How to Correct My Grammar Mistakes
Editing and proofreading are an integral part of the writing process. Your use of grammar, punctuation, and spelling will make an immediate impression on the reader regarding the quality of your writing. Since your audience will probably be your teacher, you should learn the procedures for proofreading and correcting your written work before submitting it. Careful self-checking can help you catch basic errors and perhaps even change the "C" you might have received had you not caught them in time, into a far more gratifying "A".
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Instructions
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Read your composition in sections. If you are writing on a word processing program, you might wish to isolate individual paragraphs by copying and pasting them onto a separate page. Looking at paragraphs one at a time will make errors easier to spot. If, on the other hand, you are handwriting your paper, skip every other line on the paper when composing the rough draft, so you will have room to make corrections later.
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Proofread with a purpose. For example, check subject-verb agreement first, then correct use of adjectives, adverbs, and other parts of speech. Finally, check specifically for comma splices. Putting a comma between two complete sentences that should be separated by a period is one of the most common mistakes writers make and one that will usually result in a poor grade.
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If you are working be hand, mark any errors you find with a pencil. Make corrections directly on the rough draft. If you run out of space, you can make additional notes on a separate page. Once you have proofread a story section, return to your original work and make corrections in the section you have just proofread. Do this before proceeding to the next paragraph. If, by contrast, you wait until you have proofread the entire document before making any changes, you may forget some of the corrections you intended to make and waste time by having to go back and proofread your composition again from the start.
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If you are working on a computer, run the grammar check feature found on most word processing programs. But do this only after you yourself have proofread the document. Never rely on such software as a sole means of detecting mistakes. Use it instead as a backup tool to catch errors you might have missed in reviewing your composition.
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If you are working on a computer and you also have access to the Internet, you can download, print out, and use the proofreading checklist found on TeacherVision.com or a similar learning web site. TeacherVision.com's checklist includes suggestions for checking your grammar, word usage, punctuation, and spelling, including capitalization.
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Ask a classmate or a family member to read your composition and point out any mistakes he or she may find. A fresh pair of eyes can often spot something that you overlooked. If peer editing is not an option, put your work aside and read it again later. This will give you a fresh perspective.
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Resources
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