Editing/ Error Correction

 

Proofreading and Editing ( Error Correction)

In addition to developing a better vocabulary, proofreading and editing are the two most essential skills you must learn when you are trying to improve your writing .

Proofreading means looking for grammar, punctuation and spelling mistakes in your writing. These could be verb tense mistakes, subject-verb agreement errors, sentence Fragments, Run On Sentences or Comma splices, incorrect singular or plurals as well as many other types of errors. 

Editing simply means correcting the mistakes you have found.  

In an earlier post I described a method to help you find and correct errors when you write in-class writing tests or high stake tests such  as IELTS or TOEFL when you are under pressure. 

The best approach is to proofread and correct one major error at a time. For example, if you have a lot if problems with verb tenses, proofread your writing specifically for that mistake, underlining every verb and analyzing whether you are using the correct tense or not.

 This page is designed to help you practice finding and correcting common errors you and other ESL students make in your writing. 

This page is divided into categories. 

Part 1 
In Part 1  you will learn how to identify and correct specific types of mistakes. Then, you can practice identifying and correcting those mistakes in sentences and paragraphs. After you develop control at editing ( correcting) individual errors, in your writing, you can then work on other problems. 

Part 2
 
In Part 2 you will practice identifying and correcting a variety of mistakes instead of just one specific type of mistake. In this section you will NOT know which mistakes you are looking for. Instead, you will have to look for mistakes by yourself without help, just as you must do in exam situations and in REAL LIFE.  

This is the real test of whether you are ready or not to take high level writing exams, or to apply for jobs that require you to write in error free English.

Common Problems in ESL Writing 

• Why and How to Revise Your Writing
• General List of Common Mistakes in Writing with Examples  
• Attending to Grammar in your writing: What's Important? 
• Proofreading for Common Surface Mistakes  
• Proofreading for Spelling and Punctuation Mistakes  
• Proofreading and Editing Practice   

Writing Textbooks with Online Practice 

• English Essentials is a 21 chapter book on sentence skills for writers which offers online practice on subjects/verbs, sentence fragments, Run On Sentences, All Forms of Punctuation, Dangling Participles, Spelling and other common problems of ESL/EFL writers.  

• Exercises for Easy Writer is an online resource package to accompany the textbook Easy Writer. Its focuses specifically on editing practice at the sentence and paragraph level. The activities include all of the common grammar, sentence style, punctuation and mechanic, and language use students commonly make. It also contains a section specifically aimed at multilingual writers.

 PROOFREADING SITES: 

• Jon's Proofreading and Editing Page *** ( This is an excellent resource because it contains both explanations and practice in all of the areas in which ESL.EFL students have problems: sentence fragments, run on sentences, comma splices, subject-verb agreement, plurals, pronouns, etc.

• Proofreading Activities to Help You Become More Accurate SOURCE: Using English for Academic Purposes  

• This site has many explanations and activities to help you practice proofreading for a wide variety of common errors that ESL students make in their writing. ( Types of errors include verb tenses, prepositions, word order, articles, nouns, adjective-adverb, spelling, punctuation and choosing the correct word)

•  CONFUSING WORDS 

• their, they're or there
• who vs whomever
• Words that confuse: few, a few, much, many, a little etc. 
• to or too  

PARALLEL STRUCTURES

• Using Parallel Structure Tutorial 
• Coordination and parallel structures tutorial  NEW

ERROR CORRECTION EXERCISES IN PARALLEL CONSTRUCTION 

• Parallel Structures
• Parallel Structures 2
• Parallel Structures 3
• Parallel structures 4
• Parallel Structures 5
• Parallel Structures 6 
• parallel structures worksheet  NEW

GERUNDS AND INFINITIVES 
Gerunds and Infinitives Error Correction in Sentences



VERB TENSE MISTAKES:

Verb Tense Consistency: Avoiding Shifts  

An Overview of Proofreading for Accurate Verb Tenses ( go to VERBS)  

 Verb Tense Consistency

• Verb Tense Consistency Practice 1  
• Verb Tense Consistency Practice 2
• Verb Tense Consistency Practice 3  
• Verb Tense Consistency 1 SOURCE:CUNY
• Verb Tense Consistency 2 SOURCE CUNY 
• Verb Tense Shift Practice  
• Verb Tenses in Paragraph
• Practice # 1: The Car Accident
• Practice #2: Verb Tense Errors
• Verb Tense Consistency: The Richest Woman in The City 
• Verb Tense Shift: Mrs Cablea
• Proofreading for Mistakes in Verb Form and tense 
• Working with Verb Tense and Verb Form

SENTENCE FRAGMENTS:

• Sentence Fragments  

• SENTENCE FRAGMENTS AND HOW TO CORRECT THEM 
• Type of Fragment  
• Sentence Fragment Examples Video  
• Sentence Fragments: Source Grammar Quizzes  
• Sentence Fragments and Run On Sentences 
• Sentence Fragments 1
• Sentence Fragments in Paragraphs   

Run On Sentences and Comma Splices  

• Run On Sentences SOURCE Grammar Quizzes 
  
• Rules for Fixing Comma Splices and Fused Sentences  
• Practice with Run On Sentences and Comma Splices
• Practice with Run Ons and Comma Splices
• More Practice with Run Ons and Comma Splices  
• Run On Sentences and Comma Splices 1  
• Run On Sentences and Comma Splices  2
• Run On Sentences and Comma Splices 3  
• Run On Sentences and Comma Splices 4 
• Run On Sentences and Comma Splices  5

Subject/Verb Agreement 

• Identifying Subject-Verb Agreement  SOURCE Grammar-Quizzes 
• Subject  Verb Agreement in a paragraph
• Subject Verb Agreement Quiz paragraph level
• Subject Verb Agreement Quizzes  
•  20 different subject-verb agreement quizzes

PRONOUN REFERENCE AND CONSISTENCY 

• Pronoun Reference Tutorial 
•  Pronoun Antecedent Agreement 
• Pronoun Antecedent Agreement  
• Pronoun Antecedent Agreement  

PUNCTUATION AND CAPITALIZATION 

• Capitalization Rules 
• Punctuation Error Correction  
• Punctuation Patterns  
• Comma Rules and Explanations  
• Comma Use at the Sentence Level Practice 1  
• Comma Use at the Sentence Level Practice 2  
• Comma Rules and Practice  
• Comma Worksheet Answers  
• Comma Practice Quiz  
• Semi-colons  
• Apostrophes  
• Punctuation Worksheets (English for Everyone) 

SPELLING:

• Common ESL spelling mistakes
• ALL ABOUT SPELLING: A 7 Unit Spelling Program that starts from the Beginning  
•  Spelling Program For Students with Major Problems  
• Big IQ Kids: A Free Online Spelling Program    ( Free, but you need to register)  
• Spelling City
• Specific list of Common spelling problems of students from the Middle East 
• Spelling Rules and Spelling Quizzes  
• Commonly misspelled words: American spelling
• Frequently Misspelled Words 
• Spelling Suffixes and silent "e"  
• Practice with homophones: their, there, they're  
• They're, their, or there  
• Their, they're and there  

A demonstration of a mapping strategy to help you with vocabulary and spelling

homonym quiz 1  homonym quiz 2	homonym quiz3   homonym quiz 4	homonym quiz 5 homonyms quiz 5

 PART 2: CORRECT THE MISTAKES ( MIXED ERRORS)

Can you recognize grammar mistakes when reading a sentence? Practice with these exercises.

•  Recognizing Common Errors in Writing 
• 30 Error Correction Quizzes (Basic Level) from Exam English  NEW
• 30 Error correction Quizzes ( Pre-Intermediate level) from Exam English New
• 40 Error Correction Quizzes ( Intermediate Level) from Exam English New
• 38 Error Correction Quizzes (advanced level) from Exam English  NEW
• 25 TOEIC Find The Mistake Practices  New
• Common Errors in English Mixed Editing Practice
• Proofreading and Editing Practice 
• Proofreading and Editing Practice  
• Find the Mistake  by Rob Sanders  
• Error Correction  from Exam English 
• Find the Mistake 2 From Rob Saunders 
• 
  
• 10 Error Correction Practices  
• 148 Error Correction Practices from English Daily  New

• Adjective Clauses Common Errors
• Adjective Clause Editing at the sentence level
• Appositives  
• Adjective Clause Quizzes 

Paragraph Correction (Mixed Errors) 
Intermediate Paragraphs 

• ANSWER KEY to Intermediate Correction Worksheets
• Intermediate Paragraph Correction 1 
• Intermediate Paragraph Correction 2
• Intermediate Paragraph Correction 3  
• The Titanic ( FISA.Edu)  
• Est is East Paragraph Correction Mixed Errors 
• My Favourite Places to Eat Error Correction 
• Editing  Two Paragraphs

Editing a Paragraph for Mixed Errors ( Source McGraw-Hill Publishers

• Power Proofreading 
• Proofreading #1  
• Proofreading #2 
• 2 Proofreading activities 

• Error Correction Resources

• Back to Back Error Correction ( A paired Activity)

• Pre Intermediate Sentence Correction classroom activitivty

• Proofreading for Accuracy in Academic Writing