If you have questions about the test or the material, please call me at school at 744-8096 or at home at 372-1754. I do not mind being called on weekends or evenings before 10 p.m. Do not miss a question because you do not understand the material. I am here to help you.

Because you will be editing, bring a pencil and eraser to the test. You will NOT be allowed to use notes, texts, stylebooks or any other materials except a calculator. The test must be completed by 10:20 a.m., when I will collect all remaining tests. A class meets after ours so the deadline WILL NOT be extended.

You must be able to do the following for the test:

• Edit crime and court stories. Be prepared to edit stories involving from when a crime has been committed up to a preliminary hearing. A detailed explanation about how to edit these stories is included on this site, and I recommend that you read it again. We also went over how to edit these stories in class and during labs. Be prepared to edit a crime story.

  Although this list is not complete, you should know the following: when to use the term "murder," when to include a description of suspects, how to refer to bail, whether to name victims (including victims of sexual and domestic abuse), whether to name juveniles, whether to include the address of a crime scene, whether to include the complete name and address of people arrested, what to do about "arrested for," and how to refer to a plea of "not guilty."
  
  

• Edit copy for sensitivity. Be able to edit a story for sensitivity, including style. Reviewing the sensitivity exercise in class will be helpful. Be able to identify and correct racist, sexist and ageist language, as well insensitive words for people with disabilities.
  
  
• Edit for grammar. Be able to edit stories for correct grammar involving subject-verb agreement; pronoun-antecedent agreement; pronoun usage; adjective and adverb usage, especially involving intransitive linking and sensory verbs; collective nouns; troublesome verbs such as lie and lay, sit and set, and rise and raise; troublesome pronouns such as who and whom; relative pronouns in essential and nonessential clauses involving who, that and which; and the subjunctive mood. Know the difference between verbs in the active and the passive voice. Be prepared to edit stories and sentences. You will only be asked to edit copy involving the grammar presented in class.
  
  
• Use confused words. Be able to properly use the confused words presented in class. These words include ensure and insure, affect and effect, farther and further, entitled and titled, between and among, less and fewer, dunk and drunken, elicit and illicit, half-mast and half staff, and cite, site and sight. They are discussed in the confused words page of this site, along with many more.
  
  
• Edit copy for punctuation. Be able to edit a story for punctuation, including commas as they apply to independent and dependent clauses, semicolons and colons.
  
  
• Know the Associated Press style covered this semester. You must be able to use standard copy-editing marks to edit sentences for AP style. Although all of the AP style presented this semester could be on the test, most of it will come from what we covered since the last test, including abbreviations, addresses, acronyms, datelines, states, time, dimensions, numerals and money.