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August 1, 2000
THE WRITING PROCESS--PART III
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The past two weeks we've discussed the prewriting and drafting stages of writing, emphasizing the recursive nature of the writing process. This week we will look at the third stage, called revision, which also is recursive. During the revision process a writer finalizes a document by focusing on tasks such as rewriting, editing, and proofreading.
To revise means "to see again," so in the revising stage a writer will carefully examine the text in its present form with an eye to making final improvements to enhance the document's readability.
Rewriting includes restating some of the ideas in new language or form. Certain areas may require more detail or explanation. It may be that portions of the document will need to be omitted while new text needs to be added. A writer should take time to review the total document, looking for ways to improve its flow, focus, and appeal. Revising helps to strengthen an existing draft.
Editing is another important step. Simple sentences can be combined to create complex or compound structures for variety. Lengthy sentences may need to be reduced. We know of one writer whose typical sentence length was 52 words! After tutoring, her average sentence length was shrunk to 21 words. Adjectives and adverbs can be added to enrich descriptions or specifications. Paragraphs can be made longer or shorter. Catchy titles, section subtitles, or report elements can be rearranged or clearly developed. Meaningful words should be substituted for mediocre ones.
Proofreading allows the writer (and additional readers) to review the document for accuracy. Grammar, punctuation, and spelling should be carefully checked. This can be accomplished by reading the text aloud or reading it backward, as well as by using the traditional approach of reading silently. Remember that accuracy is important. The rule of thumb is that with one error, the writer's integrity is questioned, but with two, it's thrown out the window!
Taking time to create a document using and revisiting each of the three stages (prewriting/invention, drafting, editing) helps to ensure a better piece of writing than simply creating a final document in a single draft.
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SPELLING OR WRITING TIP
SYMBOLS
Use symbols such as (=), (&), (%), and (@) only in charts and graphs. Do not use them in the body of a document unless it is customary in your writing context. (Dollar signs are the exception.)
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NEW WORD OF THE WEEK:
be-wray (Definition: To disclose, especially unknowingly; to betray)
The orphan will bewray her benefactor's name if she continues chattering.
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YOUR GRAMMAR AND WRITING QUESTIONS
QUESTION: In your section on writing and spelling tips, you spelt "all right" wrong.
QUESTION: Since when is "all right" one word? "Alright" is not even in my computer's spell check. American Heritage lists it as "a common misspelling." Besides, don't you think it looks cheesy? I still enjoy your newsletter :)
GRAMMARCHECK: Though "all right" is more commonly spelled as two words, it is acceptable to write the phrase as one word, which was our choice in last week's issue. (We did wonder if anyone would notice!) More than one dictionary cites "alright" as erroneous, but others support our preference. Thanks for holding this example up to question--and don't ever, ever, depend on your spell check to catch all misspellings!
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QUESTION: Another "trick" I find helpful to determine when to capitalize familiar titles like mom, dad, uncle, grandmother, sister, etc., is this:
If you can substitute the person's name in the sentence, capitalize it like you would the name:
I wish Mary/Mom would come to dinner.
I wish my mom would come to dinner.
I got a call from Rose/Grandma.
I got a call from my grandmother.
Any time I can replace the familiar titles with the person's name, I capitalize the title.
GRAMMARCHECK: Thanks for the helpful examples; our readers will appreciate them!
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QUESTION: Which is correct?
John E. Smith, III
or
John E. Smith III
Thank you.
GRAMMARCHECK: We've seen it both ways, but the dominant rule seems to be that a comma is unneeded before a roman numeral following a private name.
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QUESTION: What is the difference between must and have to?
GRAMMARCHECK: Some folks will say there is no difference:
I must mow the lawn.
I have to mow the lawn.
-and-
Wilbur must obey the law.
Wilbur has to obey the law.
For example, a popular dictionary definition gives one meaning of "have" as "to be compelled" and "must" as "compulsion or obligation." Both words can function as verb auxiliaries.
Other folks believe in a minor semantic difference in meaning, with "must" carrying a slightly stronger connotation than "have to." Usage generally depends on context.
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QUESTION: Accidents come suddenly or Accident comes suddenly. Which is correct:
GRAMMARCHECK: If plural, the first example is correct. In your second example, a pointer word such as "The" or "An" is needed.
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QUESTION: Which of the following is correct:
All you have to lose is those payments.
-or-
All you have to lose are those payments.
Thank you. I look forward to receiving your e-mail each week.
GRAMMARCHECK: When in doubt, turn the sentence around:
Those payments ARE all you have to lose.
(vs. Those payments IS all you have to lose.)
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QUESTION: Which is correct? pre-owned or preowned
GRAMMARCHECK: Use "pre-owned" since prefixes should be joined to base words with a hyphen, and using the hyphen prevents the temporary misreading of "preowned" as an unusual word.
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QUESTION: Help! I work for an online newsletter with an editorial team of about seven people. In a recent meeting I brought up that when we are writing phrases such as "Depart on Monday, August 7 or Tuesday, August 8 after noon" we should have commas after the dates (August 7 and August 8). They did not agree. Similarly, I believe in a sentence such as "The round trip fare to Columbus, Ohio, is only $150" the comma is needed after Ohio, but they do not agree in this case, either. Please let me know which is correct. I have not been able to find this rule (for the second comma when the sentence continues) in any grammar book. Thanks so much!
GRAMMARCHECK: In the month-day-year format, separate the day and the year with a comma. In sentences (not phrases), a comma also follows the year:
Their second child was born on January 22, 1943, during a winter blizzard.
However, a comma is not used in the day-month-year format or in dates using only the month and year:
Jim was flown to Vietnam on 13 July 1970.
They were married in June 1960 following a one-year engagement.
We hope your editorial team appreciates your helpful insight!
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QUESTION: Hi. Thanks for a great site. I have been a professional proofreader for about seven years now and a few developing trends are disturbing me. I would be interested in having your opinions.
I am from England and went to school there. We were taught NEVER to begin a sentence with "And" or "But." We would be shot if we committed such a mortal sin! However, I am seeing this everywhere now--even in "respected" publications. What do you think?
Another example is "its" and "it's." Does anyone understand this simple rule?! (I won't even discuss other atrocities like "your's." AAGH!
Also, I have discovered there are few global rules of grammar. Several laws of punctuation differ between the US and UK. For example, commas are much more highly used in England than here. Another example is the punctuation inside quote marks:
--According to Steve, "the problem of AIDS in Africa is growing daily."
--According to Steve, "the problem of AIDS in Africa is growing daily".
In the UK, they put the period outside the quotation mark.
You can imagine how confusing it was for me when I started working as a proofreader in the US, having been educated in England!
Look forward to hearing your thoughts.
GRAMMARCHECK: You're so right--English is punctuated differently in various English-speaking cultures! Your examples are helpful for our readers.
Here are our responses to your questions.
Beginning a sentence with "And" or "But" is acceptable for informal writing such as some types of college essays, personal letters, etc. However, formal writing avoids the use of coordinating conjunctions at the beginning of a sentence, so much depends on style.
"It's" uses the apostrophe before the -s when making a contraction:
It is = it's
An apostrophe is not needed to show possession of personal pronouns such as her, my, their, etc. (unlike possessives of nouns):
The dog's fur was wet and sticky. (apostrophe used after "dog" to show possession)
The dog licked its fur. (no apostrophe after "it" to show possession)
The book was Janet's. (apostrophe after "Janet" to show possession)
The book was hers. (no apostrophe after "her" to show possession)
Thanks for reinforcing the notion of the dynamic and diverse qualities of language punctuation!
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QUESTION: I've often heard the term "sand bagger" applied to someone who feigns incompetence only to perform well or someone whose confidence is not in line with their ability.
1. Do you know the origin of the term "sandbagger"?
2. Is my use of the word "their" correct in the first paragraph of this question? Can it be used as a gender-neutral predicate referent for "someone" or should I say "his or her?"
3. Is the placement of terminal punctuation in parts 1 and 2 of this question correct? Should the question mark be inside or outside the quotation mark?
4. What if I had used a parenthesis at the end of parts 1 or 2 of this question--e.g., do you know the origin of the term in question (sandbagger)? Would the question mark be inside or outside of the parenthesis?
Thanks for all your help.
GRAMMARCHECK:
1. We do not readily know the origin of "sandbagger," and refer this question to another site such as "Ask Jeeves."
2. No, your use of "their" does not agree with the noun "someone" to which it refers. Both words should be either singular or plural. "His or her" is acceptable.
3. The question mark should be placed at the end of these sentences, as you've demonstrated in item 1 above. Item 2 should be changed so that the question mark appears after the quotation mark.
4. Had you used parentheses, the question mark would still appear at the end of each sentence (not inside the
parenthesis).
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