Editing is the evaluation and addressing or correcting of written material to ensure
that it meets the necessary standards and requirements prior to final presentation to
the audience.
The following five areas are considered when editing written information:
Layout
Layout refers to the correct and suitable format of presentation for a specific piece
of written information.
There is an acceptable and standardised manner in which items such as letters,
reports, research reports, agendas, minutes of meetings and other documentation is
prepared.
Ensure that you are familiar with format and layout requirements for the most
general types of communication.
Spelling
Spelling appears to be such a trivial matter – until it crops up in written material and creates a perception of negligence, incompetence and a lack of professionalism.
Take care of the following:
Some words have alternative spelling e.g. tyre, tire, grey, gray; draft, draught; connexion, connection, plow, plough, often the difference is between the American and British spelling.
In other cases, an apparent misspelling is a misuse of a word e.g., principle and principal; practice, practise (The former is a noun, the latter is a verb)
The plural of many words in the English language is achieved by adding an s or (es) to the single. For example, car becomes cars and potato becomes potatoes.
However, some words have the same form in both the singular and plural. For example sheep – there is no such word as sheeps.
Other words are already plural such as people and equipment, so don’t use peoples (unless you are referring to different groups of people or different ethnic groups) and equipments. Adopted words sometimes take on the plural of the original language, for example datum becomes data and fungus become fungi.
Punctuation
Any written passage must contain punctuation marks, so that the reader knows when a sentence has ended, when to pause and when a particular point is being emphasised.
When we speak, we “punctuate” our speech by means of pauses, silences and expression. When writing, we make use of commas, full stops and exclamation marks to direct the reader. This lecture deals with the punctuation marks that are commonly used in writing.
The following punctuation should be considered in written text:
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The capital letter
All sentences must begin with a capital letter.
The names of people, titles linked to the name of a person, countries, cities, towns, suburbs or nationalities and begin with a capital letter.
A capital letter is used to begin days of the week, months and special days.
Titles of books, magazines, articles and other productions begin with a capital letter.
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The full stop
A full stop appears at the end of a sentence, is not used at the end of a heading and is replaced by the question mark in a sentence that asks a question or an exclamation mark in a sentence that expresses emotion.
Full stops are used after abbreviations and initials.
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The comma
The comma is used to indicate a pause in a sentence. When you are reading a passage, you should pause briefly when you see a comma.
A series of names, adjectives or actions are separated by commas.
A comma is used after certain words or phrases, such as “however”, “for example”, “finally” and “therefore”, usually at the beginning of a sentence.
Examples include:
- A comma is used to explain or expand on a word or an expression
- A comma is used between the items of a date or an address
- A comma is used after “yes” or “no” when they begin a sentence that answers a question
- A comma is used when a natural pause occurs in a sentence
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The semicolon (;)
The semicolon requires that the reader take a longer pause than for a comma.
A semicolon is used to separate sentences that are very closely linked.
A semicolon can be used to separate two trains of thought in the same sentence.
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The colon (:)
The colon requires an even-longer pause than the semicolon does.
A colon is used to introduce a list of items.
A colon introduces a series of ideas.
A colon is used to introduce a quotation or statement.
A colon is used between the title and subtitle of a book.
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The exclamation mark (!)
The exclamation mark appears after any word or expression in which the user attaches a sense of urgency, or issues a command or expresses strong feelings
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The question mark (?)
The question mark is used after any sentence in which a direct question is asked
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Quotation marks or inverted commas (‘ “)
Quotation marks are used to enclose actual speech
Quotation marks are used to enclose the titles of books, films and records
Quotation marks are used to enclose quotations from a book or a reading
Quotation marks are used to pick out an unusual word used in some special way
Remember that question marks or exclamation marks appear inside the quotation
marks
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The apostrophe (‘)
The apostrophe is used to show possession or ownership –singular ‘s, plural s’.
The apostrophe can also be used to show that a letter or letters have been dropped
from a word.
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The hyphen (-)
The hyphen is used when two or more words are joined into a new, compound word
The hyphen may be used to avoid a double consonant or double vowel
The hyphen can be used when coupled to a capital letter
Sentence and paragraph
Sentence and paragraph structures should meet the following criteria:
- Sentences should not be overly long
- Sentences used together in a paragraph should all deal with the same topic.
- Paragraphs should have a clearly identifiable topic sentence.
- Paragraphs and sentences should follow each other in a logical way.
- Where support topics are used, it should still be linked to the main topic in a clear and logical manner.
Readability
Readability incorporates all the elements in a text that assists the receiver or reader to understand the text and thus reflects on the degree of successful interpretation of the written message. Refer to unit 2 of this module for the relevant details on readability.
Prepare written communication
Familiarise yourself with the format requirements of the following documentation to enable writing for a wide range of contexts:
Reports
In writing, a report is a document characterized by information or other content reflective of inquiry or investigation, tailored to the context of a given situation and audience. Reports are usually written on instruction and aims to inform, record facts, persuade, assist with decision making and recommend actions.
Reports can be public or private, and often address questions posed by individuals in government, business, education, and science. Reports often take the structure of scientific investigation: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion (IMRD).
They may also follow a problem-solution structure based on the audience’s questions or concerns. As for format, reports range from a simpler format with headings to indicate topics, to more complex formats including charts, tables, figures, pictures, tables of contents, abstracts, summaries, appendices, footnotes, and references.
Reports are written in a formal. Impersonal and objective style.
Types of Reports
Types of reports include: scientific reports, recommendation reports, white papers, annual reports, auditor’s reports, workplace reports, census reports, trip reports, progress reports, investigative reports, budget reports, policy reports, demographic reports, credit reports, appraisal reports, inspection reports, minority report, final report, majority report, environmental report, feasibility studies, immigration reports, statistical report, police reports, and court reports, among others.
Format of a report
- Title page
- Acknowledgements
- Terms of reference (the instruction received)
- Summary
- Table of contents
- List of illustrations
- Glossary
- Body of the report
- Introduction
- Procedure for gathering of information
- Conclusion
- Recommendations
- Findings
- List of references
- Bibliography
- Appendices
Letters
Letters are an important means of contact between an organisation and its internal and external clients. The following types of letters are commonly used:
- Letters of enquiry
- Responses to enquiries
- Letters of complaint
- Letters of adjustment
- Letters of invitation
- Positive, negative news and neutral letters
Format of a typical formal business letter
- Address of the sender
- Reference number
- Date
- Receiver’s address
- Salutation
- Introduction paragraph
- Body of the letter
- Concluding paragraph
- Complimentary close
- Name of sender
- Position of sender
Proposals
Proposals are factual documents drafted to encourage action and should thus be well organised and clear.
Format of proposals:
- Heading stating the proposal or proposed action
- Proposal summary providing all key points
- Background to the proposal
- Detailed proposal
- Justification
- Reinforcement
Essays or Article
Essays and articles are written as continuous writing after the conclusion of relevant research about a specific topic. Essays and articles are often written in a less formal style and readability in an article can be enhanced through the use of headings whilst essays normally do not contain headings.
Preparation steps include research, organising of material and planning of the document, drafting, editing and lastly the finalisation for use.
Format of essays or articles:
- Title
- Strong opening paragraph to prepare the reader
- Good links between paragraphs
- Good links between sentences
- Effective unity, coherence and emphasis