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From Canadian History Portal - HCO

Essay Writing → Start → Outline → Intro → Paragraphs → Template → Proofreading →→ Checklist → → I. Founders Topics → II. Settlers Topics → III. New Nation Topics

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Proofreading and correcting rough drafts is the hardest part of writing. Most professional writers will state that researching a topic and learning is the easiest (and most enjoyable part) of writing. Writers and historians find writing what they have learned into an essay, article or book is difficult and often frustrating.

Most importantly, leave yourself enough time to proofread and correct your essay. Students usually roll their eyes when a teacher tells them to set their essay aside for a day or two and then re-read it. However, this is good advice. Often an essay that you think is well written seems weaker when you read it a a day or two after writing it.

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What is Proofreading?

Students usually don't know how to proofread. Teachers tell them to do it, but don't tell them how to do it. These are a few things you should look for when proofreading.

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Spelling Errors

Your spell checker will not catch everything. Sometimes the write word is knot the one you want. There are two errors in the previous sentence that a spell checker would not catch. However, something as simple as running the spell checker will catch some errors.

As you spell check your essay pay attention to the advice you are given. Just because your computer program tells you something is wrong does not mean its solution is the right one.

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Wordiness

Sometimes students think that long sentences and big words are the best way to write. This is not true. Long sentences are difficult to follow. Remember, you are writing your essay so someone else can understand it.

As you proofread try to make your sentences shorter. If you can take a word out of a sentence without changing the meaning of the sentence you should remove it.

For example:

Many political observers knew at the time that the vast majority of what the military was telling them about the success of US forces in the Vietnam War was incorrect, misleading and just plain wrong.

This can be shortened to:

Political observers at the time knew the US military supplied misleading information about its success during the Vietnam War.

The first sentence was thirty-five words in length. The second sentence is only nineteen words long, and it says the same thing. You don't need to use a lot of adjectives and adverbs in a formal essay. Keep your sentences short and to the point.

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Verb Tense

Nothing is more frustrating for a teacher than reading a history essay that is written in the present tense, or an essay about a modern topic written in the past tense. Make sure that you use proper verb tense throughout your essay.

For example do not write: Hitler is a horrible dictator who destroys Europe and is responsible for the death of millions of people.

That sentence would be correct if one thing were true: Hitler is alive and still engaged in that type of activity. Hitler, thankfully, is dead. Your sentence should read: Hitler was a horrible dictator who destroyed Europe and was responsible for the death of millions of people.

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Essay Writing → Start → Outline → Intro → Paragraphs → Template → Proofreading →→ Checklist → → I. Founders Topics → II. Settlers Topics → III. New Nation Topics

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