Self-Editing Lesson Spring 2012

Remember, It’s a work-in-progress! What do we think about writing and grammar? What have been some of your common problems and experiences? Share your thoughts…

Your goals today: Your goals: 1.Acknowledge the need to become a proficient self-editor 2.Learn how to recognize errors 3.Learn your own frequent patterns of error 4.Learn how to correct those errors Know how to prioritize your concerns!

What should you focus on in your writing? Higher Order Skills: Errors that may change meaning  Verb Tense Word Form (adj. or adv?) Subject/Verb Agreement Plurals (sometimes) Syntax-word order (sometimes) Lower Order Skills: Errors that rarely change meaning  Non-standard English (conjunctions, slang) Punctuation Incorrect/Missing Article (a, an, the) Wrong prepositions (to, from, about, by, etc.)

Common Errors  1. Verb-Tense Form Examples: Based on Tan’s narrative, her mother depends on Tan since she was young. Students usually are preferring short answer tests to essay tests. The authors supporting all the bilingual programs. Can you figure out which verbs need correcting?

What suggestions do we have? Ask "who/what does what and when?" --think about subject, verb, and object. Did the action already happen and finish? Or is it still continuing now? Is it a general statement that refers to a habit or state of affairs? Writing tip: When citing past research- usually treated as present: Foucault (1993) argues that...

2. Word Forms Example: Tan’s mother thought it was too later for her to learn English, so she relied on Tan. Gross believes that advertisements promote stereotypes of women’s fragile. It is importance to investment money for the future.

What suggestions do we have? Highlight or underline all noun phrases in one color, all verb phrases in one color, and all adjectives in another color. Double check parts of speech in sentence and check correct forms. “to” is usually followed by the infinitive form of the verb  To narrate, to analyze etc. Note your patterns of error. In you final revision, make use of a dictionary to double check the word form you need to use if you’re confused.

3. Plurals Example: She gave me advices about how to revise. There are many researches on this topic. There are many information available to students on campus. Can you figure out which plural forms need fixing?

What suggestions do we have? Considering how many you mean is important (usually more than one means "add an s", but in English, there are many words that never use an s, no matter the amount. Keep a list of these types of words. Can you think of any examples of such words that do NOT use “s” in the plural form?

What can you do to take charge of improving your writing? Keep an error log sheet (review correction symbols) Once you identify common errors you make, do targeted proofreading. Example, review your paper checking only for subject/verb agreement. Model what you read in form and structure. Give yourself plenty of time to complete, revise, and proofread writing assignments.

On-line Resources Purdue's Online Writing Lab, OWL ( Ask Betty is a UW-designed grammar resource center ( The website for The Everyday Writer All these links and more can be found at EWP Writing Resources page rces.php

On Campus resources Go to OWRC or CLUE writing centers to get help identifying your patterns of error. Remember, you can give your writing tutor a head start by sharing an error log you’ve developed. For high stakes writing (personal statements, cover letters, thesis, dissertation) -consider hiring a professional editor- for contacts.

Practice Get into small groups and work on identifying the errors of the short paragraph. If you know there is an error, but aren't sure which type, mark it and we will discuss.