LibGuides: ENGL 107 College Composition: Revising & Editing

Wordiness!

One of the biggest problems in academic or scholarly writing is wordiness. It takes practice to write concisely. Check out this brief tutorial from Western Washington University's library for some tips on how to eliminate wordiness in your writing.

Books on Writing

Reading about writing may sound like a lot, but we've got classic, time-tested books available in the library to help develop your writing.

They Say / I Say by Gerald Graff; Cathy Birkenstein; Tony Craine (Read by)
Call Number: ENGL 107
ISBN: 9781469028613
Publication Date: 2014-04-01
They Say / I Say demystifies academic writing by identifying its key rhetorical moves, the most important of which is to summarize what others have said ("they say") to set up one's own argument ("I say"). The book also provides templates to help students make these key moves in their own writing. This version includes readings that demonstrate those moves-and provide stimulating conversations for them to enter. The third edition includes an anthology of over 40 essays on five issues that matter to high school students today.
A Writer's Reference by Diana Hacker; Nancy Sommers (Contribution by); Tom Jehn (Contribution by); Jane Rosenzweig (Contribution by)
ISBN: 9780312450250
Publication Date: 2006-11-23
A Writer’s Reference is the most widely adopted college handbook ever published. The new edition is available in a classic version that provides more help with academic writing, serves a wider range of multilingual students, and lends more support for college research — all in an easy-to-use quick-reference format. Now for all the ways you teach your course, you can choose the classic version or choose from among 4 additional versions with varied content.
A Writer’s Reference with Exercises is tailor-made for classroom use or for additional grammar practice with 86 integrated exercise sets.
A Writer’s Reference with Writing in the Disciplines provides help for college writing beyond composition with advice and models in six academic disciplines.
A Writer’s Reference with Writing about Literature includes an entire tabbed section on interpreting and writing about works of literature, with two annotated student essays.
A Writer’s Reference with Extra Help for ESL Writers includes an entire tabbed section for nonnative speakers of English; it offers targeted advice and strategies for college writing and research.
The Elements of Style by William Strunk; E. B. White; Roger Angell (Foreword by)
Call Number: PE1408 .S772 2000
ISBN: 9780205309023
Publication Date: 1999-07-23
You know the authors' names. You recognize the title. You've probably used this book yourself. This is The Elements of Style, the classic style manual, now in a fourth edition. A new Foreword by Roger Angell reminds readers that the advice of Strunk & White is as valuable today as when it was first offered.This book's unique tone, wit and charm have conveyed the principles of English style to millions of readers. Use the fourth edition of "the little book" to make a big impact with writing.

Proofreading Checklist

Once you have a draft of your paper, you should:

TAKE A BREAK! Give yourself an hour or a day, depending on the time you have, between finishing and proofreading your work. You want to look at it with a fresh set of eyes in order to catch any errors.
Give it to someone to read over. While you're waiting, you can have a classmate or friend read over your paper to spot easy errors like missing words or unclear sentences.
Use technology. Microsoft Word and Google Docs both have built-in spell and grammar checkers. Make sure to use these features to catch mistakes. Grammarly.com is also a great resource for proofreading. Their free service catches most errors and typos, while their paid service also provides helpful writing suggestions.
Print your paper. Print your paper out to proofread with a hard copy. Sometimes it's easier to catch slip-ups on paper than it is scrolling on a screen. Bonus: you can use pens and highlighters to mark up.
Read your paper. Aloud. Backward. Reading your paper aloud helps you catch awkward wording and sentence structure. Doing it backward, by starting with the last sentence first, keeps your brain on its toes to make sure you catch all missing words and typos that may have lingered.

Tips for your Thesis Statement

Check your thesis statement against the following suggestions, provided by the OWL at Purdue University:

A thesis is not a title: Homes and schools (title) vs. Parents ought to participate more in the education of their children (good thesis).
A thesis is not an announcement of the subject: My subject is the incompetence of the Supreme Court vs. The Supreme Court made a mistake when it ruled in favor of George W. Bush in the 2000 election.
A thesis is not a statement of absolute fact: Jane Austen is the author of Pride and Prejudice.
A thesis is not the whole essay: A thesis is your main idea/claim/refutation/problem-solution expressed in a single sentence or a combination of sentences.
Please note that according to the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Seventh Edition, "A thesis statement is a single sentence that formulates both your topic and your point of view" (Gibaldi 42). However, if your paper is more complex and requires a thesis statement, your thesis may require a combination of sentences.

Common Errors

12 Common Errors- A Student Self-Editing Guide
This guide, from University of Wisconsin-Madison's Writing Center, contains a checklist of the most common errors made in writing. Consult this list to catch things like:

-Sentence fragments
-Comma misuse
-Easily confused words