The purpose of this process is to address grammar or usage principles that you may not yet have under control. Your personal "prescription" has been indicated by your writing, and you will use the editing symbols marked on your paper to refer to specific sections of your handbook. Since we address overall (or global) revision as a separate issue, and since the goal of this process is simply to acquaint you with (or remind you of) standard customs of writing, you will not, for this assignment, revise whole sections or rewrite the entire paper (global revision comes later). Even if you choose to rewrite later, you should nevertheless proceed with the local revision process on the first submission draft after it has been marked and returned.

1. Number a variety of up to but no more than twenty editorial marks on your essay in the order of their occurrence. Make your numbers easily legible (perhaps in pencil or a color that contrasts with the original text and with my editorial marks, which, as you see, are a lovely shade of green).

2. On a separate sheet of paper, number each response according to the corresponding comment or symbol in the text of your paper.

3. Most responses should consist of two parts:

a. A revision of the error. Use the handbook's list of correction symbols and/or the instructor's directions to find the appropriate handbook passage. In order to be as specific as possible, scan the entire section indicated to pinpoint and digest the information you need. In part "a," make the correction as simply as possible. A punctuation correction, for instance, may list the word preceding the error, the appropriate punctuation, and the word after it. It is usually not necessary to rewrite the whole sentence unless the revision is for sentence structure. For spelling errors, just check a dictionary and practice writing the word correctly a few times.

b. A brief statement, in your own words, of the usage principle that applies. After reviewing the handbook principle, briefly paraphrase (translate into your own words) the principle--just enough to let me know that you really understand the concept. If you don't, schedule a conference.

The only items that will not need a "b" part are spelling errors. However, diction errors ("d" or "ww") and commonly confused words, such as the homophones "to-two-too" or "there-their-they're," should provide a part "b" that defines both the misused word and the revision. If the diction error is not referenced to a page number in the handbook's "glossary of usage," check a dictionary.

4. Respond to localized organization/content comments such as paragraphing and development of ideas only if you have fewer than twenty surface features marked. Your revision in such cases should be to either clarify or supply missing content or to suggest what you would do in a subsequent draft.

For passages that are too close to the original source yet not quoted directly ("texthugging" or "TH") either paraphrase the idea in your own words or quote precisely. For passages marked "attribution" (or "Att"), clarify the source of the idea ("According to....@).

5. Paperclip your revision sheets to the original text (final draft only--not prewriting) for submission two class meetings after you have received the marked essay.

6. If your revisions are careless or incorrect, they will be returned for further revision, or, if you are not satisfied with your grade on the local revision, you may re-do the circled items and resubmit. Since each annotated local revision is worth a possible twenty points, on papers with fewer than twenty marks, each revision will be pro-rated for its share of twenty points.

7. If you have trouble understanding any particular item or even the process in general, please schedule an appointment to let me help you get it right the first time.