Revision Strategies Errors Happen Grammar and Flow Check
Reading your writing aloud is a good way to check your grammar and the flow of your sentences. The process helps you notice things that you did not see before. If you stumble while you read, you may have skipped a word. If you are out of breath in the middle of the sentence, you may need punctuation. If you are breathless at the end of the sentence, you might want to shorten it.
Errors happen. We omit a word while typing or cutting and pasting—errors we read again and again while proofreading. But when you read aloud, you speak slower than you read, so a misspelled word stands out more clearly. You will more readily spot that their should be there; too should be to; the your that should be you’re.
When the flow of your writing gets interrupted, you’ll stumble as you read aloud. Is your sentence awkwardly phrased or do your ideas lack clarity or do you have two distinct ideas in one paragraph that need to be separated? Has your paragraph ended too abruptly? Are your transitions not smooth? Does the entire paragraph sound weak and choppy? Are your sentences repetitive or too wordy?
Reading aloud also emphasizes boring language and ideas. You will notice missing information or information that needs clarifying. Do you find yourself using the same word again and again?
If you feel silly reading aloud, read aloud to a friend or family member. Or have that family member read your story aloud to you. Don’t read along while your friend is reading—really listen. Another option is for your friend to read your story aloud alone and mark the places that cause him or her problems.
You’ll be less self-conscious about the read aloud process after you become practiced. You’ll also become a better proofreader and writer. When you create your first audio book or give your first public reading, you’ll be glad that you did practice reading aloud.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Frederick Jones is an attorney, professor, and bestselling author of Publish Me Now. He is the founder and president of Publish Me Now University™ and creator of Write Your Worth™ live events. To learn more about his Write Your Bestseller course, go to bit.ly/PublishMeNow to book a free strategy session and start writing and publishing today.
NOTE: While I am an attorney , I’m not your attorney. The content of this blog is for business coaching and educational information only. It is not legal advice. Readers are encouraged to seek legal counsel regarding specific questions about this post.