Do you simply hand in your work after you’ve written your last
sentence? If so, then you are submitting work that is incomplete!
Even native English speakers and professional writers proofread,
revise and rewrite their work many times before they feel it is
complete. Here is a short checklist of things
to check for before you submit your work. For
each point below, read your work with that
point in mind only. You’ll be surprised at all of
the errors that you’ll find!
1. Paragraphing – Does each paragraph have a single topic sentence with
supporting sentences? Do you have more than one main idea in some of
your paragraphs? Should some paragraphs be put together to make a
single paragraph?
2. Register – Are you writing in 1st, 2nd or 3rd person? Is it consistent
throughout your writing? Who is your target audience and are you
writing directly to him/her/them? Should your language be formal or
informal?
3. Tenses and agreement – Are all of your verb tenses correct and do
the subjects agree with all of the verbs? Think about when the
actions in the writing take place.
4. Punctuation – Check for capital letters on proper nouns and beginning
of sentences. Are you joining two complete sentences together with a
comma and not using a conjunction? Check for possessives and
contractions and make sure the apostrophes are in the proper places.
5. Vocabulary – Are you using the same words and phrases too much? Can
some verbs be replaced by a phrasal verb to make it sound more
natural? Have you spelt difficult words correctly? Are you using
inappropriate informal slang or text messaging short forms?
6. Other grammar – articles, prepositions,
connectors, adverbs vs. adjectives, etc
Good luck and good writing!
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