8.9 Basic Self-Editing Strategies
The following is a guide for editing your own writing. After your draft is complete, use this helpful guide to help you uncover problems in your writing as you perform your final revisions.
Basic Editing Advice (for final draft revisions)
1. Check to see if you are beginning sentences with this or it. Often these pronouns are ineffective substitutes for the actual subject of the sentence. Ask yourself what the subject of the sentence is and see if you can follow it with a more precise verb.
EXAMPLE:
| “This is Dr. King’s belief (or It is Dr. King’s belief that)” could be changed to “King believes in non-violent direct action,” resulting in a clearer subject and stronger statement, while also eliminating the ‘to be’ verb is. |
2. Check for repeated sentence patterns and try to vary your sentence structures. Make changes that honor the complexity of your argument and work to keep your readers’ interest. If, for example, most of your sentence structures consist of clauses connected with and or but.
EXAMPLE:
| “She raised her hand, and the whole class was surprised” could be changed to “The whole class was surprised when she raised her hand.” |
It’s also helpful to vary sentence structures to more effectively illustrate the relationship between your arguments and evidence.
EXAMPLE:
| “The author’s assertion further illustrates the point that readers appreciate sentence variety.” |
*For more information on effective sentence writing, see the chapter on Sentence structure.
3. People are animate and should be referred to using the pronouns: who, whom, and whose. Things are inanimate and should be referred to as that, it, or which.
EXAMPLE:
| “The students who understand the material are more likely to succeed.” |
| “The rules that we’ve established are for your protection.” |
4. Review basic comma use. The following are just a few of the most common uses of the comma. For a more comprehensive look at commas, see the chapter on Commas.
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- Coordinating Conjunctions (FANBOYS)
EXAMPLE:
| “He frowned at her as he was leaving, but she did not understand his response.” |
*Note the comma comes before the conjunction but; if no subject exists in the second clause, leave out the comma (see following example).
EXAMPLE:
| “He frowned at her as he was leaving but wasn’t angry” (the single subject performing both actions here is He). |
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- Nonessential/Parenthetical Clauses, Phrases, and Words
EXAMPLE:
| “My mother, the computer programmer, works late at night to keep up with her work and to support the family.” |
*Note the commas around the extra information that clarifies the subject but is not necessary for the sentence to make sense.
5. Use a semi-colon when each part of the sentence could stand alone as a sentence (independent clause) but you want to show balance or equivalence between the concepts.
EXAMPLE:
| “Biography tells us about the subject; biographers tell us about themselves through another’s life.” |
6. Use a colon w