Proofreading and Editing: Why proofread?

What is the point of proofreading? As long as your writing is getting your message across, why be fussy with spelling, grammar and punctuation? You are communicating so is there really any need to get the language absolutely perfect?

With all the urban slang, abbreviations and spelling mistakes that are used in email and text messages, we have all become a lot more relaxed over what we think of as acceptable written English. There are good reasons for English to be standardized though. Bad English can cost you grades – and even money.

Can you trust the spelling and grammar check?

Many PCs now have built in spell checks and grammar checkers. This may sound like a great idea when you are essay or dissertation editing and should save time with proofreading, but the sad thing is that the software isn’t sophisticated enough to pick up every mistake and sometimes it thinks something is a mistake when there is no problem on the page. If you use a grammar checker or spelling software, here are some things to watch out for.

Split infinitives

Split infinitives are one of those pesky grammatical ideas that many people have heard of and have a vague idea will cause a loss of marks in an essay or undergraduate dissertation, yet aren't really able to define or avoid. In fact, to define 'split infinitive' is much easier than you might think, and the idea that they are grammatically 'wrong' is a myth, though you may still want to edit them out to be on the safe side when essay editing or proofreading, particularly in coursework or marked essays.

12 top tips for proofreading!

As a proofreader your work requires solid concentration and attention to detail. You have to notice every error in a text. Here are some key errors to watch out for when you proofread texts

Use your proofreading and editing skills to spot and correct these mistakes

Words that are spelt correctly but are not in the right place, for example “We are not in a recession” when the author meant “We are now in a recession”. These hard to spot mistakes can feel like a proofreading test even for experienced editors.

Professional proofreading: the “house style”

By now, you probably realize that proofreading should correct any spelling, grammar or punctuation mistakes in a text. But what other tasks should a proofreader undertake? The "house style" is something all editors need to be aware of, wherever they work. Here are a few points to keep in mind.

Proofreading should be used to make sure that a text conforms to house style. “House style” is an agreed set of rules that a college, publisher or company has decided upon so that all their texts conform to an approved pattern. For a college or university these instructions could be used for essay proofreading, dissertaton proofreading or other assignments in the approved style. A publisher’s house style will be applied to any books or journals that their authors’ produce. Often, the house style will be set out in a style guide or manual.