Editing and proofreading
Once the big picture is right, careful editing and proofreading make writing polished and credible.
Editing for clarity
Editing improves sentences: cutting wordiness, turning nominalisations into verbs, fixing unclear pronouns, varying sentence structure, and choosing precise words. Read each paragraph asking whether a reader would understand it the first time.
Editing checklists
Personal checklists target your own common errors, such as comma splices, overused words, or apostrophes. Over time, tracking errors from feedback lets you edit efficiently, focusing on the problems you actually make.
Proofreading strategies
Proofreading needs slow, careful reading, because the brain autocorrects what it expects to see. Strategies include reading aloud, reading backward sentence by sentence (to focus on each sentence rather than the meaning), printing a copy, enlarging the text, and using a ruler or cursor to track lines.
Commonly confused words
Spell checkers miss real words used wrongly: their/there/they're, its/it's (it's means 'it is'), affect/effect (affect is usually a verb, effect usually a noun), then/than, lose/loose, complement/compliment, principal/principle. Learn the ones you tend to confuse.
Apostrophes
Apostrophes show possession ('the student's book', 'the students' books') and contractions ('don't', 'it's'). They do not make ordinary plurals: write 'apples for sale', not 'apple's'. 'Its' without an apostrophe is possessive; 'it's' always means 'it is' or 'it has'.
Commas
Key comma rules: use a comma before a coordinating conjunction joining two independent clauses; after most introductory phrases and clauses; around non-essential information ('My sister, who lives in Ohio, is visiting'); and between items in a series. The serial (Oxford) comma before the final 'and' is recommended by APA, MLA, and Chicago style.
Formatting and presentation
Check that the document follows required formatting: margins, font, spacing, headings, page numbers, and citation style. Consistent formatting and a clean presentation build ethos; sloppy formatting can distract readers from strong content.
Worked example
Draft sentence: 'Its clear that the new policy effected student's attendance, there was a drop of 15 percent.' Edited: 'It's clear that the new policy affected students' attendance: it fell by 15%.' Fixes: it's (it is), affected (verb), students' (plural possessive), and a colon instead of a comma splice.
Key takeaways
Editing improves clarity and style at the sentence level. Personal checklists target your own errors. Proofread slowly with strategies like reading aloud or backward. Spell checkers miss commonly confused words. Apostrophes mark possession and contractions, not plurals. Learn key comma rules, including the serial comma. Correct formatting builds credibility.
Flashcard
Sentence-level improvements
Check your understanding
Which sentence is correct?