Take a break from your writing, if only for five minutes. This will allow you to approach your paper with a fresh mind.

Read your paragraph slowly from start to finish.

Next read it out loud and focus on the following:

Paragraph Topic and Main Idea

Is the subject of the paragraph limited or qualified in some way? Did you use an adjective like older children or a quantifier like many parents to limit the subject? Or did you use a frequency adverb like usually or often before the verb? Use one of the above techniques to avoid overgeneralizations. You may need to review techniques for writing topic sentences.

Is the main idea you wish to make about your subject directly stated? If it is, write it on a another sheet of paper. If you don't have a clear, directly stated main idea, write one now.

Does your topic sentence have a strong action verb?

Paragraph Clarity

On your fresh piece of paper, list under your topic sentence the major points that support it. Does each major detail relate clearly to the topic sentence? Get rid of any details that don't clearly relate to or support the main idea.

If you are left with only one major supporting detail, decide if this one major point is broad enough to expand the paragraph with enough specific detail (such as an extended example) or if you need to add a second major supporting point.

Under each major point, list the more specific details that illustrate, explain, describe or analyze the major point. Ask yourself if all of the information given relates clearly and effectively to the general major point. If it doesn't, strike it out. Can you think of other information that might relate? If so, add it to your outline-in-revision. [This is how revision differs from editing. When you revise you change content by adding and omitting information to make your writing clear and concise.]

If you have a lot of details to support each point, decide if the second major point should become the topic of a second paragraph.

Does your paragraph (or paragraphs) have a clear conclusion that brings your ideas to closure? On the revision outline you have created by going through this process, write your concluding sentence. Does it restate the main idea and/or summarize the major support? Or would advice, a warning, an opinion, a prediction, or some other final comment better suit your writing purpose? Based on your own answer to the question, keep or revise your conclusion.

Paragraph coherence

Did you use a transitional word or phrase to move from one major point to the next and into the conclusion? If you didn't, think of logical transitions or phrases that would signal the first major point, lead into the second, and clearly signal the conclusion. If you are writing two paragraphs, try to think of a transitional phrase that leads into the second paragraph while tying it to the first. Here are some examples for tying together ideas within and between paragraphs: Besides having difficulty in school.... As a result of difficulties in school...Even though adjusting to a new school environment is difficult...After a short period of adjustment...and so on.

Did you use other coherence devices such as personal pronouns to replace nouns or demonstrative pronouns to refer back to a word, phrase, or idea?

Did you use synonyms or another grammatical form of a key word? If you find you have repeated the same words or phrases, use synonymous words or phrases or pronouns to avoid repetition.

REWRITE FROM YOUR REVISION OUTLINE. AFTER YOU COMPLETE THE REVISION, IT'S TIME TO EDIT.

Return