- Shows Attended: 0
About Me
How do I edit the text?
Step 1: Let the text rest
Very often the author's eyes glaze over, and he is not able to find and correct all the errors in the text at once.
Let your article rest for a while, and then it will be much… (read more)
About Me
How do I edit the text?
Step 1: Let the text rest
Very often the author's eyes glaze over, and he is not able to find and correct all the errors in the text at once.
Let your article rest for a while, and then it will be much easier to edit it.
Step 2: Read the text out loud
Reading out loud helps you catch a lot of annoying bloopers. For example:
Tautology
Lengthy
Pointless dialogues
Adjacent hisses.
Excessive words, etc.
Step 3: Make sure you're okay with structure
Typical problems with structure:
The author has not finished a thought;
There is no beginning (or beginning);
Repetition of the same thought;
There is no unified composition (A little elderberry in a cottage, a little uncle in Kiev);
The text sounds illogical: the author does not confirm his arguments;
The imbalance of different parts. For example, thirteen paragraphs are devoted to one point in the list, and one sentence is devoted to another.
Step 4: Find the unfortunate sentences.
Correct or delete any sentences that:
Look too unwieldy;
Don't carry useful information;
Sound ridiculous and pretentious (e.g., due to incorrect word order);
Duplicate the meaning of the above;
Are full of empty abstractions;
Sound too conventional or academic.
Step 5: Check with the Dictionaries
If you have even the slightest doubt that you know the true meaning of a word, look in the dictionary.
If you cite any numbers, facts, names, or place names, make sure you spell them correctly. It is very annoying when the author writes "Butan" instead of "Butan", or worse, "Baton".
Step 6: Check your text for literacy
Use a spell-checker. Of course it will not give you a hundred percent guarantee, but it will still help you spot a lot of mistakes.
The most frustrating is when you mix up similar words: "colossus" - "colossus", "campaign" - "company". To avoid such blunders, you can read the text backwards, word by word.
Step 7. Get your paragraphs and headings in order
Make sure you don't have any healthy paragraphs that make the text difficult to read.
If you're writing an article for online publication, separate paragraphs with line spacing and arrange headings.
Step 8: Check your punctuation
Make sure you have proper commas, dashes, and other punctuation.
If you can't remember the rules, make yourself a cheat sheet and refer to it as needed.
Step 9: Cite your sources
If you cite facts or quotes, don't forget to cite where you got them.
Step 10. Print the text.
Another good way to find minor errors is to print out the text and read it on paper.