After you have written a paragraph or an essay-once you have prewritten, drafted, and revised-you are ready for the next step-proofreading.

Proofreading, which takes place at the sentence level, means applying what you have learned in Units 5 and 6. When you proofread, carefully check each sentence for correct grammar, punctuation, and capitalization. Is every sentence complete? Do all verbs agree with their subjects? Are there any comma errors? Do all proper nouns begin with a capital letter?

This chapter gives you the opportunity to put your proofreading skills to work in real-world situations. As you proofread the paragraphs and essays that follow, you must look for any-and every-kind of error, just as you would in the real world of college or work. The first four practices tell you what kinds of errors to look for; if you have trouble, go back to those chapters and review. The other practices, however, contain a random mix of errors and give you no clues at all.