Editing

In this lesson, we will be learning about editing. There are several things you need to know about:

• Word choice
• Grammar
• Punctuation

So, let us go through the basic guide for punctuation, words that sound the same and spelling words below.

Basic guide for Punctuation

• Dialogue - Dialogue is one thing in which many students make mistakes. If you also find it difficult or confusing, then it is recommended to open up your book and look at how it is written. Sometimes, you go through a concept but it does not properly register.

• “?” or “!” - You should also keep in mind when to use a question mark and exclamation mark.

Points to remember

• If the sentence continues, then it is a comma
• If the dialogue stops and the text later is unrelated, then it is a full stop
• If it is an obvious QUESTION, then we will use “?”
• Sentences that usually start with one of these question words: Who, what, when, where, why, how, are, is, will, would, should, can, may and many more
• When you know for a fact that the person is speaking loudly, shouting or projecting, then you should use "!"

Practice questions

Question:

“I’m sure the treasure is in that cave[]” the ever-observant Legolas said, pointing behind me.

What punctuation should go in the brackets []?

1. (Full stop) .

2. (Comma) ,

3. (Inverted commas) “

4. (Question mark) ?

Answer:

2) (comma)

Explanation:

The correct answer to this question is option (2) - "(comma),". There is a clue for you in the sentence. After the inverted commas, “the” is in lowercase, which means the sentence has not ended. So, option (1) is incorrect. Option (3) is also incorrect as there are already inverted commas right after the brackets ([]). From the context of the sentence, we can also rule out option (4).

Words that sound the same

In the English language, there are words that sound the same, which are also called homonyms. 

What are homonyms?

 If we break the word homonym into two, then we get "homo" and "onym". "Homo" means “same”, and "onym" means “name”.

Practice questions

Question 1:

“Wear are you going?” Sally asked her friend.

1. Ware

2. Where

3. Were

4. When

Answer: 

2) where

Explanation:

The correct answer to this question is option (2) - "where". Although other options also have legitimate words, those options are not relevant and do not fit in the sentence provided.

Spelling

Let's check the best ways to learn to spell below:

1. repetition, then repeat without looking

2. learn to pronounce it right, then say it out

3. break the word into smaller parts

Practice questions

Question 2:

(For this question, you can try breaking the word down.)

Pick the option that has the correct spelling:

1. Complicaded

2. Complikated

3. Complecated

4. Complicated

Answer:

4) complicated

Explanation:

The correct answer to this question is option (4) - “complicated”.

Test your concepts

Answer the following questions based on the concepts we’ve covered in this article. If you get stuck, revisit the relevant section to revise the concepts.

Question 1:

“I’ve got the potion right here, give me a break[]” Elron yelled at me. I bowed my head in shame and whispered an apology.

What should go in the []?

1. (Exclamation mark) !

2. (Question mark) ?

Question 2:

Hearing that complement made me feel so proud.

1. Trick question; that’s the correct spelling!

2. Compliment

3. Complimant

4. Complemant

Question 3:

The cashmere sweater I bought is extremely comftable.

1. comftable
2. comfortable
3. comfortebel
4. confortable