Grammar and Mechanics

1. Each sentence has a subject and a complete verb. 
2. Non-count nouns are not immediately preceded by a, an, or one or made plural by adding an –s.
3. Subject and verb are in agreement—i.e. both subject and verb endings agree in number.
4. Words are spelled properly (do not rely solely on spell check).  Beware of homophones (words that sound alike but mean different things)!
5. Singular pronouns refer to singular words, and plural pronouns refer to plural words (the apple=it; the neighbors=they).
6. If a quote is longer than four lines, it has been blocked.
7. It’s= it is, its=possessive, there=place, their=possessive, they’re=they are.
8. Writing is precise (states your exact meaning) and concise (avoids excessive words, phrases, or sentences that do not add to your meaning).
9. Verb tense is consistent.  When talking about art (literature, film, books, etc.), use present tense.
10. Tone is consistent and appropriate for audience and occasion.

Punctuation

1. All sentences begin with a capital letter and end with a period, question mark, or exclamation point.
2. Commas separate independent clauses (clauses that could be complete sentences themselves) and are joined by a coordinating conjunction (and/for/nor/yet/but/or/so).
3. Independent clauses joined by a connecting word (however, thus, therefore, etc) have a semicolon (;) before and a comma following the connecting word.
4. Semicolons separate independent clauses that do not have joining words or coordinating conjunctions.
5. Commas follow introductory words, phrases, and clauses that come before the main clause.
6. Commas are used when three or more items are listed in a series.
7. Commas are used to separate two or more adjectives that describe the same noun equally.
8. Apostrophes show possession or contraction.
9. Proper nouns are capitalized.
10. In quotations, any necessary periods and commas are placed inside the end quotation marks.

Editing/Proofreading Strategies

As readers, our eyes (and minds) tend to race ahead of where we actually are in the text.  We do this by relying on our expectations as readers and the more familiar we are with the text, the faster we read.  This speed makes attention to detail very difficult.  When we read our own work through to check it for mistakes, our eye often runs ahead, causing us to miss some mistakes, especially slips like “form” in the place of “from,” or extra/missing spaces.  So here are some techniques to help you slow down and break your normal reading rhythm.

1. Put a piece of blank paper under the top line so that your eye cannot move ahead.  Touch each word with a pencil or pen as you read each word aloud to yourself.
2. Try recording yourself reading aloud and then listen to the recording for errors.  Or, have a friend read aloud to you as you both follow along.
3. Read the last sentence of the essay first, and work backward through your paper, sentence by sentence.  This obviously does not help you check meaning and logic, but it does slow your reading eye enough to concentrate on spelling and internal punctuation.
4. Develop and use a personalized editing checklist, a list where you, a peer, or a teacher has helped you identify mistakes you commonly make.
5. Use a font large enough to be easily read (16-18).  It’s easier to see missing/excess spaces and is simply easier on the eye to read.  Make sure to change the font back to an acceptable size for the final draft.
6. Always use spell-checker!  But don’t rely on spell-checker alone.  Add common spelling errors/homophone errors to your editing log and refer to that when you are unsure.