Proofreading is about ensuring that no words are missing from your assignment and that your grammar and spelling is correct.
During the proofreading stage you should refer to a dictionary or a hand-held spell checker, or use the spell check and grammar check functions in a word processing program to help you.
Many people find it difficult to spot mistakes when reading text on a computer screen, so it is a good idea to proofread a printed copy of your assignment.
It is also a good idea if possible to get someone else to look over what you have written. A fresh pair of eyes can often spot mistakes you may have overlooked. There are professional proof-readers who will, for an agreed fee, check your work (more about this later).
Here aresome common mistakes to look out for when proofreading your work:
1.Putting the wrong word in the wrong place - especially when usingwords which sound the same (or similar), but have different spellings and meanings.
Other words to watch out for are of and off ;to and too; and which and witch.
2.Leaving letters out, especially in the middle of words. Many words contain silent letters, or letters that are not sounded clearly if you speak quickly.
3.Mistakes when adding an ending, or suffix, to a root word. It is easy to make mistakes especially when adding the -ing suffix.
4.Using a small i as a pronoun. A pronoun is a word that stands in place of a name such as Sheila or John. Remember that whenever I is a word on its own, you should use a capital letter.
- Missing words out altogether. Most people think much faster than they can write, so it is easy to leave out small words such as a, the, and, it, and in.
Careful proofreading can help you spot this type of mistake.
1.Getting letters the wrong way round, especially i and e.
Remember the spelling rule 'i before e except after c' (although be aware of exceptions to the rule, e.g. weird, seize, weird, sovereignty, vein, neighbour.
2.Leaving out apostrophes – or putting them in when they should not be there!
Apostrophes are punctuation marks which are either used to indicate possession or to show where letters have been left out. Apostrophes are important because they often make meaning clearer.
Can't =can not
don't = do not
The boy's books are missing = books belonging to one boy
The boys' books are missing = books belonging to several boys
But an apostrophe is not used when indicating the plural of something, so
CV’s (plural) X
Taxi’s (plural) X
CD’s (plural) X
3.Using one word when you should use two.
Alot should be written as a lot
alright should be written as all right
4.Mistakes with subject-verb agreement. This means using a singular verb with a plural subject, or vice versa:
5.Using "should of". This is another common mistake, in sentences such as:
Tips for effective proofreading
- Try listening to the sound of your voice 'inside your head' as you read. This will help you spot if any words have been left out. Make sure not only that the words are spelled correctly but that the meaning of the sentence as a whole is clear.
- Try writing problem words out several different ways to see which version looks right. This will help to improve your visual memory, so that you feel more confident in correcting your spelling.
- Make sure that facts (such as phone numbers, dates of birth or email addresses) are clearly written and correct. Double check these if necessary.
- Focus on words which you know give you the most problems. These will vary from person to person, but they could be words with a particular ending (such as -ing) or a soft 'c' as in 'cinema' or 'centre'.
- Don't rely on a computer spell checker to find every mistake. It won't pick up errors such as using 'bean' instead of 'been'.
- Make sure you leave enough time to proofread your writing carefully, especially if you are in a hurry!
Good proofreaders:
- Have a good visual memory - they can usually spot when a word or phrase looks wrong.
- Know the most common spelling rules in English.
Professional Proofreaders
Supervisors, tutors, and staff of the Academic Skills Advice service do not proofread assignments. The study skills advisers will discuss your work with you, and you can ask them to read a section of it that you are not happy with. But they will not read your complete assignment for proofreading purposes – it is too time-consuming.
However, if you cannot persuade a friend or relative to help you, there are professional proofreaders who will, for an agreed fee, check your work for the type of mistakes illustrated on this worksheet. A professional proofreader will check your assignment for mistakes and will always highlight errors, but leave the final decision about changing the text to you.
A proofreader should never attempt or persuade you to change your ideas or overall style of writing and you should retain ‘ownership’ of your ideas and ways of expressing them at all times.
This is important, as to avoid plagiarism the work submitted should be yours, written by you and in your own words. However, a proofreader will point out spelling and grammatical errors. If you make a mental note of these, it can help you to develop your written communication skills and so be an important part of the learning process.
Exercise 1
There are a number of spelling and punctuation errors in the following short extract. Underline any mistakes that you spot.
What’s wrong with these sentences
There are 23 errors of grammer or spelling on this page. How many can you spot.
Academic Skills Advice service