Luxfield Text Grading and Editing Services
Techniques
An editing session
Here is a screen snap-shot of a typical vocabulary adjustment and editing session taking place.
Here, the editor, is working directly on a word-processor document version of the text. Immediately accessible, are (a) the document requiring attention, (b) the Table 1 listing of 'out-of-syllabus' forms that occur in the text, (c) the syllabus list of permitted word forms.
Working with tools and aids of this sort can prove a lot faster and more reliable than more conventional methods.
The editor will be working to some predetermined strategy and will have decided in general terms how to deal with 'out-of-syllabus' word-forms: to replace them all with 'in-syllabus' forms is one possibility; to retain some and replace the rest is another.
Where replacement is not to be total it is worth knowing that many texts (even texts carefully written to an existing scheme) tend to produce a large number of 'out-of-syllabus' forms that occur once only. Replacing (or eliminating) these goes a long way towards enhancing text accessibility. It also increases pedagogic value where repeated practice offering a variety of inflected and derivative forms within a restricted register is sought (the preferred style in most series of graded simplified readers).
By far the easiest way of locating problematic word forms within a text is to make use of the word-processor 'find' facility. This will immediately bring the editor to the point in the document where the problem occurs. The entire context is, of course, also immediately visible.
With that kind of information to hand, it should be possible, quite quickly, to make adjustments that will bring the text into line with syllabus requirements, and without necessarily -- depending on the skill of the adjuster -- losing any of the authenticity of the language.
(Computer facilities often enhance productivity. 'Find' helps a lot. However, for this kind of editorial work using global 'find-and-replace' -- the automatic substitution of one form for another -- is definitely **not** recommended! Too much depends on context.)
Using other tables and tools
Table 3 type vocabulary tables show, comparatively, the amount of new vocabulary in each chapter or unit throughout a text. For regular course books it would seem important to maintain roughly the same level of challenge throughout; for self-study extensive reading, a tailing off of challenge in order to enhance reading enjoyment might be thought more suitable.