Editing and Error Correction

SESSION FIVE READING COMPREHENSION Use your reading strategies of skimming and scanning to read the article
below and find the right answers to the questions. TRAVEL NARROWS THE MIND (excerpts)
By John Rentoul The modern fashion for long-distance travel is a snare and a delusion. Of
course, there was once an evolutionary advantage to the restlessness of
humanity, but now tourists are footloose without purpose. Following a
redundant genetic impulse, they pack into large metal boxes which burn
unimaginable quantities of fossil fuels to transport them thousands of
miles. And then two weeks later they come back again. What for? A better
way to get skin cancer? To see the sights and make a mess of them? To get
to know other cultures? Not so. It is far preferable to stay home and
visit the United Kingdom, preferably by train.
The instinct to explore has been played out. Humans have been everywhere,
done that. They have been to the top of Everest so often the summit
resembles the waste skip of a resuscitation ward. Driven by their genes to
invent ever more absurd frontiers to reconnoitre, the sort of people who
might once have trekked across the Rocky Mountains are now chartering jets
so they can freefall parachute over Antarctica.
Then there is the green argument for people staying where they are. This
restlessness and our ever increasing desire to travel long distances is
disastrous for the environment. Air travel is the most energy-hungry thing
that most people can do. It is a scandal that aviation fuel for
international flights is not taxed. If the governments of the world could
agree to do something about it, they would have a permanent source of
income, as well as cutting down on the fastest-growing source of global
warming gases.
As for the idea that travel broadens the mind, widens people's horizons,
and promotes international understanding, this is mere nonsense. It may
have been a good idea for Marco Polo to have backpacked to Beijing,
although it did not do the Chinese much good. It may even have been a good
thing to send the educated elite of Britain on Grand Tours of the continent
in the 18th and 19th centuries. But we have television and the Internet
now. If it is learning you want, you can do it at home.
The only was to effectively learn anything about foreign countries is by
living and working in them, which is an admirable feat. Living and working
in foreign countries should be encouraged, within limits. But it is
tourism that is objectionable, especially the desire to go to the remotest,
wildest and often poorest places in the world, only to build four-star
hotels there. This does not benefit the local people since the hotels are
all owned by foreign companies and only an average of 30% of profits stay
in the country. On the contrary, it encourages the demand for Coca-Cola
and MacDonald's, in addition to accelerating the homogenization of the
world.
But it is not just travel to remote places which is unwise. Even in the UK,
traveling long distances by car is fraught with risk. Statistics may
report that motorways are not dangerous, but it is hard to believe that it
is safe for people to be hurling sail along within feet of each other at
more than 70 mph. The only really civilized way to travel is by train. 1. What does the author say about the fashion for long-distance travel?
a) It enables tourists to understand other cultures.
b) There is no longer any point to it.
c) It takes up a lot of time. 2. Why do people do things such as freefall parachuting in the Antarctica,
according to the author?
a) They are trying to solve personal problems.
b) They feel the need for greater challenges.
c) They want to go trekking in isolated places. 3. Why, according to the author, should aviation fuel be taxed?
a) It would ultimately help reduce pollution.
b) It would enable governments to buy more fuel.
c) It would help governments stay in power.
d) Other types of fuel are taxed, so it would only be fair. 4. What does the author mean when he says that tourism "accelerates the
homogenization of world culture"?
a) Everyone is eating fast food.
b) People are rapidly becoming the same wherever you go.
c) People in remote places are becoming poorer.
d) The pace of life is speeding up.
5. What does the author feel about road travel?
a) Distances are too long.
b) Motorways are safe.
c) Other countries are safer than the UK.
d) Driving can be dangerous.
II. Editing and Error Correction Editing and proof-reading are as important a part of writing as the
drafting itself. o Leave yourself time to read your essay at least twice.
o First Reading: focus on content, organization and cohesion
o Second reading: focus on language errors I. Proof-reading: At any level of language proficiency, certain types of mistakes are common,
even if they are very basic errors. You can self-correct these and avoid
losing unnecessary points. A) Common Errors: Here are some common language mistakes to look for in
your writing:
|Type of error |Examples of errors |
|missing "s" on third person |A diplomat, when visiting another |
|singular: |country, usually bring a small gift. |
|missing "s" on plural nouns |It is one of the most important |
| |institution in the world. |
|subject-verb agreement: |"People in many parts of the world |
| |believes that poverty is an inevitable |
| |part of existence. |
|simple past vs present perfect |Human rights became a fundamental |
| |principle. |
|articles: |Internet can bring both positive and |
| |negative effects to society." |
|Word order: | The prime minister said that to fight |
| |the drought would be necessary special |
| |financial aid. |
|missing subjects |Is fundamental to learn from our |
| |mistakes. | B) Identifying your errors: in order to correct your mistakes, it is
helpful to learn to recognize them. These symbols are commonly used to identify error types. |Symbol |Type of |example |Correct form |
| |error | | |
|VT |verb tense |Yesterday, the news has been | |
| | |terrible. | |
|VF |Verb form |The news are terrible. | |
|WW |Wrong word |Obama is the actual | |
| | |president. | |
| | |These ideas are strictly | |
| | |linked. | |
|WO |Word order |It has been also proposed | |
|ART |Article |The France is one of the | |
| | |founding members. | |
|Gr |Grammar |One of the most important | |
| | |issue | |
|Sp |Spelling |It is they're choice. | |
|P |Punctuation |The war ended, the peace | |
| | |treaty was signed. | |
|SS |Structure |It is necessary a reform. | . |
|Sty |Style |It's really important | |
|I |Italianism |Extreme bads, extremes | |
| | |remedies | |
|Awk |Awkward |For what concerns the | |
| |expression |advantages | |
|¶ |paragraphing|e.g. gaps between sentences | |
| | |in the same paragraph, | |
| | |paragraphs which are too long| |
| | |or too sort, no topic | |
| | |sentences | | Exercises: The underlined phrases are incorrect. Identify the type of
error and then write the correct sentence. Example
There was a different money system , gold was the basis of this money
system
Type of error: STR
Corrected sentence: There was a different money system for which gold was
the basis. 1. The world, according to public opinion, has grown smaller.
___________________________________________________________________.
2. Globalization is a phenomenon recently discovered.
___________________________________________________________________.
3. It is interesting the similarity between the two.
___________________________________________________________________.
4. Globalisation isn't an actual phenomenon.
___________________________________________________________________.
5. Is significant to n