Important Proofreading Tips

EIC SHIFT http:/ Cmail Important proofreading tips Just as there is an art to writing and editing, there is also an art to proofreading. The first thing to do is to ask these questions: Are you being asked just to proof for grammar and spelling, or does your client want you to make sure everything feels like it flows? How important is grammar (for example, is this an instance where passive voice is a style choice the writer made on purpose)? 3 Are there certain changes you should not make (such as a client's signature phrase or brand promise)? Once you have the terms of what you're being asked to do, there are 3 important basic tasks to do when proofreading: Use spelling and grammar check. If the text is in layout, it might help to put it into a word processing program, such as Microsoft Word. If you are already in Word or a similar program, spell check items will be underlined in red, and grammar in green. Find an instance where a word that spell check does not recognize (such as the client's name, a brand name, or a scientific word) is spelled correctly, and "ignore all" or even "add" the word to your dictionary. This will allow you to quickly spot instances where a letter is missing or transposed. 2 Look for inconsistencies. There are many areas where small inconsistencies commonly crop up. For example: Parallelism-make sure all bullets in the same section begin with the same part of speech (all verbs, for instance), and that they either all end with periods or none of them do Capitalization-titles should all be capitalized the same way, whether it's title case or sentence case. Style-find out what style guide the writer or client is using, and look for places where the style doesn't match those guidelines. Blah blah balh 0oops! Obvious. 3 Read it aloud. Some errors are easy to spot, but others aren't as obvious. One way to catch the sneakier problems is to read the piece out loud. If it sounds strange, it may be because there is a grammar error. (Some grammatically correct sentences still sound stilted, but find out before you begin the proofing job whether the client wants you to correct that type of error; if not, you could always flag it with a note to the client so they can fix it if they want..) "There are so many ways to proofread better. As with any skill, continuously looking for ways to improve as you practice is the best service you can do for yourself. Good luck, and happy proofing!" -Jaelithe Russ JEST © 2012 | [email protected]| Discover what is true and practice what is good. EIC SHIFT http:/ Cmail Important proofreading tips Just as there is an art to writing and editing, there is also an art to proofreading. The first thing to do is to ask these questions: 1 Are you being asked just to proof for grammar and spelling, or does your client want you to make sure everything feels like it flows? How important is grammar (for example, is this an instance where passive voice is a style choice the writer made on purpose)? 3 Are there certain changes you should not make (such as a client's signature phrase or brand promise)? Once you have the terms of what you're being asked to do, there are 3 important basic tasks to do when proofreading: Use spelling and grammar check. If the text is in layout, it might help to put it into a word processing program, such as Microsoft Word. If you are already in Word or a similar program, spell check items will be underlined in red, and grammar in green. Find an instance where a word that spell check does not recognize (such as the client's name, a brand name, or a scientific word) is spelled correctly, and "ignore all" or even "add" the word to your dictionary. This will allow you to quickly spot instances where a letter is missing or transposed. 2 Look for inconsistencies. There are many areas where small inconsistencies commonly crop up. For example: Parallelism-make sure all bullets in the same section begin with the same part of speech (all verbs, for instance), and that they either all end with periods or none of them do Capitalization-titles should all be capitalized the same way, whether it's title case or sentence case. Style-find out what style guide the writer or client is using, and look for places where the style doesn't match those guidelines. Blah blah balh 0oops! Obvious. 3 Read it aloud. Some errors are easy to spot, but others aren't as obvious. One way to catch the sneakier problems is to read the piece out loud. If it sounds strange, it may be because there is a grammar error. (Some grammatically correct sentences still sound stilted, but find out before you begin the proofing job whether the client wants you to correct that type of error; if not, you could always flag it with a note to the client so they can fix it if they want..) "There are so many ways to proofread better. As with any skill, continuously looking for ways to improve as you practice is the best service you can do for yourself. Good luck, and happy proofing!" -Jaelithe Russ コ ET © 2012 | [email protected]| Discover what is true and practice what is good. EIC SHIFT http:/ Cmail Important proofreading tips Just as there is an art to writing and editing, there is also an art to proofreading. The first thing to do is to ask these questions: 1 Are you being asked just to proof for grammar and spelling, or does your client want you to make sure everything feels like it flows? How important is grammar (for example, is this an instance where passive voice is a style choice the writer made on purpose)? 3 Are there certain changes you should not make (such as a client's signature phrase or brand promise)? Once you have the terms of what you're being asked to do, there are 3 important basic tasks to do when proofreading: Use spelling and grammar check. If the text is in layout, it might help to put it into a word processing program, such as Microsoft Word. If you are already in Word or a similar program, spell check items will be underlined in red, and grammar in green. Find an instance where a word that spell check does not recognize (such as the client's name, a brand name, or a scientific word) is spelled correctly, and "ignore all" or even "add" the word to your dictionary. This will allow you to quickly spot instances where a letter is missing or transposed. 2 Look for inconsistencies. There are many areas where small inconsistencies commonly crop up. For example: Parallelism-make sure all bullets in the same section begin with the same part of speech (all verbs, for instance), and that they either all end with periods or none of them do Capitalization-titles should all be capitalized the same way, whether it's title case or sentence case. Style-find out what style guide the writer or client is using, and look for places where the style doesn't match those guidelines. Blah blah balh 0oops! Obvious. 3 Read it aloud. Some errors are easy to spot, but others aren't as obvious. One way to catch the sneakier problems is to read the piece out loud. If it sounds strange, it may be because there is a grammar error. (Some grammatically correct sentences still sound stilted, but find out before you begin the proofing job whether the client wants you to correct that type of error; if not, you could always flag it with a note to the client so they can fix it if they want..) "There are so many ways to proofread better. As with any skill, continuously looking for ways to improve as you practice is the best service you can do for yourself. Good luck, and happy proofing!" -Jaelithe Russ コ ET © 2012 | [email protected]| Discover what is true and practice what is good. EIC SHIFT http:/ Cmail Important proofreading tips Just as there is an art to writing and editing, there is also an art to proofreading. The first thing to do is to ask these questions: 1 Are you being asked just to proof for grammar and spelling, or does your client want you to make sure everything feels like it flows? How important is grammar (for example, is this an instance where passive voice is a style choice the writer made on purpose)? 3 Are there certain changes you should not make (such as a client's signature phrase or brand promise)? Once you have the terms of what you're being asked to do, there are 3 important basic tasks to do when proofreading: Use spelling and grammar check. If the text is in layout, it might help to put it into a word processing program, such as Microsoft Word. If you are already in Word or a similar program, spell check items will be underlined in red, and grammar in green. Find an instance where a word that spell check does not recognize (such as the client's name, a brand name, or a scientific word) is spelled correctly, and "ignore all" or even "add" the word to your dictionary. This will allow you to quickly spot instances where a letter is missing or transposed. 2 Look for inconsistencies. There are many areas where small inconsistencies commonly crop up. For example: Parallelism-make sure all bullets in the same section begin with the same part of speech (all verbs, for instance), and that they either all end with periods or none of them do Capitalization-titles should all be capitalized the same way, whether it's title case or sentence case. Style-find out what style guide the writer or client is using, and look for places where the style doesn't match those guidelines. Blah blah balh 0oops! Obvious. 3 Read it aloud. Some errors are easy to spot, but others aren't as obvious. One way to catch the sneakier problems is to read the piece out loud. If it sounds strange, it may be because there is a grammar error. (Some grammatically correct sentences still sound stilted, but find out before you begin the proofing job whether the client wants you to correct that type of error; if not, you could always flag it with a note to the client so they can fix it if they want..) "There are so many ways to proofread better. As with any skill, continuously looking for ways to improve as you practice is the best service you can do for yourself. Good luck, and happy proofing!" -Jaelithe Russ コ ET © 2012 | [email protected]| Discover what is true and practice what is good. EIC SHIFT http:/ Cmail Important proofreading tips Just as there is an art to writing and editing, there is also an art to proofreading. The first thing to do is to ask these questions: 1 Are you being asked just to proof for grammar and spelling, or does your client want you to make sure everything feels like it flows? How important is grammar (for example, is this an instance where passive voice is a style choice the writer made on purpose)? 3 Are there certain changes you should not make (such as a client's signature phrase or brand promise)? Once you have the terms of what you're being asked to do, there are 3 important basic tasks to do when proofreading: Use spelling and grammar check. If the text is in layout, it might help to put it into a word processing program, such as Microsoft Word. If you are already in Word or a similar program, spell check items will be underlined in red, and grammar in green. Find an instance where a word that spell check does not recognize (such as the client's name, a brand name, or a scientific word) is spelled correctly, and "ignore all" or even "add" the word to your dictionary. This will allow you to quickly spot instances where a letter is missing or transposed. 2 Look for inconsistencies. There are many areas where small inconsistencies commonly crop up. For example: Parallelism-make sure all bullets in the same section begin with the same part of speech (all verbs, for instance), and that they either all end with periods or none of them do Capitalization-titles should all be capitalized the same way, whether it's title case or sentence case. Style-find out what style guide the writer or client is using, and look for places where the style doesn't match those guidelines. Blah blah balh 0oops! Obvious. 3 Read it aloud. Some errors are easy to spot, but others aren't as obvious. One way to catch the sneakier problems is to read the piece out loud. If it sounds strange, it may be because there is a grammar error. (Some grammatically correct sentences still sound stilted, but find out before you begin the proofing job whether the client wants you to correct that type of error; if not, you could always flag it with a note to the client so they can fix it if they want..) "There are so many ways to proofread better. As with any skill, continuously looking for ways to improve as you practice is the best service you can do for yourself. Good luck, and happy proofing!" -Jaelithe Russ コ ET © 2012 | [email protected]| Discover what is true and practice what is good. EIC SHIFT http:/ Cmail Important proofreading tips Just as there is an art to writing and editing, there is also an art to proofreading. The first thing to do is to ask these questions: 1 Are you being asked just to proof for grammar and spelling, or does your client want you to make sure everything feels like it flows? How important is grammar (for example, is this an instance where passive voice is a style choice the writer made on purpose)? 3 Are there certain changes you should not make (such as a client's signature phrase or brand promise)? Once you have the terms of what you're being asked to do, there are 3 important basic tasks to do when proofreading: Use spelling and grammar check. If the text is in layout, it might help to put it into a word processing program, such as Microsoft Word. If you are already in Word or a similar program, spell check items will be underlined in red, and grammar in green. Find an instance where a word that spell check does not recognize (such as the client's name, a brand name, or a scientific word) is spelled correctly, and "ignore all" or even "add" the word to your dictionary. This will allow you to quickly spot instances where a letter is missing or transposed. 2 Look for inconsistencies. There are many areas where small inconsistencies commonly crop up. For example: Parallelism-make sure all bullets in the same section begin with the same part of speech (all verbs, for instance), and that they either all end with periods or none of them do Capitalization-titles should all be capitalized the same way, whether it's title case or sentence case. Style-find out what style guide the writer or client is using, and look for places where the style doesn't match those guidelines. Blah blah balh 0oops! Obvious. 3 Read it aloud. Some errors are easy to spot, but others aren't as obvious. One way to catch the sneakier problems is to read the piece out loud. If it sounds strange, it may be because there is a grammar error. (Some grammatically correct sentences still sound stilted, but find out before you begin the proofing job whether the client wants you to correct that type of error; if not, you could always flag it with a note to the client so they can fix it if they want..) "There are so many ways to proofread better. As with any skill, continuously looking for ways to improve as you practice is the best service you can do for yourself. Good luck, and happy proofing!" -Jaelithe Russ コ ET © 2012 | [email protected]| Discover what is true and practice what is good.