Whilst these changes are typical of proofreading and copyediting jobs, it is only the very best proofreaders and the most skilful copy editors who manage to leave intact the sense of authorship and ensure that the text remains imbued throughout with a sense of the personality of the writer. This is an extremely useful and important proofreading skill to learn. Start mastering it now using the following steps.

• Get a sense of the authorial voice before you begin. A common proofreading mistake is to realise too late that you have altered the style and content of a text to such an extent that the sense of identity of the author has been lost. At this stage it is often too late to recover.
• To avoid this, ensure that you read the text thoroughly before you begin proofreading to get a real feel for the writer’s own voice. It is also a good idea to keep a copy of the original text saved separately so you can refer back.
• Understand what authorial voice is. Preserving the writer’s tone is the mark of a great proofreader. Writers might want their script, text or essay corrected, polished and even dramatically restructured but they still want to read the end product and feel that it remains recognisably their work.
• To maintain this sense of personality, take care to preserve any idiosyncrasies of sentence structure or strong stylistic markers, such as rhythm of writing or three part lists. Check for any unusual expressions or repeated terms and make sure to include them in any sections you rewrite to maintain a sense of the writer’s individuality.
• Mimic the style of the author. If their sentences are long and complex, make sure you keep them that way, and use multi-clausal sentences for any text you add in. If they are short and snappy make sure you mimic this in your own additions.
• If they have chosen to use formal or academic language, ensure it remains consistent throughout despite any alterations you make, or if they have adopted a more informal tone, mimic this by inserting your own colloquialisms and popular expressions.

Finally, remember that the easiest way to maintain the writer’s voice when you are proofreading or copy editing is simply to read through the text thoroughly before you begin and keep the tone firmly in mind when you are writing, imagining that you are writing as the author. Always check through again at the end as this is often when proofreaders pick up on sentences that stand out or words that don’t quite fit in with the author’s sense of personality.

• Both for your own time management and (in professional proofreading) for the client to be able to budget appropriately, it is essential to make an accurate time estimate for proofreading the typescript.
• Try to keep a note of the length of time it takes you to proofread a page at different levels of editing intensity, so you can use this knowledge along with the page length of a given job to accurately predict the length of time an edit will take based on the level of proofreading you feel it will require.
• It is helpful to think of different editing criteria under broad headings, such as for example ‘structural adjustment’, ‘spelling and grammar correction’ and ‘referencing’. Some typescripts may require editing in only one area, others in multiple areas, and this is a clear and efficient way of explaining to the client how thorough a proofread will be necessary, as well as justifying your time spent and fee charged.
• Assess the standard of English of the typescript. In many cases, particularly if you are proofreading the writing of somebody for whom English is not the first language, you may notice basic linguistic problems running throughout the text, such as a lack of verbal agreements etc. It is important to note this, as it may be quicker later on in the proofreading process to carry out two edits, one correcting the linguistic errors of the piece, followed by a further more technical and structural edit.

The general standard of English is also likely to make a significant difference to the amount of time allotted for the proofreading job, as it is frequently recurring, small errors that account for the consumption of the greater part of a proofreader’s time.

• Perhaps the most important thing to remember when assessing a typescript is to make a note of any areas of the text where the writing or purpose is incomprehensible. There is nothing more frustrating for a proofreader than realising halfway through a job that they are unable to complete a certain section because it is impossible to determine the intended sense of the writing.

It is important to identify these areas in the initial analysis in order to clarify them with the client before beginning to proofread.

Frequently confused word pairs are one of the most common mistakes you will come across when correcting English grammar. From standard essays right up to undergraduate dissertations and even in a masters dissertation it is not uncommon to find a student mixing up pairs such as less and fewer, practice and practise, or irritate and aggravate. Read on for a quick and simple guide to correct grammar and choosing the right word every time.

Should I use less or fewer?

There is a very easy explanation to the English grammar behind this one: you use less when you are referring to something that isn’t measured in individual units, such as sunshine, happiness, music.

For example:

It was lovely and warm yesterday, but there seems to be less sunshine today.

You use fewer when you are talking about something in the plural, so lots of individual units, such as people, sweets, cars.

For example:

It rained yesterday, so there were fewer people out playing tennis.

Less or fewer grammar top tip:

Also use less for expressions of measurement, for example:

I live less than a mile from the town

His weight dropped to less than 7 stone

Should I use practice or practise?

Again it is quite a simple rule to remember here. Practice is used whenever the word is being used as a noun (or thing).

For example:

Have you done your piano practice today? or Has netball practicebeen cancelled?

Practise is used whenever the word is being used as a verb (or doing word).

For example:

I practise my violin every day.

American and English grammar top tip:

Don’t forget spelling rules differ and where a ‘c’ is used in English grammar, the American spelling often replaces it with an ‘s’, so you may find in American texts practise is actually used as a noun.

Should I use irritate or aggravate?

Once more the grammatical distinction here is much clearer than the myriad English grammar mistakes made by students might suggest! The verbs are not in fact interchangeable at all but have different meanings. As most students already know, to irritate has the meaning to annoy, provoke or inflame, but to aggravate actually means to worsen an already existing condition, not to create irritation initially at all.

For example:

My skin was irritated by the mosquito bite

The itchiness of my mosquito bite was aggravated by the woolen sweater

or

The arrival of the mob aggravated the already tense stand-off

Follow these simple rules to perfect English grammar and end the misuse of confusing word pairs in English writing assignments for good.