54 / Methods of Development
STEP 7: Revising—Checking the Content
As you revise your first draft, ask yourself these questions to guide possible rewrites:
-^ Does my topic sentence (or thesis statement for a theme) clearly state the
analogy?
-^ Does the topic sentence (or thesis statement) appear at or near the beginning
of my paper?
-^ Does the organizational pattern follow throughout the analogy so that readers
are not confused?
-^ Do transitions develop smooth parallels between the two topics being
compared? [See Sample Revision for Transition in Chapter 3, Revising.]
- Do^ the^ details^ provide^ sufficient^ comparison?
-^ Do all the details support the topic so that I have maintained unity throughout
the paper? [See Sample Revision for Unity in Chapter 3, Revising.] - Is^ the^ vocabulary^ suitable^ for^ the^ analogy^ and^ the^ audience?
- Have^ I^ used^ strong^ nouns^ and^ verbs^ and^ avoided^ flowery^ modifiers?
-^ Are sentences varied in length and structure and appropriate for subject and
audience? - Have^ I^ used^ the^ appropriate^ tone^ and^ mood^ for^ the^ topic?^ [See tone and mood^
in the Glossary.] - Does^ the^ paper^ conclude^ effectively?
STEP 8: Proofreading—Checking the Details
Next, prepare the final draft. Check for punctuation, grammar, mechanics, usage,
and spelling. [See Part IV for rules and examples.]
WRITING-ACROSS-THE-CURRICULUM MODELS
Any piece of writing must be tailored to the audience who will read it. Thus, in addi-
tion to the sample analogy below, you will find online five additional samples, tai-
lored for other audiences, along with their respective analyses.
See online at [http://www.wiley.com/go/wnwstudentwritinghandbook.]
Sample for English
Sample for the Social Sciences
Sample for Science
Sample for Mathematics
Sample Technical Writing