How to Write Great Essays

HOW TO WRITE GREAT ESSAYS
CHAPTER 5
Revising, Editing, and Proofreading
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Making large and small changes to your essay may seem frightening at first: what if you don’t
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.
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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