Many writers and instructors of writing disagree about the nature of editing and how it fits into the writing process. Some believe that editing involves a "search and destroy" approach to eliminating error. Others argue that editing and revising are intertwined in a mission to improve a writer's message on several levels, be that conceptual, organizational or mechanical. On this page, we have established links to help writers with various approaches and questions to consider as they seek to improve their writing or to become more self-reflective or self-critical of their own prose.
Improving grammar is often the most daunting area in writing. Grammar is also the area about which there is the least consensus. One person's egregious grammar is another person's artistic license. Moreover, deciding on what type of error is most problematic is a troublesome exercise in personal preferences. Further, is grammar correction meant to address unclear ideas at the sentence-level or just proper parts of speech and punctuation? Though people have a plethora of ideas on the subject, no necessarily right theory exists.
For students whose primary language is not English