Editing & Revising — Answer Key
Part A: Fix the Sentence
Each sentence has an error. Rewrite it correctly on the line.
1. Fix the sentence:
The park was nice and we had a good time playing there.
Corrected: The sunny park buzzed with laughter as we raced through the sprinklers and climbed the tall oak tree.
The corrected sentence is: "The sunny park buzzed with laughter as we raced through the sprinklers and climbed the tall oak tree.". The original sentence "The park was nice and we had a good time playing there." contained an error that needed to be fixed.
2. Fix the sentence:
My dog is big and he eats a lot of food every single day.
Corrected: My golden retriever, Max, devours three cups of kibble at every meal.
The corrected sentence is: "My golden retriever, Max, devours three cups of kibble at every meal.". The original sentence "My dog is big and he eats a lot of food every single day." contained an error that needed to be fixed.
3. Fix the sentence:
The book was really good because it was interesting and fun to read.
Corrected: The mystery novel kept me guessing until the final chapter revealed the surprising twist.
The corrected sentence is: "The mystery novel kept me guessing until the final chapter revealed the surprising twist.". The original sentence "The book was really good because it was interesting and fun to read." contained an error that needed to be fixed.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. Revising means improving the content, ideas, and organization of your writing.
Revising focuses on the big picture: content, ideas, clarity, organization, and word choice.
2. Editing means fixing surface errors like grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
Editing focuses on surface-level errors: grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.
3. In the writing process, revising comes before editing.
Writers revise first (improve ideas) before editing (fix surface errors), so they don't fix sentences that may be deleted.
4. Replacing vague words with vivid ones is an example of revising your writing.
Improving word choice is a revising task that enhances content quality.
Part C: Short Answer
Answer each question in one or two complete sentences.
1. What is the difference between revising and editing? Give one example of each.
Sample answer: Revising means making big changes to improve ideas, like adding details to a paragraph. Editing means fixing small errors, like correcting a misspelled word or adding a missing comma.
Revising = content changes; editing = surface error corrections.
2. Why should a writer revise before editing? Explain in your own words.
Sample answer: A writer should revise first because there is no point fixing the spelling in a sentence you might delete. Revising changes the content, so you should get your ideas right before fixing surface errors.
Editing sentences before revising wastes time if those sentences are later deleted or heavily changed.