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Proofreading Your Paper
1. Draw 2 lines under each verb and 1 line under the subject of each verb.
Check for:
a. subject-verb agreement (present tense verbs)--no possessive marks on
verbs
b. missing -ed endings (past tense verbs)
c. irregular past forms (check dictionary)
d. unnecessary tense shifts
2. Draw a circle around every form of be, have, and get.
Check for missing -ed endings following these verbs.
3. Draw a circle around every pronoun. Find the noun the pronoun replaces.
Draw a box around the noun.
Check for:
a. pronoun/antecedent agreement
b. point of view shifts
c. vague reference
4. Run-together sentences (comma splices).
Underline every comma. Check to see if there is complete sentence on both
sides of the comma.
a. if whole sentences are not on each side of the comma, the sentence is
probably okay
b. if complete sentences are on both sides, is there a joining word?
1. if you do not have a joining word, you have a RTS
2. if there is a joining word, does it successfully divide the sentence
into two complete thoughts?
5. Read backwards, sentence by sentence, from the last sentence to the
first sentence. Find and correct any fragments.
Reminder: most fragments are part of the preceding sentence. Phrase
fragments usually require a comma; dependent clause fragments usually
require no punctuation.
6. Proofread with a pencil word by word for missing words.
7. Underline every word you think may be misspelled; check spelling in
your dictionary.
8. Circle every instance of homonyms. Is this the appropriate form?
9. Missing possessive markers. Underline every noun that ends in s. Decide
whether the noun ends in s because it is plural or possessive. (It may be
both).
10. Underline "one of the.." "many of the..."
Check to see if the noun that follows has its plural marker.
11. Adjective Clauses:
Draw a box around the adjective clauses.
Draw a circle around the relative pronoun and an arrow back to the noun it
refers to. Check for:
a. inappropriate use of adjective clause
b. vague reference
c. incorrect relative pronoun
d. incorrect placement of adjective clause
Draw 2 lines under the verb in the adjective clause and 1 line under the
subject.
Check for:
a. subject-verb agreement
b. correct use of who/whom
If there is a preposition at the beginning and/or end of the clause,
transform the clause into a sentence to check for appropriateness of the
preposition.
12. General proofreading
updated 5/9/02
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