Ratiocination Process

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Ratiocination Process
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Ratiocination is a wonderful tool for revising
your essay. It allows you to pinpoint specific
problem areas and correct them easily.
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• Select two different colors of highlighters.
• Highlight every sentence (not lines) in your
  essay alternating colors. For example, if you
  use a yellow highlighter for the first sentence,
  use orange for the second.
• Look for variation in sentence length, as well as
  run-ons and fragments. Fix any run-ons or
  fragments that you discover.
• If you notice that your sentences are mostly the
  same length, try combining some of them to create
  complex sentences.

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BRACKETS

• Put brackets around the first word in every
  sentence.
• Example John and I ran to the store. When
  we arrived we were out of breath and decided to
  wait before we entered. While we were waiting
  John saw
• This shows you whether or not youre beginning
  too many sentences the same way. Unless its for
  effect, try not to start several consecutive
  sentences the same way.
• If you discover that youve begun several
  sentences the same way, find ways to change some
  of them. For example, see if you could move the
  sentence parts around and begin the sentence with
  a dependent clause.

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• TO BE VERBS
• Circle all the to be verbs in the essay. To be
  verbs are passive and can make your writing sound
  weak. As often as possible, use action verbs to
  make your writing more alive.
• Add up the total number of to be verbs in your
  essay. Find a way to change 1/3 of them into
  action verbs. Again, this may mean re-wording
  some sentences. (If youre feeling especially
  ambitious, decrease your to be verbs by half!)
• TO BE VERBS INCLUDE am, is, are, was, were, be,
  being, been

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• PRONOUNS
• Draw a triangle around every pronoun. Then draw
  an arrow from the pronoun to its antecedent (the
  noun its replacing)
• Allows you to check for pronoun-antecedent
  agreement it also helps you see if your pronouns
  are too far away from their antecedents, which
  can affect clarity.
• If you discover any pronouns that dont have
  clear antecedents, make the necessary changes so
  that your paper has improved clarity.
• Example John went to the store. He walked in and
  decided that he did not need a basket. He was
  only going to buy a few items. He went to the
  produce aisle first, where he picked out two
  apples.

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PRONOUNS I, me, my, his, her, it, its, myself,
herself, himself, itself, themselves, he, she,
mine, your, yours, our, ours, them, theirs, they,
we, you, everyone, us, him, everybody, yourself,
who, whom
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• Imprecise Words
• Draw an X over the imprecise words
• Encourages you to think about your diction and
  use more vivid language.
• Use the context and your own good judgment to
  determine if there are any instances where the
  Xed out word(s) should stay. As a general rule,
  get rid of imprecise words.

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• Imprecise Words
• really, some, very, like, always, many,
  sometimes, this, that
• Example You did a really good job with some of
  the answers. I like the way you very simply
  worded this answer.
• Rewrite You did an excellent job answering the
  comprehension questions. I like the way you
  simply worded this answer.