Maybe no one’s proofreading is 100 percent bulletproof.
Every writer needs an editor, largely because our eyes seem to take liberties with
our own writing. Sometimes we just seem to see what we think we have written,
missing typos and other goofs. Still, we can refine our own proofing skills and
catch plenty of errors before they go to print or go live online.
NOTE: Written by this author, this copyrighted material originally appeared on another publisher’s site. That site no longer exists. This author holds all rights to this content. No republication is allowed without permission.
Try these six tips for perking up your own proofreading
skills.
1. Read your writing
out loud.
Reading silently, we may zip too quickly over entire lines,
missing errors. If we read aloud, we are forced to slow down and pay better
attention. We may catch run-on sentences, fragments, misplaced words, and other
mistakes this way.
2. Zoom in for
proofing.
When we write a piece on our computers, we can increase our
chances of locating any mistakes by increasing the size of what we have
written. Using the ZOOM IN feature (usually found under the VIEW pull-down
menu), we can change our whole editing perspective.
3. Go multi-media for
proofreading.
Read and re-read your own work on the screen and on paper. Most
of us compose on our computers. We can do a significant amount of editing right
on the screen. However, printing items out allows us the opportunity to view a
written piece in a different medium. We may look at it a bit differently, and
we often will spot typographical errors or other issues.
4. Don’t trust
spell-checkers.
Not only are they far from infallible, but computer spell-checkers
will not catch homonyms. Remember elementary school? Homonyms are words that sound
the same, but are spelled differently. (Examples: nun and none, lone and loan,
yore and your and you’re, and so on.)
This is a heightened concern for those who dictate copy
audibly for auto-transcription. Like your smart phone texting feature, computer
transcription programs frequently misunderstand spoken words.
Also, if you type the wrong word, but it is still a real
word, your spell-checker will miss it.
5. Everyone needs
another pair of eyes.
I’ve been an editor and proofreader for decades. I’ve made
my living at it. Still, I rely on others to proofread my writing. You see, the
human brain takes shortcuts. When we write, we tend to see what we meant to
write, instead of what actually appears on the screen or page. Plus, if we have worked with the material enough, we will
subconsciously skim. Thus, we may miss our misspellings and typos.
The most skilled proofreaders practice their craft
frequently, which keeps their alertness to errors sharp. It’s an ability that
can certainly be learned, but must be exercised often.
Image/s:
Adapted by this user
from public domain image
