The Writing Process | Advanced (C-Level)
Stage 3. Step 2. Editing Your Draft
Note. This lesson is part of an advanced English-as-a-second-language course. To start from the beginning, go to the table of contents.
Continue Polishing Your Work
When revising your draft, you focused on presenting your ideas to your readers as clearly as possible. Now it is time to edit your work.
When you edit your draft, pay close attention to grammar and the mechanics of writing.
cottonbro studio | Pexels
Editing | Focus on Style
When you edit your work, focus on grammar and the mechanics of writing such as spelling, punctuation, capitalization, subject-verb agreement, clauses, and so on.
You may feel tempted to rush through this step; however, editing is as important as any other step in the writing process.
To edit your work, ask yourself the following:
Is my document formatted correctly?
- Using a style manual (e.g., MLA-style or APA-style manual), double-check your formatting.
Are there any grammar problems?
- Does each sentence have a subject and verb? Are my clauses grammatical?
- Is the verb in the correct tense?
- Does each verb agree with the subject?
- Have I used all the correct pronouns, prepositions, adverbs, adjective forms, and so on?
Are there any spelling and punctuation problems?
- Is the punctuation correct? Check each punctuation mark. Check where you may be missing a punctuation mark.
- Is the spelling correct?
Writing tips for editing your draft
Visit this list of editing tips for a more comprehensive list of what you can do when you edit your writing.
Make sure to return to this page to continue your course.
Up Next: Stage 3. Final Touches
Continue the lesson to learn about finalizing your work.