Download Tips for effective proofreading

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 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'.
* Pay special attention to homophones - words that sound the same but are spelt
differently and have different meanings. For instance:
there and their
two and too
* 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 looks wrong.
* Know the most common spelling rules in English.
* Look at the meaning of a piece of text to make sure it makes sense as well as
checking the spellings of individual words.
* Are aware of possible and probable letter combinations. For example every word in
English must contain a vowel sound.
* Don't rely on the computer spell checker to find every mistake.