Editing to correct punctuation
Find-replace improves errors, efficiency

Achieving correct punctuation in their own writing is difficult for most students.

Almost every word processor has find-and-replace, a function that writers who know the kinds of errors they make regularly can use to help them identify and edit errors in their writing.

As an editing tool, text find-and-replace is much more effective in improving beginning writers' grades than grammar check because it requires less extensive knowledge of grammar.

Counterintuitive, I know, but that's the way it is.

Flag potential problem points

To make find and replace work for them, students need to flag every occurrence of a single potential problem in some cannot-be-missed way. Replacing a comma with $ or COMMA, for example, will make it stand out. Students will find it much easier to correct punctuation errors involving commas when those commas don't disappear into the text.

Once the computer has flagged potential problems, a student can edit the paper looking only at the sentences that contain that flag.

If Josh has written an essay with 20 sentences and his find-and-replace flags four places where he may need to correct punctuation, Josh has to read only those four sentences carefully to eliminate that particular writing mechanics error.

Let me show you how easy it is for even your back-of-the-room, bottom-of-the-class students to correct punctuation errors using find and replace as an editing tool.

Example 1: Editing for misused apostrophes

Let's say Caitlin habitually uses apostrophes where she doesn't need them. She can set her computer to replace every apostrophe with a red dollar sign, like this:

Then Caitlin must edit her paper by examining each word in which the red dollar sign appears.

If the apostrophe belongs there, she should change the dollar sign to an apostrophe again. If it doesn't, she should delete the red dollar sign, thereby removing the unneeded apostrophe and producing correct punctuation.

When Caitlin has finished going through her paper looking for that one potential error, the paper will have red apostrophes in places where apostrophes are needed. With a quick "select all" and a click on "automatic" for the type color, she is finished editing out that one error.

Example 2: Editing for sentence boundary errors

Tabi has problems with sentence boundaries. Her work is littered with comma splices and run-together sentences, as you can see:

To help her concentrate on one sentence at at time, Tabi replaces every period with a big blue pound sign and every comma with a red percent sign, like this:

Tabi reads her work concentrating on the words between two blue hash signs. If the words between the hash signs contains a %, she checks the word groups on either side of the percent sign to see if they are a complete sentences.

If they are both complete sentences, she puts a period in place of the # and begins the next word with a capital letter.

If the material between the # signs does not contain a red percent, Tabi looks to see if it is just one sentence or two. If she can't be sure, she can either

• Test the material using sentence tags and yes-no questions or

• Rewrite the material more simply so there is no doubt where the sentences begin and end.

As Tabi finishes checking each set of words between pound signs, she changes the right hand # back to a period.

When she finishes, Tabi will most likely have eliminated comma splices and run-together sentences. She can "select all" and change the color back to automatic.

Isolation makes procedure effective

As we both know, students can select the correct punctuation on a standardized test question or worksheet. Where they have trouble is in correcting their own writing.

Students usually know more than you or they think they do. Their problem is often that their own writing contains so many different kinds of problems in grammar, punctuation, and spelling that students are overwhelmed.

By isolating one problem at a time, students find it much easier to correct their errors.

For students to take advantage of their computers' help in editing,you must make them aware of the writing mechanics errors they make regularly. You cannot get students to fix their errors by this or any other method unless you help them:

• Identify errors they make habitually.

• Teach them any grammar they need to know to be able to tell when they have applied a specific writing mechanics element correctly.

Using the access code in their monthly ezine notification email, Writing Points subscribers can get tracking sheets in the teacher resources to use or adapt to assist students in indentifying their habitual errors and monitoring progress toward eliminating those errors. If you are not already a subscriber, you can sign up for a free subscription at the left.