Q-37
Instructor's Notes
To download handouts of the checklists that appear in this unit, go to the "Instructor Resources" folder at the end of this unit.
APPENDIX
Quick Editing Guide
This Quick Editing Guide provides an overview of grammar, style, word choice, punctuation, and mechanics problems typical of college writing.
Common and Serious Problems in College Writing
Grammar Problems
A1Have you avoided writing sentence fragments?
A2Have you avoided writing comma splices or fused sentences?
A3Have you used the correct form for all verbs in the past tense?
A4Do all verbs agree with their subjects?
A5Have you used the correct case for all pronouns?
A6Do all pronouns agree with their antecedents?
A7Have you used adjectives and adverbs correctly?
Sentence Problems
B1Does each modifier clearly modify the appropriate sentence element?
B2Have you used parallel structure where needed?
Word Choice Problems
C1Have you used appropriate language?
C2Is your writing clean and concise?
C3Have you correctly used commonly confused words?
Q-38
Punctuation Problems
D1Have you used commas correctly?
D2Have you used apostrophes correctly?
D3Have you punctuated quotations correctly?
Mechanics Problems
E1Have you used capital letters correctly?
E2Have you spelled all words correctly?
For editing and proofreading strategies, see Editing and Proofreading in Ch. 23.
Editing and proofreading are needed at the end of the writing process because writers—all writers—find it difficult to write error-free sentences the first time they try. Once you are satisfied that you have expressed your ideas, you should make sure that each sentence and word is concise, clear, and correct. Certain common errors in Standard Written English are like red flags to careful readers: they signal that the writer is either ignorant or careless. Use the editing checklist above to check your paper for these problems; then use the editing checklists in each section to help you correct specific errors. Concentrate on any problems likely to reappear in your writing.
Your grammar checker or software can help you catch some errors, but not others. Always consider the grammar checker’s suggestions carefully before accepting them and continue to edit on your own.
A grammar checker can’t always identify the subject or verb in a sentence; it may question whether a sentence is complete or whether its subject and verb agree, even when the sentence is correct.
Grammar checkers are likely to miss misplaced modifiers, faulty parallelism, possessives without apostrophes, or incorrect commas.
Most grammar checkers do a good job of spotting problems with adjectives and adverbs, such as confusing good and well.
Keep track of your mistakes to develop an “error hit list.” Use your software’s Find capacity to check for searchable problems such as instances of each (always singular) or few (always plural) to see if all the verbs agree.