Revising and Editing Checklist - Review

Grade 9 English Language ArtsMonday, October 6, 2014

A Note About Revising and Editing

Please make sure that you do NOT erase your work as you revise and edit. Remember that I should be able to see any changes you make, as it shows me that you are thinking about your writing and engaged in the process of making it more effective. If I can’t see it, how will I know you have done it? Messy drafts are normal for good writers!

Revising – Part 1

Your paragraphs are not necessarily in the correct order for your good copy. ◦Put a 1 beside your introduction paragraph◦Put a 2 beside your summary paragraph◦Put a 3 beside your strongest reason paragraph◦Put a 4 beside your second reason paragraph◦Put a 5 beside your final reason paragraph◦Put a 6 side your opposite reason paragraph◦Put a 7 beside your conclusion and rating

This is the correct order for your paragraphs for your good copy

Revising – Part 2

Read through your paragraphs again and make sure that:◦The topic for each paragraph is clear and at the

beginning of your paragraph

◦That you have included a specific example

◦That you have explained your example and related it to the topic of the paragraph

Revising – Part 3

Read through your paragraphs to ensure that they make sense and that you have supported your points well enough. Remember that you are trying to persuade the reader to agree with your review. They should have no choice but to be convinced of your opinion. Also make sure you have used strong word choice to make your argument.

Revising – Part 4

Make sure that you have included enough detail and supporting explanation and that no additional details or ideas are needed.

Ensure that your introduction and conclusion do not have the word “I” in them. Make statements of fact to give your argument more authority, so avoid making “I” statements at the beginning and end.

Revising – Part 5

Check your sentence fluency:◦Do you have both long and short sentences?◦Have you properly punctuated each sentence?◦Do you have any incomplete sentences? If so,

fix them!◦Do you have any run on sentences? If so, fix

them!◦Do you have variety in how your sentences

begin? ◦Do your paragraphs start is a variety of ways?

Revising – Part 6

Ensure that every time you change topics, that you have started a new paragraph! If there is information in a paragraph that isn’t directly related to the point of that paragraph, get rid of it!

Revising – Final Step

Read your entire Review again to make sure your changes make sense and are effective! This is a really important step, so do not skip it!

Editing – Part 1

Read through your draft for each of the following items, looking explicitly for each one and not trying to catch everything at once!◦Check your spelling◦Capitalize all first words of sentences and all proper

nouns (names of people, places)◦Capitalize all important words in a title◦ If you have used numbers, make sure that numbers

ten or less are written out (one, not 1). Numbers more than ten can be in number form (12, not twelve)

Editing – Part 2

Make sure you have punctuated the title of your text properly. If you are unsure of how to punctuate your type of text, look it up!

Punctuation:◦Have you used punctuation correctly and

effectively?◦Have you correctly used and included commas?◦Do you have correct end of sentence

punctuation?

Editing – Part 3

Make sure your verbs are in a consistent tense. If you are writing in present tense, it should be present tense the whole way through (I am, It is, There is, She/He is). If you are writing in past tense, it should be past tense the whole way through (I was, It was, There was, She/He was)

Editing – Part 4

Avoid being too wordy! If you are using extra words that are unnecessary, get rid of them. Also be mindful of including enough description and detail. It is a balancing act...

Double check:◦Two, to, too◦Their, there, they’re◦Its, its◦Your, you’re

Editing – Final Step

Read through your whole draft to make sure that everything you have changed makes sense and makes your writing more effective. You should be ready, at this point, to type what you have on paper as it is as your good copy.