THE AMERICAN ENGLISH EXPRESS Chapter 7 page 3

Step Nine: “Proofreading”:

This is a critical skill.  In class, I tell my students that proofreading can raise their scores a full letter grade: it can make the difference between an “A” and a “B”. A document (essay) that is properly proofread reads well and indicates that the writer has control of the language.

Proofreading instructions:

Good proofreading involves completing each of the following (first you might want to review the discussion of formal language in Chapter I):

  1. Form: Review of the structure: here you will once again compare the essay to your outline to be sure that all of the necessary parts of the essay are included. 

  1. Spelling: Spelling counts! You may recall the discussion of spelling in Chapter I.  If not, go back and re-read it, please!

  1. Paragraphs: make sure that you do not have any one sentence paragraphs (See chapter I).

  1. Formal language: Chapter I defines formal language as excluding the first and second persons (‘I’ and ‘You’ and ‘We’). Be sure to review your writing for use of these pronouns and change to the impersonal ‘one’ (or its synonyms, see Chapter I).

a.       Sentences: Remember, these express complete thoughts.  You should review every sentence to be sure it has a predicate and a subject.  (See Chapter I and your grammar handbook.)

b.      Punctuation: Be sure every sentence ends with proper punctuation, including commas and semi-colons when necessary. (See Chapter I and your grammar handbook.)

c.       Capitalization: Be sure every sentence as well as every proper noun begins with a capital letter. (See Chapter I and your grammar handbook.)

d.      Fragments: Be sure to identify sentence fragments. Find these ‘sentences’ and fix them by adding the missing elements or joining the clause or phrase with the preceding or following sentence. (See Chapter I and your grammar handbook.)

e.       Run-on sentences: Find these sentences, which express more than one thought and fix them by creating more than one sentence. (See Chapter I and your grammar handbook.)

  1. Grammar: Chapters I and IX review some of the more frequent grammar issues new English learners struggle with.

 

  1. Do’s and Don’t Lists: Chapters VII, VIII and IX contain lists of words, phrases and expressions to avoid and to include in your formal writing. When proofreading, you should apply these lists to your work.  While the lists cannot include everything, they are composed of many of the most common errors in the process of learning to write English.

 

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