Editing Checklist for Speakers of West African Languages
1. Check the endings of verbs. Make sure that only one verb is in the past form:
Wrong: She live in her parents’ house.
Wrong: He doesn’t goes to school.
Wrong: She didn’t came to the party.
Right: She lives…
Right: He doesn’t go…
Right: She didn’t come …
2. Make sure that verbs match on both sides of and, or, but:
Wrong: I didn’t do my homework or watched TV. In fact, I didn’t do anything.
Right: I didn’t do my homework or watch TV.
3. Be careful of the verb after make, let, see and hear:
Wrong: He made me to do it.
Right: He made me do it.
4. Some verbs in English cannot be used in the ---ing form:
Wrong: I’m not having much money.
Wrong: I am thinking you are wrong.
Right: I don’t have much money.
Right: I think you are wrong.
5. The Present Perfect and the Past can be confusing. The Past tense is used to talk
about something that is finished:
Wrong: I have seen him yesterday.
Right: I saw him yesterday.
6. Check all nouns for count and non-count. You can use a dictionary if you’re not
sure.
Wrong: informations
Wrong: advices
Right: information
Right: advice
7. Check your articles (a, an, the).
8. Check much and many. Much is used for things that cannot be counted. Many is
used for things that can be counted. We also use a lot instead of much frequently
in English.
Wrong: I have many money. Slightly odd: I have much money. Right: I have a lot of
money.
9. Check your use of too. It can sound like a criticism. It might be better to use very.
Wrong: This is too good. Right: This is very good.
10. Check your pronouns. Make sure you use he and him for males and she and her
for females.
11. Check relative clauses. There is no need to repeat the noun or pronoun.
Wrong: This is the man that I saw him
Right: This is the man that I saw.
12. Check but, although, however. Use one per sentence.
Wrong: Although I wanted to go, but I didn’t.
didn’t.
Right: Although I wanted to go, I