Describe the difference between editing and revising.

• A. Revising changes content and structure; editing focuses on language correctness.
• B. Editing changes content; revising changes formatting.
• C. Revising changes content and structure; editing focuses on language correctness.
• D. They are the same.

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is that revising and editing serve different goals in the writing process. Revising focuses on content and structure—you shape what you’re saying and how it’s organized. That means clarifying the argument, tightening the thesis, adding or removing evidence, and rearranging paragraphs for logical flow. Editing, by contrast, is about language correctness and style—polishing grammar, punctuation, spelling, word choice, sentence variety, and consistency.

For example, you might revise by adding a stronger example and moving a paragraph earlier to improve the argument’s progression. After that, you’d edit to fix comma splices, ensure pronoun agreement, and smooth awkward phrasing so the writing reads cleanly.

That’s why the correct choice states that revising changes content and structure while editing focuses on language correctness. Other options either swap those roles or mischaracterize what editing or revising addresses. In practice, you typically revise first and then edit, though you may revisit either step as needed.