1A: Editing

Self-editing for English 1A Paper

For each of the revision and editing questions below, indicate the pages in A Writer's Reference that address these questions.

Next, in response to each set of revision and editing questions make comments and corrections directly on your draft.

By the time you finish this assignment, each paragraph of your draft should have some notation by it or within it.

1.  Who is your audience and what are you trying to communicate to them?

2.  Does your first paragraph--the first sentences of your first paragraph--raise a provocative question, offer a surprising statistic, or provide an engaging anecdote?  If not, what could you do differently?

3.  Underline your thesis. Does it clearly state your essay's purpose and argument? Is it narrow enough for our research essay?  How might you revise it?

4.  Have you provided your reader with basic information about the book and author by the end of the first page?

5.  What is the strongest paragraph in your essay?  What are its strengths?

6.  Which paragraph needs the most work?  Why?

7.  Give three examples of good transitions between paragraphs in your essay.  If you can't find three, edit your sentences so you have three.

8.  How well have you integrated sources into your draft?  Do you "drop quotes" into your sentences and paragraphs? Identify where you have used signal phrases well and where you need to improve.

9.  Examine your sentences.  Do you use the active voice?  Are your sentences wordy?  Identify sentences for editing and make them clear and concise.

10.  Do you follow MLA guidelines re: in-text citations and a Works Cited page?