"Top 5" Tip #4. Know how to edit your own work and others’ work.
Eding is a incredible importany skskill in AP Langang. Sorry. Editing is an incredibly important skill in AP Lang, as you can see. Even the best make mistakes, and taking the time and effort to catch and correct those mistakes can often make the difference between a B+ and an A-. But just catching mistakes is not the only, or even the most important, benefit that editing provides. When editing, you can ensure that you have included everything that you need to and you may have additional insights into how to correct and improve your writing.
Editing is especially important in evaluating your own work. Taking five to ten minutes to review an essay, a project, or even a homework assignment can ensure that you have stated everything that you wanted to. The revision process helps to define your thinking and order your thoughts, creating a better finished product with more thought than what just a draft can do.
So that you can better edit your own and others' work, here are a few basic tips for editing:
1. Read over your essay a couple of times, or even out loud. Get a feel for how your arguments fit together.
2. Stay simple. There's no need to go fancy if your ideas are good.
3. Remember that you may need to be tough on yourself; look critically at each of your sentences and words.
Here is a copy of my editing process for a short argumentative writing:
Kim Cooper, a Harvard Writing Center professional, also gives her advise on superior editing, Part 1 and Part 2.
Eding is a incredible importany skskill in AP Langang. Sorry. Editing is an incredibly important skill in AP Lang, as you can see. Even the best make mistakes, and taking the time and effort to catch and correct those mistakes can often make the difference between a B+ and an A-. But just catching mistakes is not the only, or even the most important, benefit that editing provides. When editing, you can ensure that you have included everything that you need to and you may have additional insights into how to correct and improve your writing.
Editing is especially important in evaluating your own work. Taking five to ten minutes to review an essay, a project, or even a homework assignment can ensure that you have stated everything that you wanted to. The revision process helps to define your thinking and order your thoughts, creating a better finished product with more thought than what just a draft can do.
So that you can better edit your own and others' work, here are a few basic tips for editing:
1. Read over your essay a couple of times, or even out loud. Get a feel for how your arguments fit together.
2. Stay simple. There's no need to go fancy if your ideas are good.
3. Remember that you may need to be tough on yourself; look critically at each of your sentences and words.
Here is a copy of my editing process for a short argumentative writing:
Kim Cooper, a Harvard Writing Center professional, also gives her advise on superior editing, Part 1 and Part 2.
