17 Editing Tips

Editing Tip #1: Read it out loud

Most of us might read our work silently a few times, thinking we’ve caught all our mistakes. But the brain sees what it wants to see. That means it hops right over problems – such as typos and missing words – and corrects them all on its own.

One of the most important things you can do when writing is to read the copy out loud. This slows down the brain and gives the tongue a chance to find those mistakes the brain skips over.

Some of the issues reading out loud will help you catch include:

  • Typos
  • Missing words
  • Funky wording
  • Incomplete sentences
  • Redundancies
  • Too many choppy sentences
  • Sentences that are too long

If it doesn’t roll off the tongue smoothly for you, then readers who don’t have the content memorized may stumble and become confused.

Try it – even if you have to whisper.

Editing Tip #2: Use stronger verbs

When you write your first draft, you may find you type the first thing that comes to mind, which is what should happen. The real writing comes when you edit yourself. That’s when you search for opportunities to make your writing stronger. Start by addressing weak verbs that lack the oomph of great writing.

First of all, when possible scrap those simplistic “to be” verbs – be, been, is, are, was, were. For example:

Weak: When you are entering an order …
Stronger: When you enter an order …

Sometimes it’s as simple as that. Other times it may involve rewriting the sentence.

Weak: With the new functionality, you may be able to work more quickly.
Stronger: The new functionality may help you work more quickly.

Weak: The following guidelines have been put together for InfoMAX publishers to follow. 
Stronger: InfoMAX publishers should follow these guidelines.

After you’ve taken care of the “to be” verbs, search for the less conspicuous weak verbs.

Weak: We want to let you know …
Stronger: We want to inform you …

Weak: The functionality will help you find opportunities for client interactions.
Stronger: The functionality will help you discover opportunities for client interactions.

Again, sometimes it requires rewriting the sentence.

Weak: One click lets you easily monitor the market or research a specific security.
Stronger: Monitor the market or research a specific security with one click.

Stronger verbs lead to easier-to-understand (and often shorter) copy, which benefits the reader. And while discovering stronger verbs requires more thinking, the satisfaction of writing a well-formed sentence comes with (or accompanies) the effort. #winwin

Editing Tip #3: Check the rhythm

Just like music, writing has rhythm. The reader moves along at the pace you set, and that pace affects comprehension and emotion. Sounds and the length of sentences both influence that pace.

Sounds

The term “sounds” refers to the sounds of the letters throughout the words and sentences.

Soft sounds (vowels, f, h, l, m, n, r, s, v, w, y, and z sounds) soothe the reader and set a slower pace. Hard sounds (b, d, g, j, k, p, q, and t sounds) tend to be more choppy and speed up that pace.

Sentences

Similar to soft sounds and hard sounds, long sentences slow down the reader, while short sentences set a quick tempo.

Short sentences have more impact. Use them to provide emphasis – when you really want someone to get the point. Unfortunately, continued use of short, choppy sentences can irritate the reader, and too much emphasis means no emphasis at all.

Longer sentences can calm the reader. However, lengthy sentences can also lose readers, and using too many long sentences can compel them to start skimming.

My recommendation

Pay close attention to the lengths of your sentences. Avoid putting the readers to sleep and encouraging them to skim by not using too many long sentences together. You also don’t want to emphasize too much, so don’t string together many short sentences.

If you want to challenge yourself, on the other hand, play with the sounds of your sentences.

Editing Tip #4: Use commas for clarity only

Oh, what a wonderful comma world we live in, especially with the serial comma, also called the Oxford comma, the extra comma many of us aren’t used to, nor like, but we have to use anyway.  However, as we learned recently, the serial comma, or lack thereof, can win or lose lawsuits.

Overuse of commas, as shown above, leads to writing that can sound choppy with pauses that can confuse readers.  Not only does comma abuse make the sentence seem too long, it can also help the writer create a sentence that is too long. Whether or not the sentence has too many words, a seemingly lengthy sentence can lose readers.

Breaking the habit

Unfortunately most of us (including me) were taught to use commas in specific circumstances. So the philosophy of using them for clarity only is a hard one to both grasp and implement.

Many commas are unnecessary because they don’t affect the reader’s comprehension one way or another. We should subscribe to the idea that it’s only necessary when not using it gives it a different meaning.

NOTE: Keep in mind that this isn’t the case for commas used in lists. When writing a series, the brand style guide says we must use the serial comma (Oxford comma), which is the final comma before “and” and “or.”

Be brave

Don’t get me wrong. We still need to use commas. We just need to be smart about it.

  • Read the sentence out loud with the comma (with the pause) and then without the comma (no pause). Is a pause necessary?
  • Now examine how the sentence reads without the comma. Could it confuse the reader or have a different meaning? (“Let’s eat Grandma” versus “t’s eat, Grandma”)
  • If you have several commas in the sentence, would it be better to break it into multiple sentences?

Talk it out

If you question a comma placement or lack thereof, talk it through with me or someone else who’s willing to get in the weeds about punctuation. And if I remove or place a comma somewhere you disagree with, please come to me to discuss. You and I may be thinking differently about it.

Editing Tip #5: That which!

Grammar Girl, who is a writing guru, is probably a better person to take on a topic that confuses so many people. But I’m going to attempt it, which will be challenging.

I’m going to channel Grammar Girl and get trés technical about when to use “that” and “which.”

That is restrictive

When you use that in a clause, it restricts the noun. You can’t get rid of a restrictive clause (the clause led by “that”) because it would change the meaning of the sentence. Restrictive clauses are not surrounded by commas.

For example:

Sentences that have many commas can be hard to read.

If you deleted the restrictive clause in this case, “that have many commas,” it would change the meaning of the sentence. The sentence becomes “Sentences can be hard to read,” which is really only the case when you’re just learning to read (or if you’re reading Dickens, but that’s because he writes really long sentences with plenty of commas).

Which is non-restrictive

When you use which in a clause, it isn’t restrictive. That means if you leave the clause out, it doesn’t change the meaning of the sentence. Non-restrictive elements are surrounded by commas.

For example:     

Nails, which are sharp, can hurt you when you step on them.

When you remove the non-restrictive clause, “which are sharp,” the meaning of the sentence remains the same: Nails can hurt you when you step on them. And the non-restrictive element, “which,” means that all nails are sharp, not just certain ones.

Changing it up

Mixing it up a little bit, I’ll rewrite the sentences.

Sentences, which have many commas, can be hard to read.

This assumes that all sentences have many commas, which is untrue. That’s when you should change it to “that.”

Nails that are sharp can hurt you when you step on them.

While this sentence is true, is it really what I’m trying to say? Aren’t all nails sharp? If so, I should use “which.”

Simplified

According to Grammar Girl, the simplest way to determine which to use is to choose “that” when getting rid of the element changes the meaning of the sentence and “which” when getting rid of the element doesn’t change the meaning of the sentence.

For more information about the topic, here’s what Grammar Girl has to say:

Editing Tip #6: Not “that” again!

I’m talking about a different “that” than I did last week, one that is not used in a clause.

In most sentences, this type of “that” is not necessary to get your point across even though your gut may say to leave it in there.

For example:

I imagine that all purple dogs are cute.

In this case, “that” does not add any clarity to the sentence, and removing “that” does not change the meaning at all.

I imagine all purple dogs are cute.

Another example:

I decided that a career in turtle waxing was not right for me.

“That” again does not add any benefit because the sentence has the same meaning without it.

I decided a career in turtle waxing was not right for me.

And one more example:

My mom said that being a dragon slayer doesn’t pay well. (She was wrong.)

Again, it has the same meaning without “that.”

My mom said being a dragon slayer doesn’t pay well. (Dad was wrong too.)

When in doubt

When in doubt, read the sentence without “that.” If it sounds fine without it, leave “that” out. Et voilà! Fewer words.

Here’s what Grammar Girl has to say about when to leave out “that” (2008).

Editing Tip #7: Avoid repetitive redundancies

Repetition belongs more in marketing and the literary world than in business communications. In our line of work, saying it once is enough. Saying it multiple times can seem redundant and be perceived as poor writing.

While many articles about repetition revolve around redundant phrases (such as “absolutely necessary” and “2 a.m. in the morning), I want to address the occurrences I typically see.

Avoid using the same word multiple times in the same sentence, maybe in the same paragraph

When you find yourself repeating the same word, look for ways to rewrite the sentence (or sentences) to avoid the repetition. Take your time to figure out the best way.

Example:

Clients’ personal account information will be affected by the changes to the application. The clients may see a change on their end.

Possible solution:

The changes to the application may affect personal account information, so clients may see a change on their end.

Avoid repeating the same thought in nearby paragraphs

Not only does this increase the number of words you use, it wastes the reader’s time. Fixing it may be as simple as combining paragraphs.

Avoid repetition at the beginning of bullets

If you find yourself starting each bullet with the same word or words, add them to the lead-in.

Example:

Chimps join biker gangs:

      • Because they like to feel like they’re part of a community
      • Because they like to go really fast
      • Because they don’t get helmet head

Possible solution:

Chimps join biker gangs because they:

      • Like to feel like they’re part of a community
      • Like to go really fast
      • Don’t get helmet head

Read it out loud

Reading the copy out loud is one of the best ways to find unnecessary repetition. If it sounds repetitive to you, it’ll definitely sound that way to your readers.

Editing Tip #8: Spellcheck – friend or foe?

Spellcheck accompanies many software programs and benefits the user most of the time. But as we all know, it’s not as reliable as we’d like it to be. It may:

  • Miss words because they’re spelled right even though the usage is wrong
  • Highlight words that are spelled correctly because they’re not in its dictionary
  • Not like the way you’re using a word even though it’s correct

I don’t even want to talk about autocorrect.

Moral of the story: You need to be responsible for your own proofing.

Proofing tricks

  1. Print it out. Sometimes looking at it in a different form (such as a hard copy) can help your eyes focus more, letting you catch things your eyes skim over when you’re reading on screen.
  2. Read it backward. One way to catch spelling errors is to read it backward word-by-word. This keeps your eyes and brain from skipping over misspellings and filling in meaning. You can also read it backward sentence-by-sentence or paragraph-by-paragraph to make sure your thoughts are coherent.
  3. Take a break. If you take a break after writing something, you’ll come back fresh and will likely spot things you missed before.

Editing Tip #9: The world of apostrophes

Apostrophe, a weird word in itself, has some weird rules – but only two uses: To indicate omission and to show possession.

Omission

We often use apostrophes to indicate something’s missing. Common occurrences are contractions:

    • “Something’s instead of “something is”
    • “Can’t” instead of “can not”
    • “Don’t” instead of “do not”
    • “You’re” instead of “you are” (Don’t make the mistake of using “your.”)

Because contractions are good representations of how we actually talk (conversationally) and part of our brand style and tone, we often use them in our writing here at work. We just need to be careful to not overuse them.

Contractions also happen when we write slang, which is also conversational but has a big “but” after it when it comes to using it at work:

    • Go get ‘em, tiger.
    • You’d better leave, ‘cause I’m shuttin’ the door.

Obviously, those don’t represent proper English, and we avoid slang in most of what we do. However, I refuse to say we’ll never use slang in our writing, ‘cause it can add a little fun every now and then.

Possession

We also use apostrophes to indicate possession – or ownership, which may make it easier to remember when and where to use them.

Add apostrophe s for singular nouns not ending in “s,” including words that end with an “s” sound:

    • The office’s windows are dangerous during tornados, because there’s no place to hide from flying glass besides the restrooms where not everyone can fit.
    • The squirrel’s desk is littered with acorns.
    • The VIP’s seat had gum on it.
    • Marx’s theories are famous, although I don’t know what they are.

Add apostrophe s for plural nouns not ending in “s”:

    • In almost everyone’s opinion, microwaves have saved the day (although some of you may not know what life was like without microwaves).
    • The alumni’s contributions broke school rules. (Yes, “alumni” is plural.)
    • Female guerillas fought for women’s rights.

Add only an apostrophe for plural nouns ending in “s”:

    • The boys’ and girls’ free time was filled with kick the can.
    • The aardvarks’ homes were decorated with Fabergé eggs.
    • The accountants’ pens were called quills.

Add only an apostrophe for nouns that are plural in form but singular in meaning:

    • The United States’ debt is almost as large as mine.
    • Mathematics’ rules are hard to understand.
    • The measles’ effects on the boy were minimal.

For singular common nouns ending in “s,” add apostrophe s unless the next word begins with “s”:

    • The hostess’s invitation was lost in the mail.
    • The hostess’ seat was taken by some nincompoop.
    • Davis’s answer was weak.
    • Davis’ story was suspicious.

Use only an apostrophe for singular proper names ending in “s”:

    • Dickens’ novels have really long sentences.
    • Lizzy Burns’ thinking putty was gross by the end of the day.

BUT pronouns … Pronouns have separate forms for the possessive, none of which involve an apostrophe:

    • Its (It’s is not possessive. It only means it is.)
    • Mine
    • Ours
    • Yours
    • Hers

Special plurals: With or without apostrophes?

Do not use apostrophes when pluralizing abbreviations: CDs not CD’s; IRAs not IRA’s.

Don’t use apostrophe s when referring to decades: 1980s not 1980’s; but you can use an apostrophe for omission … ‘80s.

And according to the AP Stylebook, when referring to the plural of single letters, use an apostrophe s:

  • Mind your p’s and q’s.
  • He learned the three R’s and brought home a report card with four A’s and two B’s.

And then it’s “Do’s” and “don’ts.”

Note: I may have steered someone wrong in the past on the last two. Whoops!

“Whoops? Whoops? My insurance doesn’t cover ‘whoops.’” – 10 Things I Hate About You

Editing Tip #10: This one has a bullet

Bullets have one purpose in their little dotty lives: To make it easier for people to read. That’s why bullets should be horizontally challenged (short).

Multiple-lined and multiple-sentenced bullets can’t be scanned for information, so they end up being relatively useless for short-attentioned, short-tempered folks with little patience – what some would call the majority of human beings in this instant-gratification-focused world.

When it comes to bullets, there are specific guidelines to follow to ensure consistency, scannability, and so no one notices what you may have done wrong. Below are seven rules of thumb when bulleting your copy.

Rule #1: Bullets should be as short as possible. Obvious. We already covered this in the intro.

Rule #2: The text introducing bullet points should end with a colon (dot-dot as some people would say).

Rule #3: Bullets should be sentence case, and the first letter should always be capitalized.

Rule #4: If the intro begins the sentence and each bullet ends the sentence, then the bullets should NOT have end punctuation.

For example:

Hyper-galactic lasers:

    • Blast through black holes
    • Reflect off muddy surfaces
    • Attract hitchhikers

Rule #5: If the intro is a complete sentence, bullets may be complete sentences with punctuation (but they don’t have to be complete sentences).

Complete sentence example:

Deer perform a variety of antics when they have migraines:

    • Cartwheels are an attempt to counteract the dizziness.
    • Beating their heads against trees helps relieve the pain.
    • Staring into headlights disables their fight or flight response, which eliminates the aura. (Note: This may cause a different kind of pain.)

Incomplete sentence example:

Deer perform a variety of antics when they have migraine headaches:

    • Cartwheels
    • Head bashing
    • Death stares

Rule #6: Bullets should be consistent:

    • If one bullet is a question, all of them should be questions.
    • If one requires punctuation, they should all have punctuation.
    • If one starts with a verb, they should all start with verbs.
    • If one talks about what the FA can do, they should all focus on what the FA can do. (Don’t intermingle what the application does.)
    • If one is in past tense, they should all be in past tense.

Rule #7: Don’t over-bullet. If you have a large chunk of bullets, it’s no longer scannable. Try to limit it to six bullets or less.

I’m sure a variety of other rules exist, but I wanted to keep it relatively short – so maybe you’d read this. (Notice the short bullets and lots of white space.)

Editing Tip #11: “Whethering” the “if” storm

You may think you know how to use “if” and “whether,” but if you’re like many, you’re most likely wrong. “Why?” you may ask. It’s simply because our overly conversational natures now use them interchangeably even though they can have different meanings.

It’s because of that – and the fact that it’s important to be consistent – that we should follow the rules of “if” and “whether” instead of using them interchangeably.

Grammar Girl’s rule is that you “use ‘if’ when you have a conditional sentence and ‘whether’ when showing that two alternatives are possible.”

Conditional sentence – if

There are a couple of if-type statements:

If, then …

If the cow jumps over the moon, then Nick will go to sleep. (Nick will go to sleep on one “condition.”)

If the cow jumps over the moon, Nick will go to sleep. (“Then” is implied. And because Nick is stubborn, he’ll still only go to sleep if the one condition is met.)

XXX if …

Nick will go to sleep if the cow jumps over the moon. (Nick’s stubbornness continues.)

Whether

Use “whether” when there are two possible alternatives — “whether or not” represents two possibilities.

Nick will go to sleep whether or not the cow jumps over the moon. (Nick must be tired, because he’s going to sleep no matter what rather than only if the cow jumps over the moon.)

Whether the cow jumps over the moon, Nick will go to sleep. (“Or not” is implied.)

If or whether?

Based on the rule that you use “if” when you have a conditional sentence and “whether” when there are two alternatives, which one of these sentences is correct?

See if Nick is sleeping.

See whether Nick is sleeping.

Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it? I mean, when we talk we always say the first one. Yet we’re not talking. We’re writing. So based on the rule and the fact that there is no “condition,” the second one is grammatically correct.

“Aargh,” you may be thinking. “That sounds horrible.” Maybe so. If you don’t like it, what do you do? Rewrite the sentence.

Editing Tip #12: The Shorter the Better – .e.g., versus i.e.

The rules of e.g. and i.e. are fairly simple.

E.g.

E.g. means “for example,” which means what comes after is only a sampling.

Example:

The crayon box held a plethora of weird colors (e.g., faded cubs jersey blue, l’eggo my ego yellow, and hot sauce red).

Obviously, a crayon box includes more than three colors, so if you can remember the “e” in e.g. stands for “example,” you’re good to go. And because it means “for example,” you don’t need to add any type of “and more” language to the end of the list. However, you do need an “and” before the final element in the list.

I.e.

I.e. means “that is,” which means what comes next is “all inclusive.”

Example:

The U.S. flag has three colors (i.e., red, white, and blue).

That’s it. Just three colors, which means it’s all inclusive. You just need to remember that the “i” represents “all inclusive.“

Commas

You may have noticed that both e.g. and i.e., when used before a list, include commas (i.e., e.g.,). Always.

Editing Tip #13: What’s in it for me?

When it comes to our WFA platform communications realm, readers are constantly looking to answer the age-old question, What’s in it for me? And if they don’t quickly find the answer (or don’t care about it), they stop reading. The rest of your words end up in the dung pile.

Benefits versus features

We often fall back on features when we write (e.g., The cake is yellow with chocolate frosting and sliced into 12 pieces). That’s fine, but it’s not exciting – nor attention-getting for anyone who doesn’t already know how tasty yellow cake is.

Therefore, the best way to help readers find what’s in it for them is to start with the benefits. Or the drawbacks in some cases, but let’s not dwell on that right now.

Start with the headline

A good headline tells the reader exactly what the article is about so they can decide whether to read on. A better headline not only accomplishes the same thing but is also rich in benefits. It has to grab their attention, tell them what they need to know, and urge them to read what you’ve put so much effort into.

Chocolate-frosted yellow cake soothes emotional upheaval

It’s attention-grabbing, tells them what the article is about, and urges them to read the darn thing. That beats “July enhancements to yellow cake,” which barely says anything.

Carry it through the opening paragraph

There’s only so much you can say in a headline, and you all know how hard it is to fit everything into such a small space. For example, this cake also cures gingivitis, but I had to pick something to focus on.

That’s why you use the opening paragraph to say more about the benefits.

A really professional study of three participants shows that yellow cake with chocolate frosting is a balm for sadness and anger and assists in making happy people even happier. It’s also a somewhat-proven fact that it cures gingivitis.

Benefits should lead, not be relegated to the end. That’s where features belong, because yes, features can still be important in our line of work. But only list them when it’s necessary.

If they’re not interested by the first sentence or two (if they’ve gotten that far), they obviously don’t give a hoot about cake, emotions, or bad breath (or they’re gluten-intolerant). You’ll never win those people over, so there’s no reason to try. There is absolutely no way you can cater to all readers.

Yes, headlines can highlight negative news

If the news is that something good is going away and not being replaced, it’s important to highlight that in the headline so you can get the reader’s attention.

FDA pulls yellow cake from shelves

It’s sad, but the fact that it’s being done needs to be communicated and communicated well. And the headline above says everything the reader needs to know – with the exception of why, which would be covered in the first paragraph.

What to look for

Take a close look at your headline and introductory paragraph. Do they answer, What’s in it for me? If not, it’s time to put in a little more effort. Don’t be afraid to ask someone to brainstorm with you to find the right headline.

If the main point in your headline is that there’s an enhancement and nothing about what it is, try again.

I’m not saying that benefits are always available to write about. If the color of a button is changing, that’s certainly not something that really affects the reader. And if that’s the case, why are we even writing about it? It’s time to think that through too.

Editing Tip #14: Once versus after

Once upon a time, back when this was A.G. Edwards and all writers in Marketing (then Corporate Communications) had access to a proofing team, I was taught to use “after” as a conjunction instead of “once.” I’ve been following that rule ever since.

The so-called rule is inaccurate

However, after researching the usage of “once,” I have determined that the rule is unnecessary. Therefore, I will no longer be changing “once” to “after.” (I know this will make some of you happy.)

The meaning of “once”

Let’s go into the meaning of “once” just for kicks.

According to dictionary.com:

  • When used as an adverb, “once” means:
    • At one time in the past; formerly
    • A single time
    • Even a single time; at any time; ever
    • By a single step, degree, or grade
  • When used as an adjective, it means “former; having at one time been”
    • When used as a conjunction:
    • If or when at any time; if ever
    • Whenever; as soon as
  • When used as a noun, it means “a single occasion; one time only”

Not that you needed to know all that.

Editing Tip #15: How to-ing – bold and italics

Just a quick reminder that when writing instructional copy, use bold to indicate action and quotation marks when you want your audience to search for something.

For example:

    • Click OK when finished.
    • On the “Profile” screen, enter the client’s net worth in the “Net Worth” field.
    • In the “Opportunities & Advice” section on My Homepage, click Funding Your Clients Goals.
    • In Advisory Trading, go to Bond Center and type “I don’t know” in the description field.
    • Under Reports, click Client Analysis. In the “Client Profile” column, select Client Birthday List.

Editing Tip #16: Drop down and give me 10

Verbs, nouns, and adjectives. That’s what it comes down to when writing the phrases “drop down” and “log in” – which are just two examples of when you can turn verbs into nouns and adjectives.

When using “drop down” and “log in” as verbs, they should be two words (no hyphen):

    • Drop down and give me 10.
    • Log in on the home page.

Those phrases become hyphenated adjectives when they’re modifying nouns:

    • Select Yes from the drop-down menu.
    • Go to the log-in page.

But when they’re nouns, they should be one word:

    • Click the dropdown.
    • Enter your login.

Editing Tip #17: How long is too long?

Let’s face it. Some of our sentences are too long.

Often times, we might consider a sentence to be too long if we can’t understand the entirety of the sentence by the time we get to the end of it. The previous sentence, for example, may or may not confuse you. Regardless, it can be shorter. And shorter sentences are easier to read. They also tend to help readers along rather than making them reread something to understand it.

So how long is too long?

Your average sentence shouldn’t be longer than 14 words. That’s average. That means some sentences may be a bit longer, but not much. In fact, I recommend keeping your sentences to 21 words or less while still keeping the average to 14 or under.

Getting started: Check your average length

  1. Turn on the “Show readability statistics” feature in Word. (Click File, Options, and then Proofing to get to the checkbox.)
  2. After you’re done writing, click Spelling & Grammar. After Word gets done checking your document, it’ll show you the readability statistics.
  3. Under “Averages,” check your words per sentence. If the number is greater than 14, you have a lot of work to do.

Next step: Attack long sentences

Even if your average sentence length is 14 or less, it doesn’t mean you’re in the clear. You still might have some sentences that are longer than 21 words. For example, my first sentence in the second paragraph is a doozy at 30 words. And it’s only one and a half lines. It must be shortened.

Original: Often times, we might consider a sentence to be too long if we can’t understand the entirety of the sentence by the time we get to the end of it.

Revised: A sentence might to be too long if we can’t understand it by the time we get to the end.

You can see that the second sentence is much shorter and simpler. And it’s only 20 words.

Extra step: Vary the length

If you have a few long sentences (but not above 21 words), be sure to offset them with short sentences. It varies the rhythm and makes the copy easier to read.