6 Editing and Sentence Revision

Revise for meaning and clarity

Revision improves clarity and flow, while Editing improves correctness. Work in two passes: first make sure each sentence expresses the intended idea, then check grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

Check whether information is missing, repeated, or irrelevant, and make the actor and action easy to identify. Remove words that add no meaning. For example, “The decision was made by the team to postpone the trip” can be revised to “The team decided to postpone the trip.”

Reading aloud and proofreading for one kind of error at a time can help you notice problems you might otherwise skip. Spell-check can miss correctly spelled words used in the wrong way, such as their for there.

Proofread in focused passes

Use this routine to review a draft:

1. Check meaning: Is the main idea clear? Is any information missing, repeated, or irrelevant?

2. Check sentence structure: Does each sentence express a complete thought? Look for Fragment, Run-on, and Comma splice errors.

3. Check grammar and usage: Review Subject–verb agreement, verb tense, pronouns, and commonly confused words.

4. Check punctuation and spelling: Read slowly and check commas, apostrophes, capitalization, and words that sound alike.

5. Read aloud once more: Revise places where you stumble, lose track of the meaning, or need to reread.

A comma can separate an introductory phrase, items in a series, or a dependent clause from the main clause when it comes first. Do not use a comma by itself to join two complete sentences.

Correct common sentence problems

A Fragment is an incomplete thought. For example, “Because the bus was late.” can be completed as “Because the bus was late, we missed the start of the film.”

A Run-on joins two complete sentences without suitable punctuation: “The rain stopped we went outside.” One correction is “The rain stopped, so we went outside.”

A Comma splice joins two complete sentences with only a comma: “Maya checked the map, she found the trail.” Add a coordinating word to make “Maya checked the map, and she found the trail.” A period or semicolon is another possible correction.

Review agreement and word choice as well. In “The list of supplies are on the desk,” the verb does not agree with the subject; revise it to “The list of supplies is on the desk.” In “Your going to need their permission,” the intended word is “You’re.”

Apply revisions to complete passages

When revising a series, use Parallel structure: matching grammatical forms for the listed ideas. “My sister likes chopping vegetables, to stir the soup, and setting the table” mixes forms. A parallel revision is “My sister likes chopping vegetables, stirring the soup, and setting the table.”

Applying the routine

In the class-trip passage, the opening word and day need capitalization, seen should be saw, and explain should be explained. The run-on can be separated into complete sentences:

On Friday, our class visited the science museum. We saw a robot that could sort colored blocks. It was amazing, and the guide explained how it worked.

In the rainy-afternoon passage, replace the comma splice with so and attach the dependent fragment to a complete sentence. Use their if the shoes belong to other people; if they belong to Liam, use his:

The game was canceled, so we were disappointed because the field was muddy. After we got home, Liam put their wet shoes near the heater and started reading.

In the dinner passage, use parallel forms, correct two teaspoon to two teaspoons, and connect the final ideas clearly:

My sister likes chopping vegetables, stirring the soup, and setting the table. The recipe said to add two teaspoons of salt, but we forgot, so the soup tasted bland.

These are sample revisions; other versions may also be correct. Revise for meaning and clarity before polishing mechanics, and review recurring errors.