Page 246 - Wordsmith A Guide to College Writing

Proofreading

2 Proofread an essay.

Think about the last time you noticed a misspelling. The minute you
saw it, your thoughts moved away from the content of the writer’s

message and focused on the error. Similarly, errors in your writing

take a reader’s focus away from your ideas and draw attention to

grammar, spelling, or punctuation. Naturally, ideas should stand in the

foreground while grammar, spelling, and punctuation remain in the

background. Proofreading, then, is an essential last step. Although
proofreading is usually a chore, it is a necessary chore.

After you have completed the last revision of your essay, you should

proofread it at least twice, once from the top down and once from the

bottom up. If you have special problem areas, such as comma splices

or subject-verb agreement, you should do at least one extra
proofreading focused on your problem areas.

The Top-Down Technique