By the end of the term, I hope you will be convinced as I am that formal writing always requires revision.

So I give the talk to make you have a new thinking of writing.

Sometimes it requires a fairly major rewriting of the paper.

Some students have the mistaken idea that revision means simply making corrections in spelling and grammar.

I call that proofreading.

What I expect you to do with your revise is to evaluate and improve the overall effectiveness of your paper.

But how can you tell if your paper is effective?

Well, for example, start by asking yourself these questions: Is the topic restricted enough to be fully discussed within the given length?

Are the main ideas clear?

Are they supported by specific details and examples?

Do they move smoothly from one idea to the next?

You need enough time for a possible major overhaul.

That is you may have to make a lot of changes before your paper becomes really clear to the reader.

So I'll expect a preliminary draft of each paper two weeks before the final due date.

That way I can criticize it and get it back in time for you to revise it.

Then you can submit a final draft for grading.

This process may seem like a great deal of trouble at first, but I think you'll find it valuable.

In fact, after you finish this course, I doubt that you will ever turn in a term paper without first revising it carefully.

 

专四听力周计划