Editing Writing Like a Pro
Copy Free of Grammar and Spelling Errors Will Impress Editors
Jan 27, 2009
Good writing just does not happen and even excellent writers make mistakes. There are several methods of self-editing that can be applied to any kind of writing from a business memo or report to an academic paper to an article for a magazine, even a book. The Internet is an excellent resource for good editing tips. One source in particular, the OWL (Online Writing Lab) at Purdue University has an abundance of information on writing skills, including editing for grammar and spelling errors.
Read Out Loud and/or Backwards
Once a piece has been written, the author can read it out loud, either to him or herself or to someone else. Better yet, have someone else read it out loud to the writer. Grammatical and spelling errors will become very evident to the reader and the listener will be able to hear problems with wording or syntax. Reading backwards is a trick sometimes employed to discover spelling errors.
Wait an Hour or a Day or Two
When the writing is fresh in the author's mind, it is easy to read what he or she thinks was written. Wait at least an hour, longer if possible, then go back and read it again. Waiting will give the brain time to forget the word for word content, making it easier to spot mistakes like missing words, sentences in the wrong order or misplaced paragraphs. Taking a break from the writing will also jumpstart the writer's creative thinking, providing more ideas to add to the content, or even changing the direction of the writing.
Get Rid of Redundancies and Jargon
The tendency to be wordy is fairly common with writers, so this is an opportunity to fine tune the article or paper by searching for redundancies. There is usually no reason to repeat words or even sentences. Writers need to say what they mean to say clearly the first time, and then move on. Don't waste the reader's time with redundancies or pretentious language or jargon. Pretentious language is basically fancy words. It is much clearer to say, for example, "Three blind mice." than "A triad of visually impaired rodents." An extreme example, true, but it makes the point.
Revise word and sentence order
Re-read the content looking for the most important words, phrases, and sentences. Are they where they should be to provide the impact wanted? Take out anything that is not relevant or can be re-written in a more succinct way. Make sure that adverbs are necessary, and then make sure they are in the right place in the article or paper. Some adverbs are simply unnecessary. For example: "She ran quickly." The mere act of running implies that the runner is doing it quickly, so simplify it to just, "She ran." The reader will understand. If there is something unusual about the running (She ran crookedly), then use the adverb.
Beware of passive voice
Conjugations of the verb "to be" include is, was, were, am, are and should be avoided. They usually indicate passive voice, which leads to unconvincing language. Active voice, on the other hand moves the writing along and gives the reader a sense that something is happening. For more information on passive voice and how it can be used, read this handout called Passive Voice.
Additional Information
The cleaner the copy, the happier the editor, teacher, or business person will be when he or she receives the article, paper, or report. Along with a happy editor, a grammar and spelling error free submission will also make the writer look better. For more information on self-editing, see this checklist called How to Edit Your Own Writing.
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