Effective Editing
Marlene Bernholtz
LA&PS Writing Department
Why do we need to edit?
What keeps us from editing?
What can we do to make sure we get the most out of the editing
process?
Issues in editing:
Content – Do I address the topic?
Do I have a clear thesis statement?
Does it answer the question?
Is there a logical flow?
Did I include full explanations and examples?
Did I answer the questions “So What?”
Did I miss anything?
Is anything off topic?
Have I included quotations, paraphrases, etc?
Structure - Will my introduction engage my reader?
Is my thesis statement well defined?
Do my paragraphs have topic sentences?
Do transitional phrases guide the readers effectively?
Do I have meaningful, consistent headings and bullets?
Is my conclusion interesting?
Form -
Are all my sentences complete?
Is my punctuation correct?
Did I footnote correctly?
Do my pages and bullets line up correctly?
Is my grammar correct?
Is all my spelling correct?
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English Sentence Structure
English Sentences can be defined as
WHO
=
Subject
DOES
+
Parts of Speech
noun
pronoun
gerund
infinitive
noun clause
Verb
verb
tense
agreement
What kind?/How many?
(colour, shape, size, number etc.)
Adjectives
Articles
Determiners
Relative clauses
Relative phrases
WHAT
+
Object/Complement
noun
pronoun
gerund
infinitive
noun clause
When/Where/Why/How?
Adverbs
Adverb clauses
Adverb phrases
A SENTENCE MUST BE INDEPENDENT!!!
Guidelines
1) Start sentences with a capital letter.
2) End sentences with final punctuation.
3) Be sure each sentence answers the sentence pattern questions
completely.
4) Do not omit the subject.
5) Do not repeat the subject.
6) Do not forget the verb.
Special Structures
It is .........
There is/are ..............
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Sample
For thousands and thousands of years, various different religions in
the world have tried to depict important religious ideas through art in
different ways. In doing so, it is interesting to note that some of the
symbols and icons are used to represent God in there art, while others
don’t. Both Judaism and Christianity share the ten commandments, of
which one of them state that “Thou shalt not create any graven images for
thyself … Thou shalt not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord
your God, am a jealous God.” So in Judaism, its one religion that does not
allow pictures or representations of God in it’s art. What’s interesting about
Christianity is that it shouldn’t either but it does. Especially when it comes
to Jesus.
The most famous religious symbols in Christianity and Judaism is
the Star of David and the sign of the cross. These two symbols are often
worn as a jewellery accessory. The Star of David is not considered as an
item of worship but rather it affirms ones Jewish faith. The cross on the
other hand is directly related to a religious event in Christianity, it is
something that is worshipped and can often be found in a church with
Christ hanging off of it. The use of this symbols reveals the love and
respect that Christians have for Jesus, it reveals that they would always be
grateful for what Jesus had done for his people by taking away all our sins.
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Proofreading Diagnostic
Octobber 23, 20003
Proofreading is a challenging job. To do it well, you must approach it slowly,
carefully, and systemmatically. Before you begin, you must plant to take enough
time to review you’re document throughly. Print a hard copy of your document.
Sit in a comfortable chair at a desk with good lightning. Take a ruler in on hand,
and a red pen in the other, then follow this four steps;
1. Review the document globally.
- Check the names, titles, dates, page numbers and
project numbers.
- Make sure headings and numbers are are consistant.
- Check for extra spaces, gaps, and “windows and
orphans’.
- check all numbers and make sure totals addup correctly.
2. Read the document for content..
- make sure that the copy makes sense
- The points in the copy must be relevent to the position
being presented.
- Check that explanations, history’s and comments are
clear and logical.
- check extracted information against the original
3. Read the document for style.
- Check that all setnences are grammatical, no run-on’s or
fragments there.
- Check spelling carefully.
 Use spell-chick first, but don’t trust it entirely.
 Read aloud, one word at a time, slowing down for
multisyllabic
works.
 Read form the end to the beginning, one Word at
a time.
 pay special attention to easily confuse words.
 Parallel structure must be maintained in lists.
- Check punctuation, paying special attention to
captialization, apostrophe’s and quotation marks.
- Use a Grammar Guide and Style Manual to help you.
Once you have thoroughly proofread your document, let someone else
check it. But don’t make others’ do your work for you. You’re goal should be to
pass-on an error free text. Remember the work you produce effects the way
others perceive you.
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Corrected Sample
For thousands of years, religions throughout the world have used art
in various ways to depict important religious ideas and events. Some
religions use symbols to represent God in their art, while others don’t.
Both Judaism and Christianity follow the ten commandments, one of which
states, “Thou shalt not create any graven images for thyself … Thou shalt
not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a
jealous God.” Thus, Judaism does not allow representations of God in its
art. Christian art, on the other hand, includes many representations of God,
especially in the form of Jesus Christ.
The most famous religious symbols in Judaism and Christianity are
the Star of David and the sign of the cross, respectively. The Star of David
is not considered an item of worship, but rather affirms one’s Jewish faith.
The cross, on the other hand, is directly related to a significant religious
event – the crucifixion of Christ. The cross is found in many churches,
often in the form of a crucifix. It is often found above the altar, serving as a
focal point for prayer. The cross is a symbol of the love and respect that
Christians have for Jesus; it suggests that they will always be grateful for
what Jesus did for them by dying for their sins.
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