English 201-903 Proofreading Help by Michelle Felix https://padlet.com/felixm3/tfs2on8rfxp4 Please review my comments on your first essays and find proofreading errors that you made. Select one. Find the pages in Rules for Writers that relate to that error and read them. Figure out how to correct the error. Also find a website online that explains your error and how to correct it. Next, post the text from your essay as it was with the error; then show your correction. Explain your correction based on what you learned from Rules and from the website. Tell us the Rules pages and link to the website. Then learn from each other! en-us 2017-02-15 02:44:30 UTC 2025-11-06 13:58:05 UTC hello@padlet.com Proofreading https://padlet.com/felixm3/tfs2on8rfxp4/wish/159507156 I picked this sentence as it's the "easiest" example, but I have many to pick from.
Original: I am a huge advocate for them, and am always
looking to bring another furry friend into my home.

Correction one would be remove the comma and keep the sentence as it is without rewriting. 

Secondly I could remove the and, and use a different word like this:
I am a huge advocate for them, constantly looking to bring another furry friend into my home. 

The reason for the comma is to tell the reader that one independent clause has come to a close.  The exception being if the  two independent clauses are short the comma may be omitted.  So the correction would be omit the comma using the exception, or keeping it and rewriting the second clause of the sentence and utilize the comma.

Pg. 292 in "Rules for Writers" and http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/commas.asp

Charles Andrychowicz

Charles, this is actually not a comma splice instance. Your sentence has one independent clause ("I am a huge advocate for them"), but the rest of the sentence isn't an independent clause. Look again at your sentence and you'll see that you have two verb phrases going with your subject "I": I am a huge.... and [I] am always looking. You don't need the comma because you are using the "and" to coordinate your two verb phrases.
]]> 2017-03-12 16:41:54 UTC https://padlet.com/felixm3/tfs2on8rfxp4/wish/159507156 Proofreading Assignment https://padlet.com/felixm3/tfs2on8rfxp4/wish/159553614 I chose a homonym error.  The word is technically spelled correctly, but it was the wrong word to use.

If we keep looking forward to the sunshine, our shadows will be behind us and out of site. (original)
If we keep looking forward to the sunshine, our shadows will be behind us and out of sight.  (correction)

This type of error is addressed on page 351 section 43c of Rules for Writers.  Discriminate between words that sound alike but have different meanings.  I am aware of the difference between the two words but overlooked the error and it was not picked up by spell check.  One tip on page 44 of Rules is to proof read sentences in reverse order.  I think this helps the writer focus on spelling and grammar as opposed to the story itself.

The website writing.wisc.edu offers some additional advice on proofreading.  Working from a printout and using a blank sheet of paper to cover up other lines to focus on each sentence.  

Bret Zeitler

You're right about the homonym error. Did you have any errors more complicated than that?]]> 2017-03-13 01:55:10 UTC https://padlet.com/felixm3/tfs2on8rfxp4/wish/159553614 Rebecca Cyganiak - Comma Splices: https://padlet.com/felixm3/tfs2on8rfxp4/wish/161052856 A comma splice is when two independent thoughts are meshed together by the use of a comma. My original sentence has two complete clauses held together by a comma. In my revision, I broke them up into two separate sentences.

Original: I looked over at my father for a sense of validation, I thought I would see that the anxiety had left his face, and be rewarded with his adventurous smile.

Revised: I looked over at my father for a sense of validation. I thought I would see that the anxiety had left his face and be rewarded with his adventurous smile.

Unnecessary commas are explained in Rules for Writers on page 285. I also used this Purdue website for additional examples: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/engagement/2/1/34/]]> 2017-03-20 02:02:43 UTC https://padlet.com/felixm3/tfs2on8rfxp4/wish/161052856