REVISING
Revising is the step which follows the actual writing of the essay. So, once you have planned your essay through the previous step, you will then do the actual writing of the introduction, the body paragraphs, and the conclusion. Once those have been completed, you will move onto this step.
Many students get confused when it comes to identifying the difference between revising and editing. Turkey Tynes is back to help you with that! Again, click the play button toward the bottom left of Turkey Tynes to hear what it is that revising actually is, in addition to the basic steps of revision. As you listen, fill in the space on your worksheet that asks for the definition of the word "Revising" so that you may reference this at a later point.
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A Review of what Turkey Tynes had to say:
To revise means to reconsider, modify, or change. Put simply, it means to make better.
There are five steps in the process of revision. They are listed below with a little more detail to clarify their purposes.
1. Read what you have written again- This is a simple step. Take what you have written and read over it again so that you are very familiar with how everything flows (or doesn't flow) together. As you read, underline words that appear too often. Highlight words or sentences that don't make sense. Circle portions of your essay that you think would be better left out.
To revise means to reconsider, modify, or change. Put simply, it means to make better.
There are five steps in the process of revision. They are listed below with a little more detail to clarify their purposes.
1. Read what you have written again- This is a simple step. Take what you have written and read over it again so that you are very familiar with how everything flows (or doesn't flow) together. As you read, underline words that appear too often. Highlight words or sentences that don't make sense. Circle portions of your essay that you think would be better left out.
2. Rearrange words or sentences. This step asks you to look at the portions of your essay which you think would be better fit somewhere else. For example, if you have something about George Washington's career in the paragraph about his birth and family, perhaps that would be better off in another paragraph. Try to stay on track and keep everything well organized. You want your essay to flow as any book does!
3. Take out or add parts. This step asks you to remove any parts of your essay that you feel are unnecessary, or to add something that you realized was missing. Reference the parts of your essay that you circled in the first step, and begin by removing those. If one paragraph of your essay doesn't seem to have as much as the others, try to add to it with additional information.
4. Replace overused or unclear words. Look back at the words which you underlined during step one, and see if you can either remove these or replace them with a similar but different word. It's confusing and boring to a reader to see the same word over and over again so we try to avoid this if possible.
5. Read your writing aloud to be sure it flows smoothly. Once you have finished steps 1-4, read your writing aloud to a partner, a teacher, a parent, or any other adult! If you find while reading your essay that some of it does not flow well, then you will be able to fix that in the next step of the writing process. Be sure to take note (by highlighting or underlining) of any times where you find this to be an issue.