PROOFREADING AND EDITING

What is Proofreading?
• Proofreading is the process of examining the final draft of a
document or text — after it has been edited — this is to ensure that
there are absolutely no errors. A proofreader will review your
writing for spelling errors, punctuation errors, typos or incorrect
use of regional English (i.e. ensuring that you are using American
English or British English when necessary).
• A professional proofreading service will typically proofread your
work using track changes in Microsoft Word, this is to ensure
transparency so you know exactly what has been changed and can
approve the change.
• Although in the majority of cases proofreading is now done
electronically, proofreading can also be done on a printed version
(also referred to as a “hard copy”) or PDF. In such situations you
may need to familiarise yourself with the proofreaders shorthand's
and symbols they use to indicate changes.
What is Editing?
• Unlike a proofreader an editor has the freedom to remove entire
sentences or rewrite entire paragraphs. A good editor will correct
any obvious errors they come across as they edit the writing.
Essentially their main goal is to use their expertise and intuition to
ensure that the document makes sense, flows well and to cut down
on wordiness, and clarify any ambiguity in writing.
• Editing, on the other hand, corrects issues at the core of writing like
sentence construction and language clarity. A thorough editing will
help improve the readability, clarity, and tone of the text. An editor
will scrutinize and polish writing for a smooth narration.
 Difference between Proofreading and Editing
Proofreading Editing

• Performed on the final draft of the • Performed on the first draft of the document
document and continues till the draft is finalized.
• Addresses surface-level issues • Addresses the core features of writing
• Universally accepted, consistent definition • Definition varies according to the scope of
• Eliminates misspellings, grammatical and editing. Edit age, for example, offers three
punctuation errors, inconsistencies, different editing services.
formatting errors, etc. • Enhances the language by making changes
• Does not include word count reduction for clarity, readability, and smooth
narration.
• Makes already good writing error-free
• Includes word reduction, if required
• Does not require much collaboration with
• Overall quality of writing is improved
the author
• Collaborative as it requires the editor to
• Shorter turnaround time
work with the author
• Slightly longer turnaround time (as the
 What involves in Editing?
What basic steps should be included in editing a document.
• 1. 1. READ FOR STRUCTURE.
• Ask yourself key questions such as:
• Does your paper support and contribute to your thesis in your introduction?
• Does the order of your sentences flow smoothly within a paragraph?
• Does the tone of each sentence match the rest of the paper?
• Do your paragraphs flow smoothly and logically with transitions?
• Are your sentences clear and uncluttered?
• Is the tone and style consistent throughout each sentence
• Reading through your paper, whether silently or aloud, with a
broader view will help you pick out areas that don't flow together
well.
 2. READ FOR GRAMMAR AND PUNCTUATION.
• Next, look into the details of your paper. This is the part of the editing process you may
think of most often—looking at grammar, punctuation, word choice and other nitty-gritty
details.
• In reading through your paper with your focus on the details, ask questions such as:
• Is everything spelled correctly?
• Are all punctuation marks used accurately?
• Are all your citations formatted correctly?
• Does the vocabulary you use appropriate for the topic?
• Do each of the sentences maintain the appropriate verb tense?
• Do you use too many clichés that cloud your argument?
• Do all sentences maintain parallel structure?
• As you write more papers and continue to revisit the editing process, you'll be able to
identify the errors that you tend to make most often. You'll get a better sense of your tone
 READ ALOUD ONCE MORE.
• If you haven't read your paper aloud yet, do it. Yes, it might feel silly at first, but
reading your paper out loud lets you hear and notice things that you didn't catch in
your first few read thoughts. Whether you read it aloud yourself or have someone
read it to you, hearing your content gives you a new way of reviewing.
• According to a resource provided by the Writing Center at the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill, reading your work aloud has several benefits:
• When you read your draft out loud or listen to someone else read it, your brain gets
the information in a new way, and you may notice things that you didn't see before...
Sometimes sentences aren't grammatically incorrect, but they are still awkward in
some way—too long, too convoluted, too repetitive. Problems like these are often
easily heard.
• So find a quiet room, grab a glass of water and use your ears in this stage of the
editing process.
REVIEW AND RELEASE.

• After you've reviewed the changes suggested by your friend, read

through it one last time. Double check your citations. Be confident
in your word choices and paragraph breaks.
• Once you're done reviewing and making the edits you need to, be
done. Especially if you tend to be a perfectionist in your work, get
to that point with your paper when you've written, reviewed and
edited at your best.
• Sure, you could continue to obsess over that one phrase on the
second page in the third paragraph. Or, you could be confident
that you've worked hard on your assignment and tried your best.
EDIT FOT STRUCTURE ORGANIZATION
• Basically, all the writing pattern will follow the same structure
which is
• 1. Introduction
• 2. Body
• 3. Conclusion
• Introduction: The first paragraph of your essay. It is the first
impression your readers recieve, and explain the main point of your
paper. Your introduction contains your thesis statement.
• Body: The paragraphs in between your introduction and conclusion.
The body of your paper supports the main point of your paper.
• Topic Sentence: The sentence at the beginning of each body paragraph. It

explains the main point that paragraph is going to make.

• Conclusion: The last paragraph of your paper. It closes the paper
and leaves the reader satisfied with what they just read. Summarizes
your paper in an effective way.
EDIT FOR STYLE- TONE
• There are literally dozens of English editing style guides to follow.
Which should you use? And when?
• Here’s a list of the top editing style guides and when it’s best to
use them:
• Chicago Style*
• The Chicago Manual of Style—CMoS, or CMS, for short—is the
standard in book publishing. It is also commonly used for history
and the arts. One of the first American English style guides, it was
originally published in 1906 by the University of Chicago Press
and has since released updated editions every seven to ten
years. CMoS is a comprehensive reference guide for grammar,
citation, preparation, and everything in between. It’s often called
“the editor’s Bible.”
• APA Style
• The Publication Manual of the American Psychological
Association—or APA for short—was first developed by the
American Psychological Association in 1929. Originally
established to ensure consistency among papers in the psychology
field, it quickly expanded and now is commonly used in social and
behavioral sciences. APA focuses on simplifying the style, from
tables to citations to abbreviations to the structure of writing.
• AP Style
• Not to be confused with APA, The Associated Press Stylebook and
Briefing on Media Law (a.k.a. the AP Stylebook, or AP) is
published by the Associated Press. This style is used in journalism,
but is also widespread in marketing, PR, broadcasting, and
corporate communications. It was first published in 1953,
although the style has been around for about a century. AP is
notable for its sparse style, including dropping the Oxford comma
and using figures for all numbers above nine. The purpose behind
the brevity of style is to save space in print and on the web.
• MLA Style
• The MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing is an
academic style guide most commonly used for in the liberal arts
and humanities in academia, particularly in English studies and
literature. The Modern Language Association of America has
published this manual since 1985. MLA style is geared toward
collegiate and graduate students as well as professionals. The
Modern Language Association also publishes a companion style
guide, the MLA Handbook, which is used primarily by secondary
and postsecondary students.
• This general format is the root of the six common writing
structures that can be used for both formal and informal written
communication.
1. Categorical: In a categorical structure, a series of equally
important topics are addressed. A political speech, like a campaign
speech or even The State of the Union Address, is a good example
of categorical writing. You might use a similar structure in a cover
letter for a job application, in which you describe all of your traits
that would make you an ideal candidate for the position.
• Evaluative: In an evaluative structure, a problem is introduced, and then pros
and cons are weighed. You might employ an evaluative structure when writing
an e-mail to ask a close friend for advice.

Chronological: When your focus is more the actual telling of the story than
the end result, employ a chronological structure. Think of joke telling. "Three
guys walk into a bar…" sets up a sequence of events to deliver that final punch
line. Similarly, most short stories and novels are written chronologically.

Comparative: This structure is similar to evaluative, but it is used when there

are more layers to the situation at hand that is being weighed. You might use a
comparative structure if you were writing a speech for a debate team to explain
the various reasons why you feel your point is stronger than your opponent’s. Or
you might use a comparative structure to write a letter to the editor explaining
all the reasons you disagree with the city council’s decision to raise local taxes.
• Sequential: This structure is similar to Chronological, but is normally employed with
a how-to voice when a step-by-step process is being described. If you were going to
write about how to make your famous chocolate layer cake, or how to get to a great bed-
and-breakfast you discovered out in the country, you would write sequentially, using
words like, "First," "Next," "Then," and "Finally" to clarify your instructions.

Causal: This structure might at first glance seem similar to Comparative structures,
but it differs in that it does not involve weighing options against one another. Instead, it
discusses the causes and then the effects regarding a particular topic or issue in that
order. You might use this structure if you were writing an article on how something has
come about, such as the contributing factors to air pollution. Or you might employ this
technique in a letter explaining why you have decided to resign from your job.
9 TYPES OF TONES IN WRITING
• What is tone when it comes to writing?
• It’s a simple question, but the answer can be rather complicated. In basic
terms, tone usually refers to how a writer uses certain words in a specific
way to convey non-verbal observations about specific subjects. Not only
does tone help to deliver facts, but it delivers them with an attitude.
Emotion and with a personal perspective.
• Tone is sometimes used interchangeably with the voice of the author. They
are very different. A writer’s voice is a perspective of their personality. The
tone of a writer conveys their attitude about what is being writing about. If
tone is combined with voice, then this will create a specific writing style
that can be attributed to that writer.
• There Are 9 Basic Types of Tone in Writing
• Any emotion, any attitude, and any perspective can lay the
foundation for a specific tone in writing. If you can come up with
an adjective, then that can be a tone. This means if you look at
tone with specificity, there is an infinite number that can be used.
• That makes it a little difficult to begin developing your personal
tone as a writing skill, so those infinite tones have been
categorized into 9 different types. Let’s take a look at them in
some detail.
• 1. Joyful: This tone in writing focuses on the positive emotions that are
experienced in the moment of an action. If you eat something you like, then
you feel joy. Writers use this tone to create relationship-building experiences
between their readers and their characters.
• 2. Serious: This tone in writing creates a level of suspense within the reader.
It increases their focus because the concepts being offered are important.
• 3. Humorous: Being funny does more than make people laugh. It also
makes them begin to think about difficult concepts in a way that feels safe.
This tone in writing is often intended to draw the reader into a story or
narrative so they can engage with certain facts or opinions the author feels
are important to share.
• Sad: Sadness is a very real part of the human condition. In many ways, our saddest
days define who we are as people. When incorporated as a tone in writing, the reader
become sympathetic with the characters or the author and this empathy will keep
them engaged with the narrative.
• 5. Formal: This tone in writing is often seen from an academic standpoint. It
requires structured language, higher reading skills, and presents more facts that can
be proven than the opinions of the writer.
• 6. Informal: The goal of this content is to have an informal tone. It’s conversational,
but still conveys a certain sense of expertise within the subject material.
• 7. Optimistic: There’s a lot of bad stuff going on in the world today. Yet there is also
a belief that the world can and will be a better place one day if we’re willing to work
for it. This would be an example of an optimistic tone.
• 8. Pessimistic: When there’s a lot of bad stuff going on in the
world, it can feel like that bad stuff will only get worse. That kind
of tone would be an example of being pessimistic. Pessimism is
not realism. Being pessimistic means having a belief that
something will never get better, even if the facts may seem to
indicate otherwise.
• 9. Horror: This tone of voice is threatening in nature. It speaks
to the core fears that people have and forces them to confront
those fears.
• Here is a listing of some of the more common surface errors, broken down by category.
Either select the link you would like to view or scroll down to the appropriate topic.
• Spelling
• Punctuation
▫ Commas
▫ Apostrophes
▫ Periods
• Verbs
• Subject-verb agreement
• Pronouns
• Other grammatical errors
▫ Sentence fragments
▫ Misplaced or dangling modifiers
Spelling

• Spelling errors are among the most common surface errors as well
as the most easily corrected. To correct spelling errors, use a spell-
checker, regardless of your spelling skills, along with a dictionary
to help you find the right alternative for a misspelled word.
Remember that the spell-checker won't help with homonyms,
words that sound alike but have different spellings and meanings.
• Some words that can cause trouble are listed below.
• their (possessive form of they)
• there (in that place)
• they're (contraction of they are)

• accept (a verb, meaning to receive or to admit to a group)

• except (usually a preposition, meaning but or only)

• who's (contraction of who is or who has)

• whose (possessive form of who)

• its (possessive form of it)

• it's (contraction of it is or it has)

• your (possessive form of you)

• you're (contraction of you are)
• your (possessive form of you)
• you're (contraction of you are)

• affect (usually a verb, meaning to influence)

• effect (usually a noun, meaning result)

• than (used in comparison)

• then (refers to a time in the past)

• were (form of the verb to be)

• we're (contraction of we are)
• where (related to location or place)
Punctuation

• Commas

• 1. USE A COMMA TO SEPARATE INDEPENDENT CLAUSES. Rule: Use a comma before a

coordinating conjunction (and, but, yet, so, or nor, for) when it joins two complete ideas (independent
clauses).
• 1. He walked down the street, and then he turned the corner.
• 2. You can go shopping with me, or you can go to a movie alone.
• 2. USE A COMMA AFTER AN INTRODUCTORY CLAUSE OR PHRASE. Rule: Use a comma
after an introductory clause or phrase. A comma tells readers that the introductory clause or phrase has
come to a close and that the main part of the sentence is about to begin.
• 1. When Evan was ready to iron, his cat tripped on the cord.
• 2. Near a small stream at the bottom of the canyon, park rangers discovered a gold mine.
• 3. USE A COMMA BETWEEN ALL ITEMS IN A SERIES.
• Rule: Use a comma to separate each item in a series; a series is a
group of three or more items having the same function and form in a
sentence.
• 1. We bought apples, peaches, and bananas today. (series of words)
• 2. Mary promised that she would be a good girl, that she would not
bite her brother, and that she would not climb onto the television.
(series of clauses)
• 3. The instructor looked through his briefcase, through his desk, and
around the office for the lost grade book. (series of phrases)
• USE A COMMA TO INDICATE DIRECT ADDRESS.
• Rule: When a speaker in a sentence names the person to whom he
is speaking, this addressing of his audience is called direct
address. Direct address is indicated by the use of a comma or
commas, depending upon its placement within the sentence.
• 1. I think, John, you’re wrong.
• 2. John, I think you’re wrong.
• 3. I think you’re wrong, John.
• USE COMMA AS TO SET OFF DIRECT QUOTATIONS.

• Rule: A dialogue is a conversation between two or more people. If

the speaker (not the listener) in the conversation is identified, his
name, (or the noun or pronoun used to refer to the speaker), and the
verb that refers to his speaking are enclosed within commas.
• 1. Mary said, “I dislike concerts because the music is too loud.”
• 2. “I dislike concerts because the music is too loud,” she said.
• 3. “I dislike concerts,” proclaimed Mary, “because the music is too
loud.”
• Apostrophes
• The apostrophe has two functions: it marks possession, and it is used in
contractions to indicate the place where the letters have been omitted.
• Possession
In singular, possession is marked by ’s, written immediately after the
possessor.
• (1) John’s car
(2) the boy’s toy
• Important: there is no apostrophe before the possessive –s with pronouns.
• (1) its, hers, yours, ours
• If the possessor is expressed by more than one word, ’s comes
after the last word.
• (3) my late brother’s wife
(4) Mr. Johnson's house
(5) Charlie and Lola’s new room. (the room belongs to both
Charlie and Lola)
• Use ’s with singular possessors that end in –s or –z.
• (6) Charles’s books
(7) Sanchez’s horse
• Plural possessors that end in –s take only the apostrophe. Plural
possessors that end in some other letter take ’s.
• (8) the boys’ toy
(9) the Sanchezes’ horse
(10) the children’s bikes
• Importantly, it is the written letter that determines whether to place just
an apostrophe or ’s after a plural. There are a few English nouns that end
in the sound /s/ or /z/ but are written with a final –e: mice (mouse) dice
(die), geese (goose). Such plural nouns take ‘s is the possessive form.
• (11) the geese’s feathers
(12) mice’s teeth
• In other words, the possessive –s is required after a singular word
ending in -s but not after a plural word ending in –s.
• Singular Plural
Ending in –s, -z ‘s ‘
Not ending in –s, -z ‘s ‘s
•
• Contraction
The apostrophe is used with contractions and is placed at the spot of the omitted
letter(s). Words that often are written in contracted form are: be, have (-’ve), has
(-’s), had (-’d), will (-’ll), would (-’d), and the negative particle not (n’t). For a full list
of the standard contractions, follow this link. Some common contractions are shown
below.
• (13) I am = I’m
(14) you are = you’re
(15) he is = he’s
(16) she is = she’s
(17) it is = it’s
(18) we are = we’re
(19) they are = they’re
• (20) do not = don’t
(21) does not = doesn’t
(22) cannot = can’t (cannot is written as one word)
(23) should not = shouldn’t
(24) could not = couldn’t
(25) shall not = shan’t
(26) will not = won’t

(27) I have = I’ve

(28) I had, I would, and I should = I’d
(29) I will and I shall = I’ll
• Avoid the apostrophe to mark possession with pronouns
A very common mistake is to place an apostrophe in the
possessive form of pronouns like its, yours, hers, ours, theirs.
Although this makes perfect sense, it is considered wrong.

() The book is old; its pages have turned yellow. [correct]

() The book is old; it’s pages have turned yellow. [incorrect, it’s is
a contraction of it is]
• Periods
• 1. Use a full stop at the end of a statement or command.
• Example
• The government has promised to reduce inflation
• Pick up the lug wrench.
• 2. Use a full stop after some abbreviations.
• Co.
• Dep.
• P.a
• Gen.
Verbs

• Active and Passive Verbs

• 1. Verbs can be in either active or passive voice. In active voice, the
subject of the sentence performs the action of the verb; in passive
voice, the subject receives the action of the verb. Readers typically
find active voice sentences more vigorous and clearer; for these
reasons, writers usually prefer active voice.
• Passive: The ball was kicked by the boy.
Active: The boy kicked the ball.
• Passive: A decision was reached by the committee.
Active: The committee reached a decision.
• Passive: Many arguments are offered against abortion.
Active: Religious leaders offer many arguments against abortion.
• Notice that in the passive voice examples, the doer of the action is
either at the end of the sentence in a prepositional phrase or, in
the third example, is missing entirely from the sentence. In each
active voice example, however, the doer of the action is in the
subject position at the beginning of the sentence.
• 2. On some occasions, however, you might have a good reason for
choosing a passive construction; for example, you might choose
the passive if you want to emphasize the receiver of the action or
minimize the importance of the actor.
• Appropriate passive: The medical records were destroyed in the
fire.
Appropriate passive: The experiment was performed successfully.
• Passive voice verbs always include a form of the verb to be, such
as am, are, was, is being, and so on. To check for active versus
passive voice, look for sentences that contain a form of this verb,
and see whether in these sentences the subject of the sentence
performs the action of the verb.
Shifting Verb Tense
• 1. If you shift verb tense (for example, from past to present tense)
in a sentence or passage without a good reason, you may confuse
your reader.
• Wrong: After he joined the union, Sam appears at a rally
and makes a speech.
Right: After he joined the union, Sam appeared at a rally
and made a speech.
Subject-Verb Agreement

• 1. Make sure that the subject and verb of each clause or sentence agree—
that is, that a singular subject has a singular verb, and a plural subject a
plural verb. When other words come between subject and verb, you may
mistake the noun nearest to the verb—before or after—for the verb's real
subject.
• Wrong: A central part of my life goals have been to go to law school.
Right: A central part of my life goals has been to go to law school.
• Wrong: The profits earned by the cosmetic industry is not high enough.
Right: The profits earned by the cosmetic industry are not high enough.
• . Be particularly careful that your subject and verb agree when
your subject is made up of two or more parts joined by and or or;
when your subject is a word like committee or jury, which can
take either a singular or a plural verb depending on whether it is
treated as a unit or as a group of individuals; or when your subject
is a word like mathematics or measles, which looks plural but is
singular in meaning.
• Wrong: My brother and his friend commutes every day from Louisville.
Right: My brother and his friend commute every day from Louisville.
• Wrong: The committee was taking all the responsibility themselves.
Right: The committee were taking all the responsibility themselves.
(Note that the use of the word themselves shows that committee is being
treated as a group of individuals, not as a unit.)
• Wrong: Measles have become less common in the United States.
Right: Measles has become less common in the United States.
Pronouns

• A pronoun
(like I, it, you, him, her, this, themselves, someone, who, which) is used to
replace another word—its antecedent—so the antecedent does not have to
be repeated. heck each pronoun to make sure that it agrees with
its antecedent in gender and number.
• Wrong: Every one of the puppies thrived in their new home.
Right: Every one of the puppies thrived in its new home.
• Wrong: Neither Jane nor Susan felt that they had been treated fairly.
Right: Neither Jane nor Susan felt that she had been treated fairly.
• Wrong: The team frequently changed its positions to get varied experience.
Right: The team frequently changed their positions to get varied
experience.
• To proofread for agreement of pronouns and antecedents, circle
each pronoun, identify its antecedent, and make sure that they
agree in gender and number.
• 2. As noted above, most indefinite pronouns
(like each, either, neither, or one) are singular; therefore, they
take singular verbs. A relative pronoun, like who, which, or that,
takes a verb that agrees with the pronoun's antecedent.
• Wrong: Each of the items in these designs coordinate with the
others.
Right: Each of the items in these designs coordinates with the
others.
Other Grammatical Errors

• A: Sentence Fragments

• 1. The sentence fragment is an incomplete sentence punctuated as a sentence. To

make it a complete sentence, join it to the main clause or rewrite it.
• Wrong: She is a good friend. A person whom I trust and admire.
Right: She is a good friend, a person whom I trust and admire.
• Wrong: In the workshop, we learned the value of discipline. Also how to take
good notes.
Right: In the workshop, we learned the value of discipline. We also learned how
to take good notes.
• Wrong: The old aluminum boat sitting on its trailer.
Right: The old aluminum boat was sitting on its trailer.
• To proofread for sentence fragments, check all sentences for a
subject, a verb, and at least one clause that does not begin with a
subordinating word like as, although, if, when, that, since,
or who.
Misplaced or Dangling Modifiers

• 1. Misplaced or dangling modifiers are words, phrases, or clauses not

clearly connected to the word they modify. Move a misplaced modifier
closer to the word it describes, or revise a sentence to give a dangling
modifier a word to modify.
• Wrong: They could see the eagles swooping and diving with binoculars.
Right: With binoculars, they could see the eagles swooping and diving.
• Wrong: Nixon told reporters that he planned to get out of politics after
he lost the 1962 gubernatorial race.
Right: After he lost the 1962 gubernatorial race, Nixon told reporters
that he planned to get out of politics.
• Wrong: As a young boy, his grandmother told stories of her years
as a country schoolteacher.
Right: As a young boy, he heard his grandmother tell stories of her
years as a country schoolteacher.
• To proofread for misplaced or dangling modifiers, circle all
modifiers and draw a line to the word they describe; be sure they
can't mistakenly modify some other word.