Àtúnṣe Ohùn, Àkọtọ́, àti Ọ̀nà Kíkọ
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Apply a full grammar and style editing checklist to a long, advanced Yorùbá text.
- Diagnose an error by matrix category — tone, orthography, particle, pronoun/reference, serialization, word order, or register — rather than correcting by instinct alone.
- Distinguish a tone error from a dot-under spelling error, even when both affect the same syllable.
- Identify and repair ambiguous or overloaded reference chains across several sentences.
- Recognize when a sentence is grammatically correct but stylistically inconsistent with formal register.
- Explain a revision decision clearly, citing the matrix category the error belongs to.
- Maintain the Standard Written Yorùbá production baseline and full diacritics while editing and while explaining edits.
- Edit a long text and produce a written explanation of the revisions made.
Opening Communication Scenario
Adé has been asked to proofread a colleague's draft report before it is submitted to the community education committee that heard the Chapter 17 presentation. The draft is competent but uneven: some sentences drop tone marks under time pressure, one paragraph loses track of who "they" refers to, and one section slides into a casual register that does not match the rest of the report. Adé must find and name each problem precisely, not just make the text "sound better," so the colleague can learn from the correction.
- This chapter treats editing as a diagnostic skill: naming what kind of error occurred, not only fixing it.
- No major new independent clause type is introduced. The chapter consolidates a full editing checklist across every matrix category active in this volume.
- By the end of the chapter, you will edit a long text and explain your revisions by matrix category.
Core Vocabulary
This chapter's vocabulary supports naming error types, describing revisions, and discussing style and register precisely.
| Yorùbá | English | Function |
|---|---|---|
| àtúnṣe | correction, revision, editing | core noun |
| àṣìṣe ohùn | tone error | error-category noun phrase |
| àṣìṣe àkọtọ́ | orthographic/spelling error | error-category noun phrase |
| àìdánilójú ẹni tí a ń tọ́ka sí | ambiguity about who is being referred to | reference-error noun phrase |
| ìtòsí gbólóhùn | word order, sentence arrangement | syntax noun phrase |
| ọ̀nà kíkọ tí kò bára mu | a writing style that does not match / is inconsistent | register-error phrase |
| ẹ jẹ́ kí n ṣàyẹ̀wò rẹ̀ padà | let me review it again | editing-process frame |
| ìdí tí mo fi ṣe àtúnṣe yìí ni pé... | the reason I made this revision is that... | explanation frame |
| ó bára mu | it matches, it is consistent | evaluative phrase |
| àtòjọ àyẹ̀wò | checklist | core noun phrase |
Pronunciation Focus — Reading Aloud for Proofreading
This chapter's pronunciation focus is using reading aloud as a proofreading tool. A tone error that the eye skips over on a page is often audible immediately when the sentence is spoken naturally, because the wrong tone produces the wrong word or a wrong-sounding phrase.
- Read each sentence aloud at ordinary speaking speed before checking it silently; a flattened or misplaced tone often reveals itself in the mouth before it is caught by the eye.
- When a sentence "sounds wrong" but the grammar looks correct on paper, suspect a tone or dot-under spelling issue rather than a word-choice issue.
- Read a corrected sentence aloud a second time after editing to confirm the revision actually resolves the ambiguity or awkwardness, rather than only looking correct in writing.
Grammar and the Editing Checklist
This chapter does not introduce a new independent clause type. It consolidates every language-system matrix active in this volume into a single editing checklist, and it develops the discourse skill of diagnosing an error by matrix category before revising it.
The Full Editing Checklist
Tone → Orthography → Particles → Pronouns/Reference → Serialization → Word Order/Clause → Register/Style
Working through categories in a fixed order prevents an editor from fixing an obvious surface error while missing a subtler structural one underneath it. Each category corresponds directly to a Part III matrix from the governing scope.
Distinguishing a Tone Error from an Orthography Error
Draft
Ó wá sí ilé ìwé láti ko àwọn ọmọ.
Revised
Ó wá sí ilé ìwé láti kọ́ àwọn ọmọ.
Here the draft's ko lacks both the mid-to-high tone shift and the dot-under vowel needed for "to teach"; without correction it reads as an unrelated or incomplete form. Tone Matrix Orthography Matrix — this is a combined tone-plus-dot error, not a grammar error, since the sentence's particle placement and word order are already correct.
Identifying a Reference Chain Error
- Olùkọ́ náà bá akẹ́kọ̀ọ́ méjì sọ̀rọ̀. Wọ́n sọ pé òun kò mọ ìdáhùn náà. The teacher spoke with two students. They said that they/he/she did not know the answer. ambiguous pronoun — unclear whether "òun" refers to the teacher or a student
- Olùkọ́ náà bá akẹ́kọ̀ọ́ méjì sọ̀rọ̀. Àwọn akẹ́kọ̀ọ́ náà sọ pé àwọn kò mọ ìdáhùn náà. The teacher spoke with two students. The students said that they did not know the answer. repaired — the noun phrase is restated instead of relying on an ambiguous pronoun
This is a Pronoun/Reference Matrix error. The grammar of each individual sentence is correct; the problem is that the pronoun does not clearly point back to one participant once a second potential referent has been introduced.
Identifying a Register Error
Draft — mid-report
Ẹ jọ̀wọ́ ẹ ṣàkíyèsí pé kì í ṣe ọ̀nà kan ṣoṣo ni àwọn ọ̀dọ́ ń gbà kọ́ èdè náà. Àmọ́ sá, ó máa ń wá bá wọn lọ́nà tó yàtọ̀.
The second sentence shifts into a colloquial connector and particle usage that does not match the formal register of the first.Revised
Ẹ jọ̀wọ́ ẹ ṣàkíyèsí pé kì í ṣe ọ̀nà kan ṣoṣo ni àwọn ọ̀dọ́ ń gbà kọ́ èdè náà. Ṣùgbọ́n, ó máa ń dé ọ̀dọ̀ wọn ní ọ̀nà tí ó yàtọ̀ síra.
Both versions of the second sentence are grammatically well-formed. This is a Register/Style issue: the informal connector and phrasing are appropriate in conversation but inconsistent with the formal report register established in the surrounding paragraph.
A skilled editor names the category of an error before fixing it. "This sounds wrong" is a starting point, not an explanation. Naming the category — tone, orthography, particle, reference, serialization, word order, or register — is what allows a writer to learn from the correction rather than simply receiving a different sentence.
Model Dialogue
Ipò: Adé ń ṣàyẹ̀wò àkọsílẹ̀ Kúnlé kí ó tó fi ránṣẹ́ sí ìgbìmọ̀ àgbègbè.
Setting: Adé is reviewing Kúnlé's draft report before it is sent to the community committee.
Guided Practice
- Identify the three errors Adé finds in Kúnlé's draft, and name the matrix category for each one.
- Explain why Adé recommends restating a noun phrase instead of simply choosing a different pronoun.
- Explain what makes the fourth-paragraph sentence a register error rather than a grammar error.
- Find one additional sentence-level example (from an earlier chapter's reading passages) where a formal and an informal version of the same sentence would differ, and explain the difference.
- Write one sentence containing a deliberate tone-plus-dot error, then write the corrected version and name the matrix category.
Listening Practice
Ask an instructor, study partner, or qualified Yorùbá speaker to read the passage below aloud at a measured pace, or read it aloud yourself and then cover it before answering.
If no speaker is available, this is a Listening Script for Independent Use. Machine text-to-speech must be checked by a qualified Yorùbá speaker before use as a pronunciation model.
"Ní ọ́fíìsì ètò-ẹ̀kọ́ kan, olùdarí kan fún olùrànlọ́wọ́ rẹ̀ ní iṣẹ́ láti ṣàyẹ̀wò àkọsílẹ̀ kan kí ó tó jáde sí gbogbo ènìyàn. Olùrànlọ́wọ́ náà kọ́kọ́ ka àkọsílẹ̀ náà sókè, ó sì ṣàkíyèsí pé gbólóhùn kan nínú rẹ̀ kò ní àmì ohùn tó tọ́ ní orí ọ̀rọ̀ kan tí ó yí ìtumọ̀ rẹ̀ padà pátápátá. Ó tún rí i pé ìpínrọ̀ kan lo arọ́pò orúkọ ní ọ̀nà tí kò ṣe kedere, tí ó jẹ́ kí àwọn òǹkàwé má lè mọ ẹni tí ó ń sọ̀rọ̀ nípa rẹ̀. Nígbẹ̀yìn-gbẹ́yín, ó rí ìpínrọ̀ kan tí ó yí padà sí ọ̀nà ìbánisọ̀rọ̀ lásán tí kò bá ìyókù àkọsílẹ̀ náà mu. Ó ṣe àtúnṣe sí gbogbo rẹ̀, ó sì kọ àkọsílẹ̀ kúkúrú kan tí ó ṣàlàyé ìdí tí ó fi ṣe àtúnṣe kọ̀ọ̀kan, kí olùdarí náà lè kọ́ nínú rẹ̀."
1. What is the first error the assistant finds, and what category does it belong to?
2. What is the second error, and why does it cause confusion for readers?
3. What does the assistant do after making all the corrections?
Iṣẹ́ rẹ — Your task: Answer the three questions above in complete Yorùbá sentences, naming each error's matrix category.
Speaking Practice
Tier 1 — Supported
Read the model dialogue aloud with a partner, then substitute a different type of document (a letter, a summary, an advisory sheet from an earlier chapter) and identify one tone, one reference, and one register issue to discuss.
Tier 2 — Guided
Read a short passage aloud from an earlier chapter. Have a partner listen for one tone or pronunciation issue and name what they heard, then discuss together whether it reflects a tone error, an orthography error, or simply a slip of the tongue.
Tier 3 — Independent
Present a short oral editing report (60–90 seconds) on a text you have revised, explaining at least three revisions using the matrix-category vocabulary from this chapter (tone, orthography, particle, reference, serialization, word order, register).
Reading Practice
Àyọkà Nípa Àtúnṣe Àkọsílẹ̀ Kan — A Passage on Revising a Report
Nígbà tí àjọ àwùjọ kan ń ṣètò láti tẹ ìwé ìròyìn wọn jáde, wọ́n rán an sí olùṣàtúnṣe kan tí ó ní ìrírí púpọ̀ nínú kíkọ Yorùbá tí ó péye. Olùṣàtúnṣe náà kọ́kọ́ wo gbogbo àkọsílẹ̀ náà lẹ́ẹ̀kan láti mọ ìwọ̀n rẹ̀, kí ó tó bẹ̀rẹ̀ sí ṣàyẹ̀wò rẹ̀ ní ọ̀kọ̀ọ̀kan. Ó rí i pé apá kan nínú rẹ̀ ní àṣìṣe ohùn tí ó yí ìtumọ̀ ọ̀rọ̀ kan padà pátápátá, apá mìíràn sì ní àìdánilójú nípa ẹni tí a ń tọ́ka sí ní gbólóhùn mẹ́ta ní ọ̀nà kan. Ó tún rí ìpínrọ̀ kan tí ó lo ọ̀nà kíkọ tí ó jẹ́ ìbánisọ̀rọ̀ jù, tí kò bá ìwé ìròyìn àṣẹ mu. Fún gbogbo àṣìṣe tí ó rí, ó kọ àkọsílẹ̀ kúkúrú kan sí ẹ̀gbẹ́ ojú-ìwé náà, tí ó ń ṣàlàyé irú àṣìṣe tí ó jẹ́ àti ìdí tí ó fi ṣe àtúnṣe náà, kí àwọn òǹkọ̀wé lè kọ́ nínú àṣìṣe wọn.
1. What does the editor do before beginning detailed corrections?
2. What three types of errors does the editor find?
3. Why does the editor write a short note beside each correction?
Iṣẹ́ rẹ — Your task: Answer the three questions above in complete Yorùbá sentences.
Writing Workshop
Edit a long text (a passage of your own or one drawn from an earlier chapter's writing tasks, 150–220 words) using the full editing checklist, then write a short explanation (80–120 words) identifying at least four revisions by matrix category. Full tone marks and dot-under letters are required throughout both the edited text and the explanation.
| Original | Revised | Matrix category |
|---|---|---|
| [original phrase] | [corrected phrase] | Tone / Orthography / Particle / Reference / Serialization / Word Order / Register |
| [original phrase] | [corrected phrase] | [category] |
| [original phrase] | [corrected phrase] | [category] |
| [original phrase] | [corrected phrase] | [category] |
Include
- at least one correction in at least three different matrix categories
- a clean, fully corrected final version of the text
- a short explanation naming the matrix category for each cited revision
- full tone marks and dot-under letters throughout
Avoid
- fixing a sentence without being able to name why it was wrong
- confusing a tone error with an unrelated word-choice change
- leaving an ambiguous pronoun reference unresolved
- ignoring register consistency because the grammar is technically correct
- Every vowel that should carry a high or low tone mark has one, and
ẹ,ọ, andṣare distinguished throughout. - Particles are placed correctly and their scope over any serial verb sequence is clear.
- Every pronoun or reference clearly points back to one identifiable participant.
- Word order follows the SVO frame with correct object, adverbial, and locative placement.
- The register is consistent throughout; no sentence shifts unexpectedly into a casual or overly formal register.
- The explanation names a matrix category for each cited revision, not just "this sounded better."
Culture and Communication
In many Yorùbá-speaking professional and academic settings, offering a correction to a colleague's writing is approached carefully, often paired with acknowledgment of what the draft already does well. The explanation frame in this chapter models that balance: precise about the error, respectful toward the writer.
Institutions differ in how strictly they apply full diacritics in internal drafts versus final published documents; some accept lightly marked internal drafts if the final version is fully corrected. This chapter's checklist applies to the final formal version regardless of internal drafting habits.
Common Mistakes
Error: Silently rewriting a sentence to sound better without identifying whether the underlying problem was tone, orthography, reference, or register.
Correction: Use the explanation frame ìdí tí mo fi ṣe àtúnṣe yìí ni pé... and name the specific matrix category for every revision.
Error: Leaving a casual phrase or connector inside an otherwise formal report because each individual sentence is grammatically valid on its own.
Correction: Check register consistency across the whole text, not sentence by sentence in isolation, using ó bára mu as the test question for each paragraph.
Chapter Summary
This chapter consolidated a full grammar and style editing checklist covering tone, orthography, particles, pronouns and reference, serialization, word order and clause structure, and register/style. Learners practiced diagnosing errors by matrix category, distinguishing tone errors from orthographic errors, repairing ambiguous reference chains, and identifying register inconsistencies, then applied the checklist to edit a long text and explain the revisions made.
Chapter Review
Apá A — Ìṣàyẹ̀wò Gírámà (Grammar Check)
1. Write one sentence containing a tone-plus-dot error, then write its correction.
2. Write a two-sentence example containing an ambiguous pronoun reference, then repair it.
3. Write one sentence that would be a register error in a formal report, then revise it to match a formal register.
4. Name the seven categories of the full editing checklist in order.
5. Write one sentence using the explanation frame ìdí tí mo fi ṣe àtúnṣe yìí ni pé... to explain a revision of your choice.
Apá B — Ìṣàyẹ̀wò Ara Ẹni (Self-Check)
1. Which matrix category is currently easiest for you to diagnose, and which is hardest?
2. Which editing skill do you want to strengthen before the Chapter 19 project?
Ìfojúsí ẹkọ̀ tẹ́lẹ̀ — Cumulative review check
Before moving to Chapter 19, confirm you can do the following:
- Apply the full editing checklist to a long text in order.
- Distinguish tone errors from orthographic errors.
- Repair an ambiguous reference chain across sentences.
- Identify a register inconsistency even when each sentence is grammatically correct.
- Explain a revision by naming its matrix category.
- Maintain full tone marking and dot-under orthography while editing and explaining edits.
Practical Performance Task
Iṣẹ́ aṣeyọrí — Abala 18
Àtúnṣe Àkọsílẹ̀ Gígùn kan — Editing a Long Text
Edit a long text entirely grounded in Standard Written Yorùbá and produce a clear explanation of your revisions.
Component 1 — Edited Text
- 150–220 words, fully corrected, with full tone marks and dot-under letters throughout.
Component 2 — Error Log
- At least four logged revisions, each naming the original, the correction, and the matrix category.
Component 3 — Written Explanation
- An 80–120 word explanation using the explanation frame from this chapter to justify at least four of the revisions by matrix category.
Assessment note: This task provides evidence of tone and orthographic accuracy, reference clarity, register consistency, and the ability to diagnose and explain errors by matrix category. It does not assess original composition beyond the drafting needed to supply a text for editing.
Answer Key
Listening Practice Questions
- The first error is a missing or incorrect tone mark on a word that completely changes its meaning; this is a tone-category error.
- The second error is an unclear pronoun reference in three sentences in a row, which prevents readers from knowing who is being discussed; this is a reference-category error.
- After making all corrections, the editor writes a short note beside each one explaining what type of error it was and why the correction was made, so the writers can learn from their mistakes.
Reading Practice Questions
- Before beginning detailed corrections, the editor reads through the entire draft once to understand its overall scope.
- The editor finds a tone error that completely changes a word's meaning, an unclear reference across three sentences, and a section written in an overly conversational style that does not match the formal report.
- The editor writes a short note beside each correction explaining the type of error and the reason for the revision, so the writers can learn from it.
Guided Practice — Sample Response
5. Sample response: Mo kọ "ó lo ṣe" ṣùgbọ́n ohun tí mo ní lọ́kàn ni "ó ti ṣe"; àṣìṣe yìí jẹ́ ti apá àwọn afisilò-ìṣe (particle matrix), kì í ṣe ti ohùn. (I wrote "ó lo ṣe" but what I meant was "ó ti ṣe"; this error belongs to the particle matrix, not tone.)
Chapter Review — Apá A
Sample answers are not provided in full for this open review, since each learner's sentences will reflect their own chosen examples. Confirm that Question 4 lists: tone, orthography, particles, pronouns/reference, serialization, word order/clause, and register/style, in that order.
Chapter Review — Apá B
Self-check items have no single fixed answer. Confirm your responses against the cumulative review checklist above.
Independent Study Tools
Fún akẹ́kọ̀ọ́ tí ń kọ́ ẹ̀kọ́ fúnra rẹ̀ — For the independent learner
- Keep a running error log across your own writing tasks from earlier chapters, tagging each correction with a matrix category.
- Practice reading your own drafts aloud before checking them silently, to catch tone and rhythm issues by ear first.
- Ask a study partner to write a short paragraph with one deliberate error hidden in it; practice finding and naming the category before correcting it.
- Before moving on, revisit any matrix category — tone, orthography, particle, reference, serialization, word order, or register — that still feels difficult to diagnose quickly.
Looking Ahead
Ohun tí o lè ṣe báyìí — What you can do now
You can now apply a full editing checklist to a long Yorùbá text, diagnose errors by matrix category, repair ambiguous reference chains, identify register inconsistencies, and explain your revisions clearly in Standard Written Yorùbá.