Grade: Grade 11 Subject: English Language Arts Unit: Advanced Grammar Lesson: 5 of 6 SAT: StandardEnglishConventions ACT: English

Editing Workshop

Learn

This workshop simulates the editing and proofreading experience you will encounter on standardized tests. You will practice identifying and correcting errors efficiently under time pressure, developing the quick recognition skills essential for test success.

The Editing Mindset

Effective editing requires shifting from reader mode to editor mode:

  • Reader mode: Focus on meaning and content; errors may slip by unnoticed
  • Editor mode: Actively search for specific error types; question every grammatical choice

Systematic Error Detection

Rather than hoping to "spot" errors randomly, train yourself to check for specific categories:

Category 1: Agreement Errors

  • Subject-verb agreement (especially with intervening phrases)
  • Pronoun-antecedent agreement (number and gender)
  • Pronoun case (subjective, objective, possessive)

Category 2: Sentence Structure

  • Run-on sentences and comma splices
  • Sentence fragments
  • Faulty parallelism
  • Misplaced or dangling modifiers

Category 3: Punctuation

  • Comma usage (introductory elements, compound sentences, lists, appositives)
  • Semicolon and colon usage
  • Apostrophes (possessives vs. contractions)
  • End punctuation

Category 4: Word Choice and Usage

  • Commonly confused words (affect/effect, their/there/they're, etc.)
  • Verb tense consistency
  • Redundancy and wordiness
  • Idiom and preposition usage

Time Management Strategies

On standardized tests, you have limited time per question:

  • SAT Writing: Approximately 48 seconds per question
  • ACT English: Approximately 36 seconds per question

To work efficiently:

  1. Read the underlined portion and identify what type of issue it might test
  2. Eliminate obviously wrong answers quickly
  3. Compare remaining answers for subtle differences
  4. Select the most concise correct option (when in doubt, shorter is often better)
  5. Move on; do not spend too long on any single question

Examples

Editing Process Demonstration

Original sentence: The collection of rare manuscripts, which includes letters from several famous authors, are housed in a climate-controlled vault.

Step 1: Identify the error type. This tests subject-verb agreement.

Step 2: Find the true subject. "Collection" (singular), not "manuscripts" or "authors."

Step 3: Check agreement. Singular subject needs singular verb: "is," not "are."

Corrected: The collection of rare manuscripts, which includes letters from several famous authors, is housed in a climate-controlled vault.

Rapid Error Identification

Practice spotting the error type in each sentence:

1. Neither the manager nor the employees was aware of the policy change.

Error: Subject-verb agreement with "neither...nor" (verb agrees with closer subject "employees" = "were")

2. Walking through the park, the flowers caught my attention.

Error: Dangling modifier (flowers were not walking; should be "I noticed the flowers")

3. The report was thorough, accurate, and showed great attention to detail.

Error: Faulty parallelism (should be "thorough, accurate, and detailed")

Practice

Timed Exercise: Set a timer for 8 minutes. Complete all 12 questions below. This simulates test conditions where you must work quickly and accurately.

Passage: The Rise of Urban Farming

[1] In cities around the world, a quiet agricultural revolution is taking place. [2] Urban farming, once dismissed as a quaint hobby, (1) have become a significant movement addressing food security, sustainability, and community health. [3] From rooftop gardens in New York to vertical farms in Singapore, city dwellers are finding innovative ways to grow food in limited spaces.

[4] The benefits of urban agriculture (2) extends beyond simply providing fresh produce. [5] (3) These local farms reduce transportation costs and emissions associated with shipping food long distances. [6] (4) In addition, they create green spaces that help cool urban heat islands, improve air quality, and provide habitats for pollinators.

[7] Community gardens, one of the most accessible forms of urban farming, (5) offers social benefits as well. [8] (6) Neighbors who might otherwise never interact works side by side, sharing knowledge and building relationships. [9] Studies have shown that neighborhoods with community gardens (7) experience lower crime rates and stronger social cohesion.

[10] Despite these advantages, urban farming faces significant challenges. [11] Land in cities is expensive, and (8) zoning regulations often restricts agricultural use. [12] (9) Soil contamination, water access, and pest management present additional obstacles. [13] However, innovative solutions are emerging: hydroponics and aeroponics eliminate soil requirements, (10) while, vertical farming maximizes output per square foot.

[14] Looking ahead, urban agriculture is poised to play an increasingly important role in sustainable food systems. [15] As technology advances and awareness grows, cities that (11) embraces urban farming will be better positioned to feed (12) its growing populations while reducing their environmental footprint.

1.

  1. have become (NO CHANGE)
  2. has become
  3. are becoming
  4. were becoming

2.

  1. extends (NO CHANGE)
  2. extend
  3. is extending
  4. has extended

3.

  1. These local farms reduce (NO CHANGE)
  2. These local farms reduces
  3. These local farms, reducing
  4. These local farms, they reduce

4.

  1. In addition, (NO CHANGE)
  2. However,
  3. Nevertheless,
  4. On the contrary,

5.

  1. offers (NO CHANGE)
  2. offer
  3. is offering
  4. have offered

6.

  1. Neighbors who might otherwise never interact works (NO CHANGE)
  2. Neighbors who might otherwise never interact work
  3. Neighbors, who might otherwise never interact, works
  4. Neighbors who might otherwise never interact, work

7.

  1. experience (NO CHANGE)
  2. experiences
  3. is experiencing
  4. has experienced

8.

  1. zoning regulations often restricts (NO CHANGE)
  2. zoning regulations often restrict
  3. zoning regulations, often restricting
  4. zoning regulations often restricted

9.

  1. Soil contamination, water access, and pest management (NO CHANGE)
  2. Soil contamination, water access, and managing pests
  3. Contaminated soil, accessing water, and pest management
  4. Soil contamination, accessing water, and managing pests

10.

  1. while, (NO CHANGE)
  2. while
  3. while;
  4. while:

11.

  1. embraces (NO CHANGE)
  2. embrace
  3. is embracing
  4. embraced

12.

  1. its (NO CHANGE)
  2. their
  3. it's
  4. there

Check Your Understanding

Answer Key

  1. B - "Urban farming" is singular; requires "has become."
  2. B - "Benefits" is plural; requires "extend."
  3. A - No change needed; "farms" is plural, "reduce" is correct.
  4. A - "In addition" correctly signals additional information about benefits.
  5. B - Subject is "gardens" (plural), not "one"; requires "offer."
  6. B - "Neighbors" is plural; requires "work." The relative clause is restrictive (no commas needed).
  7. A - No change needed; "neighborhoods" is plural, "experience" is correct.
  8. B - "Regulations" is plural; requires "restrict."
  9. A - No change needed; all three items are noun phrases (parallel structure).
  10. B - No comma after "while"; it's a subordinating conjunction introducing a clause.
  11. B - "Cities" is plural; requires "embrace."
  12. B - "Cities" is plural; requires "their."

Scoring

  • 11-12 correct: Excellent - ready for test conditions
  • 9-10 correct: Good - review missed error types
  • 7-8 correct: Developing - more practice needed on agreement
  • Below 7: Review earlier lessons before continuing

Reflection Questions

  • Did you finish within the 8-minute time limit?
  • Which error types did you miss most frequently?
  • Were there questions where you second-guessed your initial answer?
  • Did you use the process of elimination effectively?

Next Steps

  • Review any error categories where you made mistakes
  • Practice additional timed editing exercises to build speed
  • Move on to the Unit Checkpoint for comprehensive review
  • Keep an error log to track your most common mistakes