The Confident Writer
Chapter 6:
Revising and Editing Your Essays
 Every
word in an essay should serve
a purpose.
 Avoid clutter in your essay:
 Delete extra prepositions
 Free up > free
 Head up > head
 Avoid euphemisms
 “Put brackets around every component in a
piece of writing that [isn’t] doing useful work.”
“Clutter” by William Zinsser
Think of your
first draft as your
discovery draft.
 Every
subsequent draft
is a revision in
which you are
improving:

 Content
 Organization
 Style
How to Revise Your Essay
Last weekend I had fun with
my friends.
Traffic was terrible this
weekend.
I saw the worst movie
yesterday.
I have very definite opinions
about big issues.
How to Revise
Your Essay
What is a
?
 How do we improve
general statements?
 Add content
 How do we revise for
content?

 Read for content.
 Underline general
words, phrases,
statements, etc.
 Make notes about
where to add
content.
Introduction w/ thesis Statement
How to Revise
Your Essay
Builds a context for thesis, clarifies topic for
reader, uses an effective intro strategy
Have you followed
the direction of
development?
 Are all 3 parts
fulfilling the needed
functions?
 Make an outline to
determine what is
there and what
needs revising.

Body w/ support & evidence
Topic sentences relates to thesis, details are
focused (unity), transitions create coherence
Conclusion
Ends the essay with finality and reinforces the
thesis, uses an effective concluding strategy
How to Revise
Your Essay
Diction:
Tone:
Sound of
the
Words
Word
Choice
Sentence
Variety:
Change it
up!
Style is how you
express yourself in
writing.
 3 components of style:

Determine if your tone
is topic-appropriate.
 Underline descriptive
words—convey tone?!!
 Consider list of tone
words in Figure 6.2 on
pp. 141.

Definition

Surface errors are
mistakes in:
◦ Grammar
◦ Punctuation
◦ Spelling
Causes

Surface errors result
from:
◦ Inconsistent application
of the rules of Standard
English
◦ Careless mistakes that
occur when you pay
more attention to
content than to
mechanics
Eliminating Surface Errors

Become aware of the kind
of mistakes you make

◦ Track your mistakes
 Which ones are you
making?
 How do you fix them?

Proofread
◦ Check for correctly
punctuated sentences
◦ Check for spelling errors

Use your returned
essays to compete
the chart in Figure
6.4 on pp. 145.
What trends do you
see?
Eliminating Surface Errors
means editing to eliminate the
following:
◦ Wordiness
 Why use 2 words when you can use
1?!!
◦ Passive Voice
 Change passive voice to active voice
 The subject of the sentence should
perform the action not receive it!
◦ Tired Expressions
 If you’ve heard it a million times
before, it’s a cliché.
 Look at Expression to Avoid (Figure
6.5 on pp. 149)
Trim & Tighten Your Writing
Use Proofreading
Strategies
Follow these steps
for your final round
of editing:
1. Let your ideas
incubate.
2. Pace yourself.
3. Read backwards.
4. Read aloud.
5. Use a writer’s
tools.
6. Proofread with a
purpose.