Line editing
The sentence-by-sentence pass that sharpens clarity, rhythm, voice, word choice, and concision without rebuilding the argument.
See it
What it is
Line editing improves the writing sentence by sentence: clarity, rhythm, voice, word choice, emphasis, transitions, and concision. It can split a breathless sentence, vary a monotonous run, replace a vague verb, or cut a phrase that repeats the paragraph's point. The argument and structure should already be sound before this pass begins.
Reach for it after developmental work and before copyediting. Read the draft aloud, listen for where breath or attention snags, and edit in context rather than treating each sentence as an island. Preserve deliberate fragments, repetition, and dialect when they belong to the voice.
Gotcha: line editing is not proofreading with ambition. It makes stylistic judgments, so a quiet rewrite can erase the author's voice while claiming to tidy it. Explain substantial changes and query intent. If whole sections are missing or out of order, stop polishing sentences and return to the structure.
Ask AI for it
Line edit this draft using Microsoft Word Track Changes conventions. Improve clarity, rhythm, voice, transitions, verb strength, and concision without changing the argument, facts, or point of view. Read for cadence as if performing a read-aloud pass. Preserve intentional fragments, repetition, dialect, and technical terms. Return (1) a redline using strikethrough for deletions and underline insertions, (2) a clean version, and (3) queries for any sentence whose meaning is uncertain. Flag structural problems instead of silently rebuilding sections.