Editing Workshop
Learn
Good writers check their work! Editing means looking for mistakes and fixing them. In this lesson, you will learn to find and fix common sentence mistakes.
What Editors Look For
When you edit a sentence, look for these things:
- Capital letters: Does the sentence start with a capital letter?
- End marks: Does the sentence end with the right punctuation?
- Complete thought: Does the sentence have a subject AND a predicate?
- Makes sense: Does the sentence say something that makes sense?
Common Mistakes to Fix
| Mistake | Example | How to Fix It |
|---|---|---|
| Missing capital letter | the dog barks. | The dog barks. |
| Missing end mark | I like ice cream | I like ice cream. |
| Wrong end mark | Where is my book. | Where is my book? |
| Incomplete sentence | Running fast. | The boy is running fast. |
Editing Tip: Read your sentence out loud slowly. Point to each word as you read. This helps you find mistakes!
Examples
Let's practice finding and fixing mistakes together.
Example 1
Sentence with mistake: my mom makes lunch
What is wrong? No capital letter at the start, no period at the end.
Fixed sentence: My mom makes lunch.
Example 2
Sentence with mistake: do you like apples.
What is wrong? This is a question, but it has a period instead of a question mark.
Fixed sentence: Do you like apples?
Example 3
Sentence with mistake: The pretty flowers.
What is wrong? This is not a complete sentence. It has no predicate (no action).
Fixed sentence: The pretty flowers bloom in spring.
Example 4
Sentence with mistake: wow that is amazing
What is wrong? No capital letter, no end mark. This shows excitement, so it needs an exclamation point.
Fixed sentence: Wow, that is amazing!
Practice
Find the mistake in each sentence. Then write the sentence correctly.
1. the sun is hot
What is wrong? ________________________________
Write it correctly: ________________________________
2. Can you help me.
What is wrong? ________________________________
Write it correctly: ________________________________
3. Running to the park.
What is wrong? ________________________________
Write it correctly: ________________________________
4. i love pizza
What is wrong? ________________________________
Write it correctly: ________________________________
5. what a great day
What is wrong? ________________________________
Write it correctly: ________________________________
6. The cat sleeps on the bed
What is wrong? ________________________________
Write it correctly: ________________________________
7. where is my shoe?
What is wrong? ________________________________
Write it correctly: ________________________________
8. My big brother.
What is wrong? ________________________________
Write it correctly: ________________________________
9. This text has two mistakes: "the bird sings a song"
What is wrong? ________________________________
Write it correctly: ________________________________
10. Edit this short text. Fix all the mistakes you find:
"i have a cat. her name is fluffy she is soft. do you like cats"
Write it correctly:
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
Check Your Understanding
Think about what you learned about editing. Answer these questions:
- What does "editing" mean?
- What are four things to look for when you edit a sentence?
- How can reading out loud help you find mistakes?
I can:
- Find missing capital letters and add them
- Find missing or wrong end marks and fix them
- Find incomplete sentences and make them complete
- Edit a short text with more than one sentence
Next Steps
- Practice editing your own writing
- Ask a friend to check your work too
- Take the Unit Checkpoint when you are ready