Essay Editing Tips: 5 Great Techniques To Check Yourself
Checking your essay for mistakes can be tedious and it is very easy to miss errors but following these techniques should make your self-checking easier:
- Read essay out loud
- Paragraph examination
- Take your time
- Limit distractions
- Paper copy
- Read essay out loud
- Paragraph examination
- Take your time
- Limit distractions
- Paper copy
Reading your essay out loud can be a very helpful technique in editing your essay. By reading it out loud you will be able to listen to the wording of your sentences and be able to spot any awkward structures. You want your essay to flow smoothly and coherently, reading it out loud will let you hear any mistakes as well as spot incorrect uses of commas when you pause for breath.
Depending on the length of your essay, editing can be a daunting task. By taking one paragraph at a time and examining it at least two times through you will be able to break down your editing into a more manageable process. Think of each paragraph as separate, so that you do not worry about the other paragraphs you have yet to edit and can focus more efficiently on just one problem at a time.
Do not rush through editing your essay. Sloppy editing will earn you no favors with your professor so take your time in proofreading your work. Writing your essay as early as possible after it is assigned will give you time to carefully edit it before you have to hand it in.
A quiet environment is heartily recommended for when you are editing your essay. It is best, during this time, to make yourself unavailable to others, so turning off your cellphone and telling your friends that you need to be undisturbed are advisable steps to take. Make sure you have no pressing needs when you sit down to edit your essay, the less you have to distract you the better your editing process will go.
Reading your essay on the computer can make you bleary-eyed and prone to miss grammar errors. A paper copy of your essay allows you sit back and get a larger picture of your work than a computer can permit. Proofreading on paper also allows you to make editing notes and then review if those changes will work before actually applying them to the hard copy of your essay.