proofreading, sentence structure, & self editing
DESCRIPTION
This workshop reviews different grammar errors and correct grammar rules. It teaches students how to proofread and self-edit their papers, so they can catch and fix common mistakes.TRANSCRIPT
Proofreading, Sentence Structure, & Self-Editing
Created by Zachary Davis & Felicia DieguezUpdated by Kristina Davison
The Writing Center atPurdue University Calumet presents
Avoid contractions in academic writing.
Avoid using a conjunction at the beginning of a
sentence.
◦ Ex: And, but, or, yet, so, for, nor
Avoid slang, colloquialisms, and undefined jargon.
◦ Slang – the way you talk with your friends or family
◦ Colloquialisms – the language of a place/region
◦ Jargon – the language of a job/field
Writing vs. Speaking
Following the introductory clause
◦ Introductory clauses typically indicate time, order,
or the state of things.
◦ Ex: After I ate dinner, …
When listing items in a series
◦ Ex: I have a cat, a dog, and a fish.
Proper Use of Commas
To attach two independent clauses with a
coordinating conjunction
◦ An independent clause is a sentence by itself
◦ Ex: The game was over, but the crowd refused to
leave.
Setting aside the nonessential elements
◦ Phrases that add clarity but aren’t necessary
◦ Ex: Mrs. Jones, our English teacher, gave a test today.
Proper Use of Commas
Sentence Fragments
Run-on Sentences
Misplaced Modifiers
Dangling Modifiers
Common Sentence Structure Errors
Sentence Fragments
Sentence Fragment – a partial sentence that
is set off as if it were a whole sentence by a
capital letters and ending punctuation.
◦ Fragments do not express full ideas.
Sentence Fragments
A sentence fragment lacks a subject or a verb.
◦ Lacks a main verb:
Toys of all kinds thrown everywhere.
◦ Lacks a main subject:
With the ultimate effect of advertising is to get you to spend
money.
A complete sentence contains both a subject and
a verb.
◦ Ex: The wind blows.
Sentence Fragments vs. Complete Sentences
To correct sentence fragments, make sure
your sentence has a subject and a verb.
◦ Fragment:
Working on an overdue paper.
◦ Correction:
Zach stayed up late working on an overdue paper.
Correcting Sentence Fragments
To correct sentence fragments, make sure
your sentence has a subject and a verb.
◦ Fragment:
Working on an overdue paper.
◦ Correction:
Zach stayed up late working on an overdue paper.
Correcting Sentence Fragments
To find sentence fragments:
◦ Read your paper aloud.
An awkward sentence will stand out better if you
hear it instead of merely seeing it.
◦ Read every sentence backwards starting at the
end of your paper.
This will stop your brain from automatically “gluing”
sentences together.
Noticing Sentence Fragments
Run-on Sentences
Run-on sentence – a sentence that contains at
least two ideas that can stand alone or a
sentence that does not contain proper
punctuation.
◦ The length of the sentence doesn’t define a run-on;
the amount of information in a single sentence does.
◦ Ex: The dog is whining she is hungry
No proper punctuation between independent clauses.
Run-on Sentences
Comma splice – a kind of run-on sentence in
which independent clauses are connected
only by a comma.
◦ Ex: The cookies taste terrible, I forgot to add
sugar.
Comma Splices
Read the sentences aloud. If you run out of
breath, you may want to separate some
clauses.
Use a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS).
◦ The is whining, for she is hungry.
Use a semicolon.
◦ The dog is whining; she is hungry.
Correcting Run-on Sentences
Misplaced Modifiers
Misplaced Modifier – a phrase or clause
placed in such a way in the sentence that it
is unclear what part of the sentence is being
modified
◦ Only he liked Sarah.
◦ He only liked Sarah.
◦ He liked only Sarah.
Misplaced Modifiers
Try placing the modifiers near the words they
modify.
In most cases, adjective phrases and clauses
should come immediately after the words they
modify.
◦ Error: The car was stopped alongside the road with one
headlight.
◦ Correction: The car with one headlight was stopped
alongside the road.
Correcting Misplaced Modifiers
Adverb phrases and clauses that modify
verbs may be placed before or after the
verb it modifies.
◦ Ex: When you leave, please close the door.
◦ Ex: Please close the door when you leave.
Correcting Misplaced Modifiers
Place adverb modifiers as close as possible
to the words they modify.
◦ Error: John told how his friend had fallen from the
podium.
◦ Correction: From the podium, John told how his
friend had fallen.
Correcting Misplaced Modifiers
Dangling Modifiers
Dangling Modifier – a phrase or clause that
does not modify any other words in the
sentence
◦ Flying over the city, the skyscraper could clearly
be seen.
What or who could be clearly seen here?
Dangling Modifiers
Move the dangling phrase after the word it
modifies.
◦ Error: Hanging on a nail in his closet, he found his
tie.
◦ Correction: He found his tie hanging on a nail in
the closet.
Correcting Dangling Modifiers
Reword the independent clause, often by
adding a missing word.
◦ Error: When one month old, my grandmother
died.
◦ When I was one month old, my grandmother died.
Correcting Dangling Modifiers
Self-Editing
Read your paper aloud, slowly.
◦ You’ll hear mistakes you wouldn’t noticed by reading
silenly.
◦ Make corrections, then reread it aloud again later to see
if you need to make more corrections
Make a list of everything you need in your paper.
◦ Use it to check your paper to make sure you’ve included
everything.
Self-Editing
Read for clarity.
◦ Your reader doesn’t know what you meant to write, only
what you’ve written.
◦ Make sure you’ve written everything your audience
needs to understand what you’re trying to convey.
Read paragraph by paragraph and sentence by
sentence.
◦ Ask yourself, “Could I say this with fewer words?”
◦ If yes, then do so.
Self-Editing
Your computer can’t think for you.
◦ Spell checks, homonyms, and grammar check
Use resources as a guide, not as an answer.
◦ Online dictionaries and thesauruses
◦ Wikipedia is questionable at best
Be wary of any service that wants to do your
thinking for you.
◦ Citation guides vs. automatic citation machines
Brain vs. Machine
owl.english.purdue.edu
◦ APA and MLA citation guides
◦ Tips on academic and business writing
◦ Grammar, mechanics, and punctuation
http://webs.purduecal.edu/library/
http://dictionary.reference.com/
http://thesaurus.reference.com/
Resources on the Internet