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reader into the scene (see Chapter 2 for a review of pinpointing, or replacing vague lan-
guage with words and phrases that are more specific).
Some of my earliest memories are of sitting behind the counter in my family’s feed
store. I would listen to the ring of the cash register, and watch as my mother care-
fully entered the sale in a large book. I became fascinated with the rows of num-
bers—a fascination that continues to this day as I plan a career in accounting.
The goal of editing is to make certain your essay works well on the sentence and word
level. By checking and correcting your writing this closely, you will eliminate words and phrases
that don’t work, as well as unnecessary verb tense shifts, and confusing pronoun usage. Your
writing will be fresh, original, and clear, and there will be enough variation to keep your
audience interested.
STYLE GUIDES
Writers and editors use style guides to help maintain consistency, and to conform to
formatting standards. These guides explain everything from how to write a bibliogra-
phy to how to indent paragraphs and when to use commas. The three most popular
and frequently used style guides are the MLA (Modern Language Association),
Chicago Manual of Style, and APA (American Psychological Association). If you have
not been directed to use one of these guides (or a similar one), you may consult one
to answer any style questions that come up during the editing process.
In addition to using existing style guides, some writers and editors create their own
style sheets that are specific to the project they are working on. These sheets are sim-
ply lists of key words and phrases that are repeated in the writing. For instance, if your
essay is about former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, you want to be sure
you spell her name correctly each time it appears. Including it on a style guide gives
you an easy reference.
You might also include the following on a style sheet:
◆ specific grammar points

like what you have changed, and want to go back to your original form? Your word proces-
sor can make it easy when you understand how to use it to your advantage. The directions
below show you how to employ some of the many features of your word processing pro-
gram that can help you revise and edit.
When you have reread your essay and have an idea of the changes you want, or think you
want to make, you can begin to add, delete, correct, and move text around. By using the
“Track Changes” feature of your word processor, you can see what you have changed, and
have the opportunity to save or undo your changes.

T
RACK
C
HANGES
Track Changes involves two different functions. One allows you to see what you are doing
to the text as you revise and edit. The other lets you compare the “new”version to the orig-
inal document. Therefore, the first step in using this feature is to copy your essay into a new
document, creating a version that you can change and compare to the original (which is
saved as a backup). To turn on the track changes feature, click on “tools,” “track changes,”
then “highlight changes.” Select “track changes while editing” and “highlight changes on
screen”to see the feature at work while you revise and edit. You may also want to check “high-
light changes in printed document” if you will work from a hard copy of your essay. “High-
light changes” must be checked if you wish to see the changes tracked as you make them.
The next step is to choose how you want track changes to work for you. Open the “work-
ing” version of your essay, then click on “Tools,” “Options,” and “Track Changes.” You will
see four categories for which you can choose options. The box below explains each function.
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Revising, Editing, and Proofreading CHAPTER 5
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Typing replaced
Turn this function on to highlight text to be removed,
selection
then type new text which will replace it.
Drag-and-drop
This is perfect for moving words, phrases, and even
text editing
paragraphs around in your essay. Highlight text to be
moved, hold down left mouse button, move cursor to
new location, and release the button to move the text.
Use smart cut
Word automatically adjusts the spacing around deleted
and paste
or inserted text when this function is on.
When selecting,
Click once anywhere on a word to select the whole
automatically selects
word.
entire word
HOW TO WRITE GREAT ESSAYS
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CHAPTER 5 Revising, Editing, and Proofreading
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H
OW TO
M
OVE OR
C
HANGE

a vertical block of text: hold down the control key (“ctrl”) and drag across the
desired text.
■
the entire document: move the cursor to the left side of the window until it
turns into a right-pointing arrow and triple-click, or choose “select all” from
the “edit” menu.
Once you have selected text, there are a number of ways to manipulate it.
Change text
■
Begin typing new text; old will be replaced.
Delete text
■
Press the “delete” key.
OR
■
Select “cut” from the “edit” menu.
Move text
■
Use the “edit” menu to “cut” or “copy” the text. Next, click once at the desired
location and select “paste” from the “edit” menu.
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■
Hold down the left mouse button while on the highlighted text, and move the
cursor to the desired location. Then, release the button. This is known as “drag
and drop.”
Change case

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H
OW TO
P
ROOFREAD
Good proofreading involves far more than a simple run of spell and grammar check on your
computer. In fact, those programs are not fool-proof, and therefore a reliance on them alone
to find your errors is a mistake. However, they are not a bad place to start. Reread the advice
for using spell check in Chapter 3 (page 36), and read the following guidelines for using
computer grammar tools.