Revising for Mechanics and Style
As you have realized from this module, there are plenty of rules to remember regarding mechanics. (This module has touched on a few of the more important ones. See more resources on mechanics and style in the Resources and Documents for this module.) Also, your Background Readings provide some helpful techniques for reviewing and revising your own writing.
Because there are many rules to remember, and because effective writing takes practice, it is a good idea to adopt a deliberate approach to reviewing and revising your writing. You can consider revising at five different levels, each focusing on a different aspect of the overall text:
- Context, content, and sequence
- Guideposts that help the reader anticipate and follow the discussion
- Clarity, conciseness, and appropriateness of language
- Mechanics of writing
- The whole document a final time to proofread for any errors
Use the comprehensive checklist from your Background Readings (page 35) to ensure that you have revised carefully. See the Reflection file below.