Tips for
proofreading and catching major
errors:
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Review the
major error handout to make sure you understand the most significant
problems you’re looking for. Also, take a look at the editing section
on pp. 60-65 of Bedford.
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Read the
essay out loud with a pencil in your hand and mark awkward sections.
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Read the
draft backwards at both the word level (to catch spelling errors) and
the sentence level (to catch grammatical errors).
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Read the
draft through several times with at least an hour in between readings.
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If you’re
using a word processor, you’re more likely to catch errors reading
from a hard copy than if just reading from the screen.
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If you’re
using a word processor, use the spell-checker, but remember that it
won’t catch misspellings like from/form, two and to.
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Lightly
mark sentences that you’re unsure of, and ask me about them in class
next time.
Students who don't pass
this essay generally haven’t spent enough time proofreading.
See
Portfolio/Format Guidelines on the
main assignments page for guidance on what to include in your portfolio
and how to format your essay.
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Grammar Check: One common mistake with this assignment is that students get
criteria and criterion mixed up. Criterion is
singular (The main criterion is value);. Criteria is plural (My
criteria are taste, freshness, and size.). Make sure to double-check
your usage of these words because they can lead you to major errors if
you aren’t careful. Also, if
you’re evaluating movies, TV shows, or compact discs make sure that you
underline or italicize them.
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Two Serious
Content Problems: The two
most common problems with this essay are that some students include way
too much background information, and they don’t argue from their
criteria. Make sure that you give us a sense of what your subject is
like at the beginning, but don’t give EVERYTHING away. Also, when you
make your judgment, don’t forget to argue from your criteria and not
just from your overall impression of the subject.
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Conclusions:
A number of you have been struggling with conclusions. Check out
39-42 in Bedford and 218-19 in GRWCA for help here.
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Good Paragraphs
often = Good Essay: Review all the paragraphs you've written.
Make sure they meet the requirements of good paragraphs (focused,
developed, organized, and especially coherent) described in chapter 4 of
Bedford that we discussed in class. There are many tips in this
section that will help you create better paragraphs.
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Logos, Ethos,
Pathos: As you think about your final revision, consider ways
that you can improve the strength of the these three rhetorical appeals
in your essay. You'll mostly rely on logos, but ethos and pathos
have a place in your argument as well.
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Special Notes
for Movie Reviews: Make sure to mention actors names the first
time you mention the character. Generally, you'll do something
like: Peter Parker (played by Toby Maguire) or Peter Parker
(Toby Maguire). Also, don't forget to italicize or underline
movie titles: Spiderman or Spiderman.
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General Help:
Use the "Revising" chapter in Good Reasons and the
chapter 3a in Bedford (particularly the chart on 48) to help improve
your essays. Also, review to class notes, model essays, and peer
review comment sheets.
The
Mellinger Learning Center is open for writing assistance from 3-5
Monday-Thursday, and 7-10 Sunday-Thursday. I strongly encourage you
to get help from a Writing Fellow at any stage in the writing process.
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