Better English Writing - Geddes Grosset Webster’s Word Power 2014

Revising and editing your writing
Better writing for every day

In this section, we are going to focus on why it is important to edit and revise your writing and give you ways to do so.

Why it’s essential to revise and edit your writing

No matter what you are writing - whether it’s an email or a thesis - it’s essential to revise and edit it. There will always be mistakes to correct or things you could improve. Even top writers either edit their own work or use professional editors to do this.

Here is a process for revising and editing your work effectively.

Leave it and go back to it

Once you have finished writing, leave it for a while - even if it’s an email and you only leave it for one or two minutes. This will help you to come back to the writing fresh and spot what’s right - and what’s not.

Have you ever written an angry email and pressed send ... and then regretted it? Giving yourself a bit of time between writing the first draft of any piece of text and going back to revise it, can give you a bit more perspective on whether it is good or bad.

Revise the big picture

Read your first draft and concentrate on the big picture, and the overall flow of what you have written. Does it make sense? Is the order logical, or does it need changed?

Does anything need cut or added? What is your overall impression? Ask someone else to read it for you if you’re not sure yourself.

Make notes regarding any general observations made about your writing style and bear them in mind the next time you write something.

Edit the detail

Once you are happy with the big picture, you can concentrate on the detail of individual sentences and words. Here are some things to check for:

✵ Words that have been typed incorrectly (typos) or words that have been misspelled - use a good dictionary to help you check.

✵ Not-so-plain English - make sure that you have applied plain English principles and that your writing is clear and concise.

✵ Misused or confused words.

Here is a short list of some of the most commonly misused or confused words:

accept to agree, to receive or to do

except not including

advice this is the noun, not to be confused with ...

advise the verb

complement something that completes or perfects, the number or quantity required to make something complete

compliment an expression of praise, admiration or approval

discreet careful not to attract attention

discrete separate and distinct

ensure make certain that something will happen

insure to provide compensation if a person dies or property is damaged or stolen, etc.

practice this is the noun, not to be confused with.

practice the verb

stationary not moving

stationery writing materials

AutoCorrect, spellcheckers, grammar checkers and Google Translate - use with caution

These features can all be useful if you use them with care, but they can’t differentiate between a context that makes sense and one that doesn’t. There are pages of hilarious AutoCorrect fails on the internet that show what the problems can be. And Google Translate can often make a literal rather than idiomatic translation. The nature of an idiom is that it may make no sense from the literal meaning of its words but makes more sense in a metaphorical way.