English Composition 101: Writing Process - Revising Global vs. Local Revision Reorganising Adding Deleting Rewriting Peer Review Peer Feedback

What It Is

Revising is the process of reviewing and improving your writing to make it clear, concise, and effective. For example, a student writes a paragraph about a book: "The book was good. It had a lot of pages. The main character was nice." After revising, the paragraph becomes: "The book, while not perfect, had a compelling main character and a engaging storyline that kept me interested throughout its 500 pages." Revising matters because it helps you communicate your ideas clearly and persuasively in academic and professional writing.

Core Principles

• Revision is the process of reviewing and improving your writing.
• Global revision involves changing the overall structure and content of your writing.
• Local revision involves making small changes to specific sentences or phrases.
• A thesis statement is a claim that answers the question or makes a statement about the topic.
• A claim is a statement that makes an argument or assertion.
• A roadmap is a list of supporting evidence or examples.
• Transitions are words or phrases that connect ideas between sentences or paragraphs.
• Transitions can be used to show addition (also, in addition), contrast (however, on the other hand), or cause and effect (as a result, because).
• Peer review is the process of having a classmate or friend review your writing and provide feedback.
• Peer feedback is the process of giving feedback to a classmate or friend on their writing.
• Reorganizing involves rearranging the order of your ideas or paragraphs.
• Adding involves introducing new information or ideas to your writing.
• Deleting involves removing unnecessary information or ideas from your writing.
• Rewriting involves rephrasing or rewording specific sentences or phrases.
• Citation involves giving credit to the original source of an idea or quote.
• MLA and APA are citation styles used in academic writing.
• MLA uses a Works Cited page to list sources.
• APA uses an References page to list sources.

Common Writing Errors

• Error: The book was good.
• Why it fails: This sentence is too vague and doesn't provide any specific information about the book.
• Correction: The book, while not perfect, had a compelling main character and an engaging storyline that kept me interested throughout its 500 pages.
• Error: The author of the book was a great writer.
• Why it fails: This sentence is too subjective and doesn't provide any specific evidence to support the claim.
• Correction: The author's use of descriptive language and vivid imagery made the story come alive.
• Error: The book was boring.
• Why it fails: This sentence is too negative and doesn't provide any specific reasons why the book was boring.
• Correction: While the book had some slow moments, the engaging characters and plot twists kept me interested throughout.

Quick Application

• Scenario 1: You are arguing that college tuition should be free. Write a thesis statement.
• Model answer: While college tuition is expensive, making it free would have numerous benefits for students and society as a whole, including increased access to education and reduced student debt.
• Explanation: This thesis statement makes a claim (college tuition should be free) and provides a roadmap (increased access to education and reduced student debt) to support the claim.
• Scenario 2: You are writing a paragraph about a historical event. Use transitions to connect your ideas.
• Model answer: The American Revolution was a pivotal moment in history. However, the revolution was not without its challenges. As a result, the Continental Army was able to defeat the British and secure American independence.
• Explanation: This paragraph uses transitions (however, as a result) to connect the ideas between sentences and show contrast and cause and effect.
• Scenario 3: You are writing a research paper. Use MLA citation style to cite a source.
• Model answer: According to Smith (2020), the American Revolution was a complex and multifaceted event. (Smith 2020, 12)
• Explanation: This citation uses MLA style to give credit to the original source of the idea (Smith 2020) and provides a page number (12) to support the claim.

Last-Minute Revision

• Use commas to separate items in a list (e.g., "I like reading books, watching movies, and playing video games").
• Use semicolons to separate independent clauses (e.g., "I have visited many cities; Paris is my favorite").
• Use a period to end a sentence (e.g., "The book was good. It had a lot of pages.").
• Use transition words to connect ideas (e.g., "however," "in addition," "as a result").
• Use active voice instead of passive voice (e.g., "The dog bites the man" instead of "The man is bitten by the dog").
• Use specific examples to support claims (e.g., "The book had a compelling main character and an engaging storyline").
• Use a clear and concise writing style (e.g., "The book was good" instead of "The book was, like, really good, man").
• Use proper citation and referencing (e.g., MLA or APA style).
• Use headings and subheadings to organize your writing (e.g., "Introduction," "Body," "Conclusion").
• Use bullet points or numbered lists to break up large blocks of text (e.g., "Here are the benefits of making college tuition free:").
• Use a clear and concise title (e.g., "The Benefits of Making College Tuition Free").