The Writing Process Part IV Editing

The Writing Process: Part IVEditing : 

The Writing Process: Part IVEditing English 1101 Terri Craft Bainbridge College Prewriting Writing Revising Editing

Introduction : 

Introduction When you edit you check your writing for punctuation, spelling, capitalization, grammar, and sentence errors. An editing checklist can help you keep track of what you need to do when you are editing. When you are able to answer each question on the checklist with “yes” you know you have finished editing.

Editing Checklist: Punctuation : 

Editing Checklist: Punctuation ____ does each sentence have end punctuation? ____ do I use commas after introductory word groups and between items in a series? ____ do I use apostrophes to show possession?

Editing Checklist: Spelling : 

Editing Checklist: Spelling ____ have I used my word processor’s spell checker? ____ have I watched for errors my spell checker might have missed? ____ have I checked the spelling of all names?

Editing Checklist: Capitalization : 

Editing Checklist: Capitalization ____ does each sentence start with a capital letter? ____ did I capitalize all proper nouns?

Editing Checklist: Grammar : 

Editing Checklist: Grammar ____ have I used my word processor’s grammar checker ? ____ have I checked for commonly confused words , such as their, there, they’re? ____ have I checked for my common grammar errors as indicated on previous submissions?

Editing Checklist: Sentence Errors : 

Editing Checklist: Sentence Errors ____ have I checked for sentence fragments? ____ have I checked for run-on sentences? ____ have I checked for rambling sentences? ____ have I checked for clarity of understanding? ____ have I checked for proper syntax? ____ have I checked for awkward construction?

Using Word Processor to Edit: : 

Using Word Processor to Edit: Popular word processors provide a number of aids to help you edit your writing: spelling and grammar checker other tools Edit menu

Starting the checker: : 

Starting the checker: Spelling and grammar checkers can help you check for the following errors: Spelling and grammar Punctuation Capitalization Many word processing programs include grammar and spelling checkers under the “Tools” menu.

Using the checker: : 

Using the checker: The spelling and grammar checker will be checking from the cursors current position. The left side of the checker window shows a display The top window in the display highlights the problem. The bottom window gives suggested changes. To select a specific change, click on it.

Making changes: : 

Making changes: Most spelling and grammar checkers give you these options: Ignore Once: Skips this word or grammar error once. Ignore All: Skips this word or grammar error whenever it a occurs. Add to Dictionary: Adds this word to the checker’s dictionary. Change: Changes the word to the highlighted suggestion. Change All: Where it appears, changes this word to the highlighted suggestion. Auto Correct: Automatically fixes errors.

Catching what the Spell Checker might miss: : 

Catching what the Spell Checker might miss: The spell-checker isn’t foolproof – use the editing checklist to check you work for these types of errors: mixed up words: the spell check will not notice that “thought” should be “though.” the spell-checker will not notice that a name such as ‘More” should be spelled “Moore.” More's book, Utopia, spoke about a perfect society in the New World. Instead of writing a travel guide, thought, Moore had written a satire of the imperfect society of Europe. Mixed up word Misspelled Word

Checking punctuation: : 

Checking punctuation: The grammar checker can help your check for errors in punctuation, such as the following: misused apostrophes double punctuation incorrect end punctuation. After More’s book was published, many people were inspired to try to set up utopian societie’s. None of these utopias succeeded.. Why did they fail. By definition, anyone looking for a “utopia” will find it no place. Incorrect punctuation Misused apostrophe Double punctuation Note the grammar checker did not notice the missing quotation marks around “no place.” The editing checklist can help you finish checking your punctuation. Do not rely solely on grammar and spell checkers as they can miss important errors.

Checking Capitalization: : 

Checking Capitalization: The grammar checker can help you check for these errors in capitalization: missing capitals on first words of sentences. incorrect capitalization of proper nouns and proper adjectives. More did not intend for readers to establish new perfect societies. Instead, he wanted them to work to improve societies they already belongs to. In this way, Utopia had more to do with Europe than with the New world. Incorrect capitalization Note: the grammar checker did not notice that “New World” should have two capitals. The editing checklist can help you finish checking capitals.

Using other tools: : 

Using other tools: Other helpful tools under the “Tools” menu may include the following: Thesaurus: helps you find synonyms for selected word(s) or look up definitions for a word in the dictionary. Word count: tells you the number of words in a document or in a selected portion of text. Track changes: lets you see the original as well as any changes you have.

Using the Edit Menu: : 

Using the Edit Menu: The editing menu can also help you edit your writing. Click on “Edit” and select one of the following: Undo: reverses your last action. Repeat: repeats your last action. Copy: copies highlighted text to the clipboard for use later. Office clipboard: displays contents of the clip board that can be pasted to documents. Paste: Inserts text or other objects from the clipboard. Select All: chooses the entire documents contents. Find or Replace: searches for certain text and replaces it. Go to: jumps to a certain part of the text.

Slide 17: 

This concludes the four part series, The Writing Process. Review this series or any section of the series at any time you feel you are “loosing your way” when trying to write either for personal gratification or for academic purposes.