This I Believeessay

NAME: ______

This I Believe Essay

EDITING Have you done everything the assignment requires? Are all of your claims consistent? Have you supported each point with adequate evidence/description? Is all of the information in your paper relevant to the assignment and/or your overall writing goal? Have you used an appropriate tone?

o Does it have clear title and MLA format? ______

o Does it include an introduction that grabs the reader’s attention (a hook?) ___

o Does it have a strong thesis emphasizing the writer’s point of view? ______UNDERLINE YOUR THESIS.

o Does it include details that help support the writer’s point of view? The details may fall into one of the following categories: personal anecdotes, specific examples from the news, facts on the subject. ______

o Does it use transitions to clarify order and relate various points? ______

PROOFREADING

The proofreading process- STRATEGIES! Don't rely entirely on spelling checkers or grammar checkers. The proofreading process becomes more efficient as you develop and practice a systematic strategy.

 Read slowly, and read every word. If you are an auditory learner, read it out loud.

 Separate the text into individual sentences. Hit ENTER on the computer and read each line. (run-ons, fragments)

 Circle every punctuation mark. This forces you to look at each one. As you circle, ask yourself if the punctuation is correct.

 Read the paper backwards line by line. This technique is helpful for checking spelling.

 Proofread for only one kind of error at a time. If you try to identify and revise too many things at once, you risk losing focus, and your proofreading will be less effective. This means rereading your paper 3-4 times! PROOFREADING- Specifics

1) Mark all “BE” verbs (AM, IS, WAS, WERE, ARE, BE, BEEN, BEING) Eliminate any paragraphs with passive voice. Eliminate at least 5 and mark them.

2) BOX ALL of your personal pronouns and indefinite pronouns Remember the chart: I, you, me, he, she, they, their (to name a few) Remember: the words everybody, anybody, anyone, each, neither, nobody, someone, a person, etc. are singular and take singular pronouns.

3) MARK PUNCTUATION A) MARK FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) ADD commas between compound sentences

ADD commas with introductory phrases ADD commas around prepositional phrases

B) ADD at least TWO Semi-Colons Connects two independent clauses

C) CIRCLE all punctuation in your paper. Does it belong?

4) Word Choice Look to have variety (don’t be repetitive) and to improve your vocabulary (avoid simple words such as “good,” “bad,” “thing,” “mad”) Look at your adjectives and verbs. Can you replace them with better words that convey your tone better? ADD better word choices DELETE simple words