How to Write Great Essays

HOW TO WRITE GREAT ESSAYS
65
BEYOND SPELL AND GRAMMAR CHECKS
When proofreading, use the professional tricks in the box below, and consider the follow-
ing list. If you have any questions about possible grammar, punctuation, or spelling errors,
look them up
. Consult the resources at the end of this book for great ideas for online help
and books that can answer your questions.
■
Did you use any words incorrectly (check the lists of commonly confused and
misused words on pages 22–26)?
■
When using quotation marks, did you place all sentence-ending punctuation
inside them?
■
Did you use exclamation points only in dialogue?
■
Is there a good balance of contractions (not too few or too many)?
■
Do all subjects and verbs agree?
■
Are there any double negatives? (see page 47)
■
Are all apostrophes used correctly, especially when forming possessives?
■
Do any lists of items contain mistakes in parallel structure?
■
Have all hyphenated and compound words been used correctly?
PROFESSIONAL PROOFREADING TRICKS
1.
Take your time.
Studies show that waiting at least twenty minutes before proof-
reading your work can increase your likelihood of finding errors. Get up from your
computer, take a break, or move on to some other task, and then come back to
your writing.
2.
Read backward.
Go through your writing from the last word to the first, focus-
ing on each individual word, rather than on the context.
3.
Ask for help.
A pair of fresh eyes may find mistakes that you have overlooked
dozens of times; and one or more of your colleagues may be better at finding
spelling and grammar errors than you are.
4.
Go under cover.
Print out a draft copy of your writing, and read it with a blank
piece of paper over it, revealing just one sentence at a time. This technique will
encourage a careful line-by-line edit.
5.