Final answer:
The example sentence involves revising to maintain parallel structure by ensuring all verbs are in the infinitive form. Tense consistency is also important in revision, using stronger subjects and verbs to replace weak sentence constructions for clarity, and proofreading to correct minor errors.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's example sentence "i keep telling people that i love to dance, to write, and to paint" involves revisions that include parallel structure in the list of activities they love. To maintain consistency and the parallel structure of the sentence, the revision checks would be: (1) changing 'dancing' to 'to dance', (2) changing 'writing' to 'to write', and (4) leaving 'to paint' as is because it already follows the infinitive form.
The structure 'to dance, to write, and to paint' ensures that each element of the series is in the same form, making the sentence clearer and more rhythmic. Another point of revision often encountered is tense consistency, such as in narrative writing, where shifting between past and present tenses may cause confusion unless it purposefully serves to differentiate time frames.
When revising for clarity, a common technique is to identify and replace weak sentence constructions, such as 'There is' and 'It is', with stronger subjects and verbs that clearly identify who is performing an action. For example, the revised sentence 'Authors employ many strategies to revise written work' is more effective than 'There are many strategies to revise written work' because it directly states who is performing the action. Lastly, proofreading involves checking for minor errors, including spelling and punctuation, to polish the final draft.