TCM Writing Home TCM Writing FAQ's TCM Writing Handouts TCM Writing Resource Links Technical Communication Certificate		TCM Writing Handouts HOT TO DO A FINAL POLISH OF YOUR ASSIGNMENT After you are satisfied with what you have said and how you have said it, after you have organized and written your document and have done your revisions with your audience and purpose firmly in mind, it is time to give your paper a final polish. This will let you correct problems that might confuse your audience when they read your document. This handout will help you by - Showing you how to approach doing a final polish - Giving you techniques to help catch common problems - Identifying some common problems you should look for How to approach polishing your assignment When you do your final polish, think about common types of problems you have had on previous documents. It is a good idea to keep a file of documents that you have done, so you can identify the problems you consistently encounter. This will let you focus on solving your most common problems. If there are problems you do not know how to solve, you can ask a TCM Writing Center reviewer for help. Techniques to help you catch common problems - Take a break after finishing writing your document. You want to be fresh when polishing your assignment. - Make multiple passes through your document and look for only one or two problems on each pass. For example, do a pass to catch similar words you sometimes confuse; a lot of words sound alike, but they have different meanings. Do another pass for spelling and another for capitalization and possessives. Check for the problems you tend to make. - Use a spell checker. However, a spell checker just checks to see that the word you used is in its dictionary; it does not check to see if it is the right word for the sentence. - On one pass, check the economy of your language and remove any words that are not necessary to make your point. - Have a friend, or a TCM Writing Center reviewer, review your document. They will be able to tell if your purpose is clear, and they will often catch problems that you might have overlooked. A good reviewer will check to be sure the text makes sense; when writers look at their own writing they tend to see what they meant to say, not always what they actually wrote. - If spelling is a big problem for you, start at the end of your document and look at each word individually until you get to the beginning. If you are not sure of a word's spelling, then look it up. - To make sure each of your sentences is complete, read one sentence at a time. Some people like to do this from back to front to help them concentrate on just one sentence at a time. - Read your paper out loud, or have your reviewer read it aloud for you. You may hear a problem that you did not see. If the reviewer stumbles over some of your words, maybe the wording is awkward and needs to be improved. Some common problems you should look for Here are some problems instructors often see on student papers. You might include them in your polishing list. Words that sound the same but have different meanings These words are called homonyms. They sound the same for some speakers, but they have different meanings. Keep a list of ones that give you trouble. its and it's (It's means "it is" or "it has." Its is the possessive form for a thing.) It's hard to stay in shape. (referring to a tall building) Its shadow is a mile long. they're, their, and there (They're means "they are." Their is the possessive form of they. There refers to a place. They're putting their bags over there.) our and are (Our is the possessive form of we. Are is a verb, the plural, present tense form of be.) Our friends are over there. we're and were (We're means "we are." Were is a verb, the plural, past tense form of be.) We're going to a show. Were we supposed to bring anything? want and won't (Want is a verb meaning "to desire." Won't means "will not.") We want to leave early, so we won't be late. Using the right form of a word Correct -- Many manufacturers are combining their plants to gain efficiency. Incorrect - Many manufactures are combining their plants to gain efficiency. Manufacturers are companies, such as Ford or RCA that make things. Manufacturers is a plural noun form. Manufacture means to make things. The form manufactures is a verb in the present tense that matches a singular subject. Excess words Wordy-- This paper is boring my audience due to the fact that I didn't polish it. Better - This paper is boring my audience because I didn't polish it. Possessives This table shows when to use apostrophes to show possession. Notice that three of the four entries are all pronounced the same. When you polish your paper, make sure you use the apostrophe if it is needed. Possession shows ownership of one thing by another. Singular (1) Plural (2+) Non-possessive Student Students Possessive Student's Students' I am a student who owns a car. (singular, non-possessive) Most students at IUPUI own cars. (plural, non-possessive) That student's car is different than mine. (singular, possessive) Those students' cars are better than mine. (plural, possessive) Partial Sentences Partial sentences groups of words that cannot stand on their own in a written text. These are partial sentences that need to be combined with another sentence. Which means we know who is tapping into our system. Although the equipment is new. Some more resources you can take advantage of More information is available about polishing your paper, also called copy-editing or proofreading. The IUPUI University Writing Center is located in Cavanaugh Hall, Room 427, and has handouts on - Proofreading - Basic guidelines for comma usage - Editing for wordiness, choppiness, and strong verbs The Purdue Online Writing Labs (OWL) has handouts on - Proofreading strategies - Proofreading your paper - Editing and proofreading strategies for revision - Steps in editing All of these handouts have excellent examples of the types of copy-editing problems students have and show how to correct the problems. 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