COMM 1715-Proofreading and Editing Assignment #2— Jupiter – 5%

Instructions: The paragraph below contains 15 errors of various types: fragments, run-ons,
and apostrophe use. Please note that the paragraph may also contain some errors based on
earlier material we have covered in class. On the page provided, identify the line in which the
error is located, print the existing error, and then print the correction.
Edited by: Ariana Walterhouse

Jupiter*
At 1000 times the size of the planet Earth, Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar 1
system and its biggest influence. In fact, Jupiter could swallow all of the plants in the 2
solar system twice and still have room. More than any other planet, Jupiter shapes our 3
solar systems past, present, and future. Most recently, scientists have been attempting 4
to unlock the gas giants’ secrets. On December 7th, 1995, NASA’s Galileo spacecraft 5
dropped a 750 pound titanium probe into Jupiter’s atmosphere. The probe hurled into 6
the cloud tops at over 1006 miles an hour. Even though Jupiter appears calm, quite, 7
and serene from a distance. There are ferocious winds, lightning storms, and immense 8
pressures. With such an enormous mass, the closer to Jupiter’s centre. The greater the 9
pressures and densities become. As it was plummeting toward Jupiter, the probes’ 10
sensors managed to reveal a few interesting facts before it vaporized into the 11
atmosphere: hydrogen makes up 90% of Jupiter’s atmosphere temperatures soar to 12
over 300 degrees and winds rage at over 400 miles an hour. The probe discovered 13
Jupiter is hotter and more turbulent then scientists ever imagined. It is Jupiter’s heat 14
that creates the spectacular affect of the beautiful bands of swirling clouds. 15
Additionally, at 29 000 miles an hour. Jupiter rotates faster than any other planet in our 16
solar system. In fact, Jupiter rotates on it’s axis about once every nine hours. This is very 17
fast when compared to Earths’ twenty-four hour rotation. Jupiter’s famous “red spot” is 18
an enormous cyclone, larger than the size of the Earth it has been rotating stably with 19
winds in excess of 250 miles per hour for at least the past three centuries. It seems 20
appropriate that Jupiter was named after the Roman king of the gods’, the god of the 21
sky. Long after all the other planets of our solar system are frozen and lifeless. Jupiter 22
will still be an enormous gas giant. 23
 Answers to Proofreading and Editing- Assignment #2

Line # Error Correction

1. 4 Apostrophe missing on “systems” Should read: system’s

2. 5 Wrong apostrophe placement on Should read: giant’s

“giants’”
3. 7 Spelling on “quite” Should read: quiet
4. 8 Sentence fragment after “distance” Replace the period after “distance” with a
comma, and make the “T” on “There”
lowercase.
5. 9 Sentence fragment after “centre” Replace the period after “centre” with a
comma, and make the “T” on “The”
lowercase.
6. 10 Wrong apostrophe placement on Should read: probe’s
“probes’”
7. 12 Run-on sentence at “atmosphere”. Comma should be between atmosphere
and temperatures.
8. 13 Missing a comma before “and” Add a comma after “degrees” and before
“and”
9. 14 Incorrect homophone: “then” Should read: than
10. 15 Incorrect verb usage: “affect” Should be replaced with the noun
“effect”
11. 16 Sentence fragment after “hour” Replace the period after “hour” with a
comma.
12. 18 Wrong apostrophe placement on Should read: Earth’s
“Earths’”
13. 19 Run-on sentence after “Earth” Add a period after “Earth”, and capitalize
“It”
14. 20 Missing comma after “hour” Add in a comma after “hour”
15. 21 Wrong use of the apostrophe on “gods’” Remove apostrophe on “gods”
16 21 Wrong comma usage after “gods” Replace the comma with a semicolon
17 22 Sentence fragment after “lifeless” Replace the period after “lifeless” with a
comma.

* Adapted from How the Universe Works (2014), Episode 18, Original Air Date 23-07-14; recorded on 12-06-16. Jupiter Series, Narrator Erik
Dellums, Discovery Channel, Discovery Science.