The Fallon - Montgomery Township School District



Revision/Editing Checklist

Carefully revise and edit your essay and then proofread and SPELLCHECK before turning in your final draft. Please use the list below to correct these common errors. Read each sentence by itself out loud to identify your errors, and then revise/edit your paper as necessary.

Sentence fragments: Does your sentence have both a subject and a verb. Check all of your sentences to make sure they are complete. Examples: Staring through the window. When the dentist began drilling.

Run-on Sentences: Do you have sentences (or complete thoughts) that are strung together with no punctuation to mark the break between them. Example: Rita decided to stop smoking she didn’t want to die of lung cancer.

Capitalizing and lower case: Capitalize names, titles which come before a name, places, etc. Example: Montgomery, New Jersey. Not capitalized: hip hop, rap.

Subject/verb agreement: Check your subjects and verbs to make sure they agree: singular/singular, plural/plural. Example: The pictures in the magazine is (should be are) very colorful.

Verb tense agreement: Check to be sure all verbs in your sentence and paragraphs stay in the same tense. Example: The girl ran to the store for her mother and buys (bought) a carton of milk.

No slang, (We were jamming.) jargon (The bank teller had to prove her drawer.) cliches (You hit the nail on the head.) or Internet abbreviations (u told me i should rest.)In other words, do not write the way you speak.

Excessive word usage: Watch out for unnecessary words, such as: just, that, really, so, then. Example: Really, so then I just went to the store.

Tired, overused words: Do not overuse words such as: thing, anything, everything, something, everyone, everybody, somebody, stuff, a lot, good, bad, nice etc. Find better, more descriptive words.

That vs. Who – Use “that” with an object (The book that I placed on your desk…) and “who” with a person (The pretty girl who passes my house each day….)

Repitition: Do not repeat the same thought twice, or use two adjectives that have the same meaning. Example: She was an intelligent person, and smart too.

Homonyms: Check that you are using the correct spelling of homonyms such as: where/wear, their/there.

The usage of the collective “you” or “they” – When you are speaking about yourself, stick with “I.” When speaking of a group, identify the group before using “they.”

Paragraphs: Remember to use paragraphs to separate different points you are making in your essay.

Awkward wording: Rewrite awkward phrases or sentences to flow more smoothly.

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