Editing

As you edit, whenever you question whether a word or construction is correct, consult a good reference handbook. Learn the grammar conventions you don’t understand so you can spot and eliminate problems in your own writing. Practice until you easily recognize major errors such as fragments and comma splices. Ask for assistance from a peer editor or a tutor in the writing center if your campus has one.

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Use the “Quick Editing Guide” to review grammar, style, punctuation, and mechanics problems typically found in college writing. Look for definitions, examples, and a checklist to help you tackle each one. Here is an editing checklist for these problems:

EDITING CHECKLIST

Common and Serious Problems in College Writing

The following cross-references refer to the Quick Editing Guide section at the back of this book.

Grammar Problems Section Number
Have you avoided writing sentence fragments? A1
Have you avoided writing comma splices or fused sentences? A2
Have you used the correct form for all verbs in the past tense? A3
Do all verbs agree with their subjects? A4
Have you used the correct case for all pronouns? A5
Do all pronouns agree with their antecedents? A6
Have you used adjectives and adverbs correctly? A7

Sentence Problems

Does each modifier clearly modify the appropriate sentence element? B1
Have you used parallel structure where necessary? B2

Punctuation Problems

See sections D6 and E1–E2 in the Quick Research Guide for help documenting any sources in your paper.

Have you used commas correctly? C1
Have you used apostrophes correctly? C2
Have you punctuated quotations correctly? C3

Mechanics Problems

Have you used capital letters correctly? D1
Have you spelled all words correctly? D2