Error-free writing — free of grammar and spelling errors, not errors of opinion — is almost never the result of the first draft or even second draft.
After you’ve written, and rewritten, but before you publish, you need to proofread. Fail to do this well, and you might have a wonderful piece of writing (or a résumé or cover letter or some other critical document) marred by a silly error. I can just about guarantee that the errors you miss in proofreading will stand out like blinking neon signs once it’s too late to fix them.
So, to help you avoid that, here are nine proof reading hacks — tips and techniques designed to help you find mistakes in your writing before someone else does.
1. Ask for help. Even if you’re a good writer, and good at grammar and spelling, even if you’re the one others go to for help editing, it still doesn’t hurt to ask someone else to review your writing. It’s always easier to proof someone else’s work than your own, so don’t place too much confidence in your own proofreading abilities.
2. Wait. If at all possible, let that résumé, blog post or critical proposal sit for 24 hours — or longer — before going back to review it a final time. Going back after you’ve had a break will allow you to approach the document with fresh eyes. You should routinely plan your deadlines, and meet those deadlines, to give yourself this extra time. And even if you can’t give yourself a whole day between final draft and final proofreading, give yourself some time. A few hours, a lunch break, a 10-minute walk around the office to clear your head; any break will improve your chances of finding mistakes.
3. Use the spell checker and grammar checker that comes built into your word processor (Microsoft Word for most of us). Yes, Word’s grammar checker makes mistakes frequently. But even if it produces falsely flags grammatical errors most of the time (which is what I find), that still means that it’s identifying legitimate errors at least occasionally. You can’t use your spell-checker on autopilot, just hitting the ‘replace’ command with whatever the program recommends every time. But the spell-checker will still help you find mistakes. Think of these two functions as an extra pair of eyes on your copy, and use them.
4. Read copy backwards. This doesn’t work very well for lengthy prose, but for short bits of copy — headlines, captions, etc. — reading backwards can help you focus on the words in a new way. You may find that misspellings, grammatical mistakes and other problems suddenly jump out of the screen (or off the page) at you.
5. Highlight every number, date and proper noun and double-check each one against your notes and reference materials. When I was a reporter this was a trick that I, and lots of other newspaper folks, used to eliminate dumb errors. The mind can play tricks on you when you think you remember that someone spelled her name Katherine but it’s really Catherine. Check again, just to be sure.
6. Double-check everything with an apostrophe. Apostrophes, used in possessives and in various contractions, cause writers all sorts problems. “It’s” vs. “its,” “who’s” vs. “whose,” and so forth. And even when you know the right one from the wrong, it’s still easy to make mistakes when you’re hammering away at your keyboard, cranking out something against a deadline. So just go back and check them all.
7. Read it out loud. Problems with missing words, run-on sentences and awkward phrases that you can miss when scanning copy with your eyes suddenly become obvious when you read it aloud. Don’t read too fast, or this won’t work as well, but choose a normal, relaxed, conversational pace. If you work in an office environment where you don’t have much privacy, you can do this quietly and it still works.
8. Proof it on paper instead of on screen. Having edited probably a couple million words that eventually made it into print, I can tell you that nearly everyone is better proofing on paper than on a computer screen. I don’t know if this has something to do with the glare from a computer screen, resolution or some subtle psychological reason, but you’ll catch more mistakes if you print it out and proof with a red pen (or whatever color you prefer) in your hand.
9. Finally, know your trouble spots. Chances are there are certain areas where you tend to make mistakes. Maybe you have trouble spelling certain words, or you always have to look up the rule about using “which” instead of “that,” or you never quite understood the subjunctive. You know what your weaknesses are, so pay close attention to those and be prepared to compensate for them by asking for help, keeping a dictionary and grammar manual close at hand, and making sure you have the extra time available to check. Everybody’s trouble spots are different, but everybody has them. Know what yours are and be sure to compensate.
Have some other proofreading hacks you want to share? Please leave them in the comments.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Ask for help is the TRuTH. I’ve never written anything that was perfect out of the chute (if ever!).
While we’re at it, I recommend you change from
“It’s” vs. “its”, “who’s” vs. “whose,” and so forth.
to
“It’s” vs. “its,” “who’s” vs. “whose,” and so forth.
Ah, those pesky commas. Just proves the point about asking for help, though, doesn’t it. Mistake is now fixed — thanks for the sharp eye.