STAAR Revision and Editing

STAAR Prep - Editing

The Rules of Writing

When to Use Editing

When editing your essay, only the STRUCTURE is corrected.

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In other words, your overall story remains exactly the same – you are simply fixing mistakes you have made while writing it, such as typos, grammar errors, and spelling mistakes.

EDITING INCLUDES:

• Capitalize – names, places, titles, months, etc.

• Usage – nouns and verbs are correctly used

• Spelling – check all words, look for homophones, use a dictionary

• Grammar/ Sentence structure.

• Punctuation – periods, quotes, commas, semicolons, apostrophes

EDITING Practice Part 1

DIRECTIONS: Read the selection and choose the best answer to each question.

Savannah wrote this essay for a descriptive writing assignment in her English class. Read Savannah’s essay and look for corrections she should make. Then answer the questions that follow.

"Smells Like a Memory"

(1) The acrid scent of burning firewood wafts through the crisp night air. (2) Suddenly being transported back to childhood as a memory plays in my mind like a movie. (3) My dad, brothers, and I are lounging around a campfire, spearing marshmallows with sticks and holding them over the open flames. (4) My marshmallow catches fire, and I turn it slowly, letting it brown on all sides before blowing it out. (5) I pull gently at its crisp brown shell, the aroma of its gooey sweetness teases my nostrils. (6) I wait impatiently for it to cool enough to put in my mouth.

Multiple Choice

1.) What change, if any, needs to be made in sentence 2 ?

(2) Suddenly being transported back to childhood as a memory plays in my mind like a movie.

• F. Change being to I am

• G. Insert a comma after childhood

• H. Change plays to playing

• J. Sentence 2 should not be changed.

Multiple Choice

2.) What is the correct way to write sentence 5?

(5) I pull gently at its crisp brown shell, the aroma of its gooey sweetness teases my nostrils.

• A. I pull gently at its crisp brown shell, the aroma of its gooey sweetness that teases my nostrils.

• B. As I pull gently at its crisp brown shell, the aroma of its gooey sweetness teases my nostrils.

• C. Pulling gently at its crisp brown shell, the aroma of its gooey sweetness teasing my nostrils.

• D. When I pull gently at its crisp brown shell, and the aroma of its gooey sweetness teasing my nostrils.

Continued...

(7) Memories always seem to flood my mind when I experience certain smells. (8) The smell of freshly cut grass reminds me of my twelve-year-old self, playing Soccer on Saturday mornings. (9) I can still smell the warm, damp dirt and hear the voice of my best friend Erin calling out as I wiped the sweat beads off my forehead. (10) After playing for hours, we would all traipse down to the local corner store to buy beverages that were so cold they would make our teeth hurt. (11) I pop the lid off a bubbly drink, and the fizz gently stings my nose. (12) My mind flashes back to those lazy afternoons, leaning against the wall in the cool shade of the store’s striped awning, laughing with my friends. 

Multiple Choice

3.) How should sentence 8 be changed?

(8) The smell of freshly cut grass reminds me of my twelve-year-old self, playing Soccer on Saturday mornings.

• F. Insert a comma after grass

• G. Change reminds to reminding

• H. Change playing to to play

• J. Change Soccer to soccer

Continued...

(13) Then there is the distinctive scent of garlic and onion cooking as my grandmother prepares the filling for our holiday tamales. (14) I remember when I was a little girl dragging my chair over to the counter to watch the onions and garlic cook. (15) I would beg my grandmother to let me help fill the tamales, and she would let me sample tiny bites along the way. (16) To this day the smell of steaming tamales fills me with excitement. (17) It is said that scent is the most powerful memory trigger of all the senses. (18) The brain is wired in such a way that the sense of smell is processed near the centers’ of emotion and memory. (19) So it’s no wonder that specific smells can generate amazing memories that make us feel just as we did when the events originally occurred. (20) Whatever the case may be, I know for myself that certain smells today always take me back to times that were innocent and full of exploration and wonder. (21) I’m thankful for the variety of spicy, sweet, and savory smells that continue to remind me of family, friends, and all the best things in life.

Multiple Choice

4.) What change, if any, is needed in sentence 18?

(18) The brain is wired in such a way that the sense of smell is processed near the centers’ of emotion and memory.

• A. Insert a comma after way

• B. Change is processed to has processed

• C. Change centers’ to centers

• D. Sentence 18 should not be changed

Multiple Choice

5.) What change, if any, needs to be made to sentence 20?

(20) Whatever the case may be, I know for myself that certain smells today always take me back to times that were innocent and full of exploration and wonder.

• F. Delete the comma

• G. Insert a comma after today

• H. Change innocent to inocent

• J. Make no change to the sentence.

Multiple Choice

(1) According to a report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: there are 1,900 edible insect species on Earth.

6.) What change, if any, should be made in sentence 1?

• A. Change Organization to organization

• B. Change the colon to a comma

• C. Change species to species’

• D. No change is needed in sentence 1.

EDITING Practice Part 2

In this section, you will be provided with sentences that may need editing.

The entire passage will not be provided.

It is not necessary to read the entire passage for the editing section of the STAAR.

Multiple Choice

(11) Of course, since Americans are not accustomed to eating insects, many are hesitant to trying.

7.) What change, if any, should be made in sentence 11?

• F. Delete since

• G. Change accustomed to acustomed

• H. Change to trying to to try

• J. No change is needed in this sentence.

Multiple Choice

(14) Doing so is not impossible, though, because most food preferances are simply a state of mind.

8.) What change should be made in sentence 14?

• A. Change Doing to When we do

• B. Delete the comma after though

• C. Change preferances to preferences

• D. Change simply to simple

Multiple Choice

(18) My uncle, whose very adventurous, brought some roasted grasshoppers from Mexico for me to try, and I liked them—they have a nice, salty crunch.

9.) What change, if any, should be made in sentence 18?

• F. Change whose to who’s

• G. Change brought to bringing

• H. Delete the comma after try

• J. No change is needed in sentence 18.

You Did it!

Please click SUBMIT on the HUB assignment to notify me that you have completed the practice.