Revising and Editing

1. Revising and Editing 2-step process

2. Editing: Focus on Errors • Commas – most commonly misused punctuation (in this class) • Pronouns & Antecedents • Shifts in person – 1st and 2nd

3. Revising: Focus on Content • Adding new ideas • Continue researching topic • Talk to someone else • Removing irrelevant information • What doesn’t fit here? • Does this matter? • Moving around information and ideas • Rearrange the order of the ideas

4. Run-ons • Comma Splice (CS) • When 2 independent clauses are joined together with only a comma (missing coordinating conjunction) • Fused Sentence (FS) • When 2 independent clauses are joined together with no punctuation at all

5. Comma Splice • Editing Options • Add the coordinating conjunction after the comma (for, and, nor, buy, or, yet, so) • Separate with period to create 2 sentences • Change comma to semi-colon • Change comma to semi-colon and add conjunctive adverb (however, therefore, consequently., etc;) – must place comma after the conjunctive adverb

6. Fused Sentence • Editing Options • Add a comma and a coordinating conjunction between the two independent clauses • Separate with period to create 2 sentences • Separate with a semi-colon • Separate with a semi-colon and add conjunctive adverb (however, therefore, consequently., etc;) – must place comma after the conjunctive adverb

7. Pronouns • Reference • Pronoun must refer to a noun • The noun must precede the pronoun • Agreement • The pronoun must agree in NUMBER with its antecedent • Singular noun = singular pronoun • One’s, body’s, thing’s • Plural noun = plural pronoun • Both, many, all

8. Pronouns • Read paper and highlightevery pronoun you find (yellow) • Draw an arrow to each pronoun’s antecedent • Verify that each pronoun agrees with its antecedent in number (singular/plural) • Revise = when antecedent is missing or unclear

9. This –n- That –n- There • For starters, don’t use this, that, there for sentence openers. • Highlight each sentence that begins with this, that or there and revise the sentence. • Revise = change the word order or add information • Revise = combine the information in ‘this’ sentence to the previous sentence

10. Shifts • 1st person – I, Me, We, Us • 2nd person – You, Your • 3rd person – He, she, they, them • Use 3rd person in academic writing and remain consistent throughout. Do not shift back and forth throughout the essay. • Highlight (green) each 1st or 2ndperson pronoun

11. Quotes – Textual Evidence • They Say, I Say • Summarizing – Chapter 2 • Templates for introducing quotes • Verbs for introducing quotes = PRESENT TENSE • Always write in present tense when discussing literature – imagine that the article or original text is a living creature

12. Revising • When you revise, you completely alter the essay in a MAJOR way! Correcting grammar mistakes and typos is editing, not revising. • Choose ONE paragraph to revise in class today. Change the word order, delete a sentence or idea. Add a new sentence or idea. • Hand-write the original paragraph in your composition notebook first; then, draft a revision below it.