How do I Proofread? Let Me Count the Ways

This Tuesday, before coming to class with a finished draft of argumentative paper #2, you need to proofread. Believe me when I tell you people that YOU NEED TO PROOFREAD!

I think all of you are very smart students. But no matter how smart you are, you need to proofread your work. Try this list of suggestions to see if you can nail an error-free draft:

• Read your paper backwards. You have time to myspace. You have time to text. You have time to watch the same Hannah Montana episode twice in one evening. You have time to spend countless minutes standing in front of the refrigerator before declaring there is nothing there to eat. You have time to do this! Reading your paper backwards enables you to slow down, look at each word individually, and be sure that it is spelled correctly.
• Have your parent read over your paper. They want to! Your folks are your biggest fans! Let them read your paper through and help you check for goofs.
  
• Read your paper aloud. The egomaniac in you will love reading your own work out loud. Doing this will help you catch the "WW" (wrong words) that so many of you are famous for. One student recently misused the word "disgust" for "discussed." Another student consistently uses "were" for "where." I think if you were diligent to read your papers aloud, you would catch many of these mistakes.
  
• Use the spell check feature on your computer. It's there, so use it! Just use it with caution. It obviously wouldn't work on the two examples mentioned above. Those were not misspelled words; they were simply misused words.
  

I cannot wait to see what you have done with this assignment! I am really looking forward to class on Tuesday!