PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER: REVISIONUnit 7 Seminar

REVISION Many revision issues exist, but divide revising

tasks into three basic divisions:* Revise sentences for content (ideas)* Revise for grammar; proofread aloud.* Revise for APA (if necessary)—check each citation and reference item for APA format. Remember to focus on the sources you are using. Avoid overwhelming yourself with information you don’t need right now.

You may generate many drafts! The more you draft, the better the chance of catching errors and making the essay stronger.

SCHEDULE YOUR TIME

Make a schedule for drafting and stick as closely to it as possible.

Do not write the entire essay in one sitting. You can do it all if you begin now!

REMEMBER THE PROCESS . . .

The most common way students get “lost” in the essay is by not following the process for writing.

The topic, thesis, and outline have been parts of this process.

The draft and receiving feedback will be important parts of the same process; all this work is connected.

Take time to make time; create a schedule for your work so that you can juggle all the responsibilities in your life.

SEEKING HELP

Ask for help when you need it! Your instructor is eager to help, but many times cannot help on the day before a project is due because there is not enough time.

Also use the Kaplan Writing Center as part of your writing process from beginning to final draft.

DRAFTING

Let’s look at how one student organized her work.

On the next page, you’ll see a highlighted paragraph. The functions of each paragraph have been highlighted as:

1: Topic Sentence 2: Supporting Details 3. Closing Sentence

BODY PARAGRAPHS Example body paragraph (thesis key point 1): topic

sentence, support, closing sentence At the outset, Internet publishing promises writers

powerful representation from major book vendors. For example, many Internet publishers have deals with industry giants such as Barnes and Noble and Amazon. In exchange for shared royalties, these booksellers list, promote, and sell both self-published and so-called “virtual reads” to their customer base (Lowell, 2005). This powerful marketing tool means that a writer can self-publish while having the selling advantage of those who have waited a long time to find print-publishing acceptance. This advantage can be attractive, as seen in the over 59 percent 2004-2005 increase in self-published and electronic books (Lowell, 2005). As more booksellers agree to sign on for print-on-demand and e-book partnerships, the reading world can expect more authors to take this virtual publishing route.

PROOFREADING VERSUS SPELL CHECK

Spell check is a good first pass of your document, but it should not be relied on to catch every error. For example, spell check won’t catch misused words, only misspelled words.

MISUSED WORDS

Homophones—words that sound the same but have different spellings

Homonyms—words that sound the same but which have the same spelling. However, they have different meanings.

Since the words sound alike but have different meanings, homophones won’t usually be caught by spell check.

EXAMPLES

Examples of these words are:

-affect vs. effect      elicit vs. illicit    -there, their, they're lead vs. led -too, two, to            may be vs. maybe -then vs. than          principal vs.

principle -loose vs. lose          desert vs. dessert

DO YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENCES IN THESE PAIRS?

Most stores (except/accept) American Express.

The (affect/effect) of the storm was frightening.

Carmen is (already/all ready) in class. Marcus is under the (allusion/illusion) that he

is famous.

BUT, WHAT ABOUT WHEN YOU’RE PROOFREADING AND NOT SEEING A CHOICE???

Cites like Wikipedia are notoriously unreliable. Charges of lible and plagiarism have been brought forth even though it doesn’t appear Wikipedia knew this was elicit. They’re planning to update their policies and procedures, but who knows when these principals will go into effect. Whose planning on policing them and insuring their information is correctly and legally posted? They may lose funding if such standards are impossible to maintain.

AS YOU EDIT . . . Keep in mind that a sentence does not have

to be brief to be effective; long sentences can be worthwhile, too.

In fact, an essay’s sentence length and structure should vary.

Some sentences should be brief and others should be longer.

Punctuation and the “sound” of sentences should vary.

However, every word should be necessary.

PARAGRAPH WITH TOO MANY SHORT SENTENCES

Autism may be caused by injections. Specifically, the injections given to infants are suspect. Booster shots for tetanus, measles, and Diphtheria may contain thermasol. Thermasol is a preservative made with mercury (Tyson, 2004). Preservatives are added to give the drugs a longer shelf life. Some bodies are not able to process mercury. This may put those people at risk for developing autism at “a rate of more than 500%, particularly those with a familial tendency toward autism” (Jackson, 2006, p.7).

PARAGRAPH WITH TOO MANY LONG SENTENCES It seems impossible to not see the link between

injections for children and the rise of autism in our country. Because American children receive a host of preventative inoculations such as measles/mumps/rubella, diphtheria/tetanus, chicken pox, and hepatitis, many experts believe the quality and quantity of the injections are problematic in the long term. With millions of dollars of profit at risk, pharmaceutical companies are choosing to include a mercury preservative that gives these injections a longer shelf life. Thermasol, the mercury preservative in question, leaves a residue behind in the system, and in particular the nervous system (Tyson, 2004). Interrupting the way the way the brain and nerves grow puts people at risk for developing autism at “a rate of more than 500%, particularly those with a familial tendency toward autism” (Jackson, 2006, p.7).

PARAGRAPH WITH A BALANCE It seems impossible to not see the link between

injections for children and the rise of autism in our country. Specifically, the injections given to infants are suspect. Because American children receive a host of preventative inoculations such as measles/mumps/rubella, diphtheria/tetanus, chicken pox, and hepatitis, many experts believe the quality and quantity of the injections are problematic in the long term. Thermasol is a preservative made with mercury (Tyson, 2004). Preservatives are added to give the drugs a longer shelf life. Some bodies are not able to process mercury and the nervous system suffers. Interrupting the way the way the brain and nerves grow puts people at risk for developing autism at “a rate of more than 500%, particularly those with a familial tendency toward autism” (Jackson, 2006, p.7).