of verbs.
 Wordy:
 The function of this department is the collection
of accounts.
 The current focus of the medical profession is
disease prevention.
 More Concise:
 This department collects accounts.
 The medical profession currently focuses on
disease prevention.
Source: owl.english.purdue.edu
Methods of Eliminating Wordiness
 Reword unnecessary infinitive phrases.
 Wordy:
 The duty of a clerk is to check all incoming mail
and to record it.
 More Concise:
 A clerk checks and records all incoming mail.
Source: owl.english.purdue.edu
Methods of Eliminating Wordiness
 Replace circumlocutions with direct
expressions.
 Wordy:
 At this/that point in time…
 In accordance with your request…
 More Concise:
 Now/then…
 As you requested…
Source: owl.english.purdue.edu
Methods of Eliminating Wordiness
 Omit words that explain the obvious or
provide excessive detail.
 Wordy:
 I received your inquiry yesterday. Yes, we do
have…
 More Concise:
 Yes, we do have…
Source: owl.english.purdue.edu
Methods of Eliminating Wordiness
 Omit repetitive wording.
 Wordy:
 The supply manager considered the correcting
typewriter an unneeded luxury.
 More Concise:
 The supply manager considered the correcting
typewriter a luxury.
Source: owl.english.purdue.edu
Eliminating Wordiness
For more information,
consult today’s handout
on conciseness,
Now let’s try an exercise
on eliminating wordiness
at the sentence level.
You may work alone, in
pairs, or in small groups.
More Editing and
Proofreading
Techniques
Source: UNC Writing Center
When editing your paper, check for the
following:
Punctuation
 Have you ended every
sentence with a period,
question mark, or
exclamation point?
 Are your thoughts within
sentences broken up
correctly by commas?
Have you broken up series
with commas?
 Have you used a period
after abbreviations?
When editing your paper, check for the
following:
Quotation Marks
 Did you place exact
quotes within
quotation marks?
 Did you place all
periods and commas
inside the quotation
marks?
When editing your paper, check for the
following:
Subject-Verb
Agreements
 Check every subject
and verb to make sure
that if you have used a
singular subject, you
have also used a
singular verb.
When editing your paper, check for the
following:
 Apostrophes
 Tenses
 Capitalization
 Spelling
 Paragraphing
 Omissions
Editing and Proofreading Strategies
 Don’t rely entirely on
spelling and grammar
checkers.
 Proofread for only one
kind of error at a time.
 Read slowly, and read
every word.
 Try changing the look
of your document
(size, spacing, color or
style).
Editing and Proofreading Strategies
 Circle every
punctuation mark.
 Read the paper
backwards.
 Keep reference
materials nearby.
 Keep practicing.
Strategies to Personalize Editing and
Proofreading
 Find out what errors




you typically make.
Rank order the errors
(most serious on top).
Learn concepts. Write
rules and sample
sentences in a
notebook.
Develop strategies.
Write, then apply your
strategies.