Editing for Pronoun Agreement

A pronoun is a word that stands in the place of a noun or another pronoun (its antecedent). The most familiar pronouns are I, me, my; we, us, our, ours; you, your, yours; he, she, it, they, their, theirs. A pronoun needs to agree with its antecedent. That means both need to have the same person (first, second, or third), the same number (singular or plural), and the same gender (masculine, feminine, neuter, or indeterminate).

Revising to Elaborate Ideas

When ideas feel thin, you can elaborate by imagining what questions a reader would ask. Then you can answer the reader’s main questions using a variety of details at a variety of levels. The writer of “Equity Matters” imagined the following interview, answering the reader’s questions in a number of different ways.

Combining Argument and Narrative

Follow these steps to blend your two separate essays into a narrative argument. As you work through the steps, remember that you can add, cut, rewrite, and rearrange parts of both original pieces as needed.

1. Make your original argument essay the base of your paper.
2. Read over both pieces one more time.
3. Decide what portions of your narrative support your argument.
4. Experiment with different combinations of narration and argumentation. Here are three common ways to organize a narrative argument:
   • One-After-Another: Start with your full narrative and transition to your full argument or vice versa.
   • Start-and-End: Start with a portion of your narrative, transition to your argument, and then return to your narrative.
   • Back-and-Forth: Start with your narrative or argument and transition back and forth multiple times between both pieces.

5. Evaluate the results. Which pattern most effectively strengthens the argument? Which pattern is easiest to follow? Which pattern will most likely get readers to empathize with your position?
6. Choose a pattern.
7. Add parts (or all) of your narrative to your argument essay. If you are working in a word-processing program, you can simply copy and paste the parts. Reword sections as needed to improve the flow.

Writing the Narrative Beginning

The beginning of your narrative has a number of jobs:

• Catch the reader's attention.
• Introduce the main character (person of focus).
• Describe the setting (time and place).
• Create conflict.

1. Start in the middle of the action.

   Flush with determination, I stepped up to the podium. I had a strong speech. I had a strong message. I was ready to fight for equal rights. So how did I know it was all doomed?

2. Use interesting dialogue.

   "There goes Drama Jess again. Making something out of nothing." Girls with an opinion get that a lot in high school.

3. Pose a fascinating question.

   What does justice mean to you?

4. Set up the conflict.

   I’m a sports fanatic. I’m also a girl. I thought by now my gender wouldn't be an issue, but last school year showed it still is.

Prewriting to Select a Narrative Topic

You have several options for a narrative topic. You can choose an event that you yourself have exprienced, one involving someone you know personally, or the experience of someone you have never met but have learned about through your research. Consider people you encountered in the books, articles, videos, podcasts, and other sources you explored to create your argument essay.

Revising for Key Details

Remember that your cover letter and résumé are really meant for the employer, not for you. You already know who you are. The employer needs to know, so these documents should provide the key details without distraction. You can check for details by reviewing item 3 on the prewriting activity "Take the Employer's Perspective."

What employer needs did you fail to address in your cover letter and résumé? For example, Joyce realized that she forgot to mention that she is a skilled photographer, so she can provide images for her articles. She added a line to the "Skills and Qualifications" section of her résumé.

Writing with Parallel Structure and Telegraphic Style

All similar elements in your résumé should use parallel structure, which means the same grammatical form. For example, each work experience item should list job title, employer, dates of employment, and duties—in that order, with the same punctuation and treatment for each element. By contrast, lists of skills and qualifications might all be adjectives: