Revision

What is REVISION?

Proofreading for grammar, spelling, punctuation, sentence structure yes

Editing yes

Rewriting parts yes

Rethinking yes

How to get the most out of your writing:

1. Brainstorming to get the best topic for the assignment
2. Developing an outline
3. Doing necessary research, then adjusting the outline
4. Writing the first draft
5. Getting feedback from another reader
1. Professor
2. Roommate, friend, classmate
3. Writing Center
6. Letting the rough draft age—mellow—ripen; that let it sit for a day or so before you turn it in so that you get a fresh view of it to find errors that weren’t apparent
7. Begin Revision Process
8. Read the essay out loud

Steps to Revision:

1. Do you have a specific purpose and audience indicated in the introduction?
2. Did you consider the genre that would best suit your message or subject?
3. Review your essay to make sure you have included your observations, your perspectives, your concerns, ideas, and thoughts. That you have not overloaded your short paper with too much documented or borrowed material.
4. Review to see that you have answered the journalist’s 5 Ws and How and that you have provided:
1. Relevant and adequate information
2. Statistics
3. Facts
4. Examples
5. Quotations from the experts you located
6. Short narrative or anecdote
7. Personal experience

5. Review for accurate quoting, paraphrasing, summarizing of borrowed materials
1. Author tags and other source acknowledgements
2. Accurate parenthetical notes
3. Accurate punctuation of borrowed material
4. Sources don’t over load essay with borrowed material

6. Review for adequate transitions—See Hacker for a list—that help indicate shaping strategies:
1. Compare/contrast
2. Chronological order
3. Analysis
4. Cause/Effect
5. Problem Solving

7. Review for adequate paragraph development
1. Unity and coherence: that the essay flows from one paragraph to the next, from one idea to the next.
2. Adequate transitions
3. Strong topic sentence, concluding sentences
4. Adequate explanation to connect borrowed material with your thoughts
5. Organization reflects and develops your thesis and essay map—that you have stayed on track, not strayed from your original intent for the essay

8. Sentence revision: direct, clear, concise, grammatical, variety of sentence lengths and types
1. Edit sentences for BE verbs: is, are, am, being, was, were, been
2. Edit for “you” second person; use third person—parents, children, educators
3. Edit for over used and unnecessary “I.” Limited use of “I” when it is appropriate to tell a personal experience. Avoid “we” and “our”, as well.
4. At the sentence level, most students find that this is where they will need the most work.
5. Work for sentence diversity:

i. IDC IDC, and IDC DC, IDC IDC DC IDC, however, IDC

9. Review for Grammar Errors
1. Pronoun agreement:

A student should study hard so that they can get a good job.>

Students should study hard so that they can get a good education.

2. Punctuation
3. Run-ons, Fragments, and fused sentences

10. Review MLA
1. Margins: 1 inch, header .5
2. Header, last name and page number
3. Double space and no extra spaces between paragraphs
4. Proper heading
5. Adequate, complete and proper source citations and parenthetical notes.

Revision is hard work that requires diligence and time to polish and perfect an essay. Don’t be afraid to ask others for their input and comments on your writing.

Don’t procrastinate. Get an early draft finished and leave time to do necessary revision and time get feedback from a professor or the writing center.