By Kelly, Andrew, and Gustavo

ObjectivesPeer editor’s job/tasksWhy peer edit? Essential grammar tipsPractice

Tasks•Critique a writer’s paper from the perspective of a fellow peer.

•Point out errors that the writer might have missed after getting sick of reading their paper n times.

•Give a balance of positive and negative feedback that will help the writer improve his/her writing.

•Editing does not mean nit-picking the paper for grammar errors (although that is part of it). Make sure you understand what the writer’s intentions are and what the composition is about. •Remember that there is always room for improvement; no draft is perfect as it is.

A Few Sample Questions for Peer Editing Workshops*What is especially interesting or effective about this draft? After reading it, what do you most clearly remember about it?*What seems to be the central idea or purpose of this essay? Any suggestions for improvement?*How well does the draft seem to address its intended audience? Any suggestions for improvement?*Comment on the opening paragraph. Suggestions?*Comment on the organization of the draft? How well unified is it? Suggestions?*Are there places in the draft that need additional details or examples?*Is the argument in this draft clear and convincing? Does each paragraph contribute to the overall effectiveness of the draft? How might the argument be made more effective?*Can you suggest parts of this draft which might be cut from the final draft?*Comment on the conclusion of the draft. Suggestions?

-taken from http://www.colby.edu/writers.center/peerediting.html

1. Identify the Thesis Statement

•Is it clear what the paper is about?•Is it a “so what” thesis?

2. Topic Sentence

•Does each paragraph start with a topic sentence?•Does it convey what the paragraph is about?

3. Integration of Support

•No naked quotes allowed!•Is the quote/paraphrase relevant to the topic?

One author said in her

article…

In his book, Twain states…Dr. X explains in his book that…

In his essay,

Girls Gone

Wild, Hugh

Hefner explains

that…

Fun Fact!

Indirect quotes are quotes by a person used within another author’s work. To cite them with an in-text citation, include qtd. in before the author and page number of the source. Example:One of the best things about the Vietnam Wall is that it did not tell the grieving public how they were supposed to feel about the war. A columnist, James Kilpatrick, once wrote that “each of us may remember what he wishes to remember- the cause, the heroism, the blunders, the waste” (qtd. In Hass 472).

4. Writer’s Explanation •Does the writer explain the significance of their supporting material?•Does their explanation help connect back to the thesis?

5. Transition Sentence•Is there a sentence transitioning to the next paragraph?•Does the transition improve the flow of the paper?

6. Conclusion

•No new information that has not been previously discussed•Are all the main points summarized?•Is the thesis reworded and restated?•Does the final sentence have the intended effect on the audience?

Finally…Your Opinion•Mention what you liked and did not like about the paper. •Strong points?•Weak points?

*A Note on Clarity

Not sure how to tell if a paragraph is clear or not? Try this tip!

Try to sum up the topic of the paragraph in one sentence. Sometimes you can even do it in one word! If you can do this, the paragraph is clear and the writer can be understood.

Example: Music becomes the most prevalent at the drive-in restaurant, the heart of teenage culture and adventure for Connie. Connie stands at the epicenter of the activity, “…her face gleaming with the joy that had nothing to do with Eddie or even this place; it might have been the music” (624). Music represents the rebellious teenage spirit, and Connie hears it whenever she is out or away from her family. The teenage spirit that permeates her here makes her happier than being on a date with a boy does. Away from the eyes of her disapproving mother, Connie becomes the free, pretty and trashy teenage girl she wants to be. As she leaves the shopping plaza and the drive-in restaurant, “She couldn’t hear the music at this distance” (625). Connie cannot hear the music because the teenage spirit is suppressed when she is at home, where she is not free or admired for her beauty as she is at the shopping plaza with her friends. The true Connie lies outside the boundaries of her home where her teenage spirit comes to life; therefore, the world set apart from her home and family is where she truly belongs.

Connie does not hear the music at home, which shows that she is not truly free there.

Word Choice/Diction

Avoid words like…

A lot

In conclusion

extremely

things

certainl

y

said

really

very

Due to the

fact

Good

Bad

Despite popular belief

Obviously

AND utilize words like…

manyobjects

conveyprofound pervade

vehemently

magnanimo

us

illust

rat

e

exacerbat

e

forge

obscure

construct contradict

diminish

articulate

manifest

justify

-a good list of strong verbs at vspa.berkeley.edu

Methods of Evaluation

•Write directly on the rough draft (double spacing is our friend)

•Evaluation sheet from an instructor•Make a Pros and Cons chart

For Drafts on the Computer/Online:•Highlight the areas you critique and use footnotes at the bottom of the page for your comments•Use the comments feature in Microsoft Word

Why peer editing is important•The writer is able to get important feedback from a member of their intended audience. This helps the writer make their writing more appealing to the reader.

•Sometimes the writer’s ideas make sense to himself/herself, but they are confusing to the audience. Peer editing helps the writer make sure their ideas are expressed (and supported) clearly in their writing.

•By looking at peer edits of past papers, the writer can identify common strengths and weaknesses in their writing that can help them improve their writing.

•By peer editing someone else’s paper, you can get a better idea of what the reader expects of YOUR writing. •You may notice an error in another writer’s work that appears in your own paper.

continued

Essential Grammar Tips!(Usage of Commas)… since we all have trouble with this one

Use a comma to separate the elements in a series (three or more things), including the last two. “The cat was playful, orange, and angry." You may have learned that the comma before the "and" is unnecessary, which is fine if you're in control of things. However, there are situations in which, if you don't use this comma words tend to mesh together. This last comma—the one between the word "and" and the preceding word—is often called the serial comma or the Oxford comma.

Tip #1

Tip #2

Use a comma + a little conjunction (and, but, for, nor, yet, or, so) to connect two independent clauses, as in “The dog was lazy, but he liked to bark."

Tip #3Use a comma to set off introductory elements, as in "Running toward the house, he tripped over his own tail."

Essential Grammar Tips Continued!

Tip #4

Use a comma to set off parenthetical elements, as in "The cat’s scratching pole, which spans 5 feet, was covered in scratch marks." By "parenthetical element," we mean a part of a sentence that can be removed without changing the essential meaning of that sentence. The parenthetical element is sometimes called "added information."

Tip #5

Use a comma to separate coordinate adjectives. You could think of this as "That large, brutal, mean looking dog" rule (as opposed to "the little old cat"). If you can put an and or a but between the adjectives, a comma will probably belong there. For instance, you could say, "He is a large and brutal dog" or "I live in a very old and run-down house." So you would write, "He is a large, brutal dog" and "I live in a very old, run-down house." But you would probably not say, "She is a little and old cat," or "I live in a little and purple house," so commas would not appear between little and old or between little and purple.

Game Time(More Like Competition time)

Sentence #1

the dog was fat lazy and had fleas

Sentence #2

the angry cat fred was his name loved to eat bacon

Sentence #3

given the circumstances most cats are planing to take over the world?

Sentence #4

i Like dogs alot, but I like cats much more!

Practice!Spot the differences in these two examples

1

2

Answers!2

More Practice!

Get into your presentation groups and peer edit each other’s paragraphs. Remember not to edit the person’s opinion!

Discussion Board Question: Think about how people have peer edited your writing in the past (middle school, high school, recently, etc.). What did you like or not like about their editing style, and how did it help/not help you write your final draft? Also, how has peer editing helped you improve your own writing technique?