How You Can Proofread Your Own Work

Putting out a high quality product is a given these days. With all the competition out there, you have to look great in every aspect. So proofreading all copy is extremely important and here are some tips to help you to proofread your own work after you've finished editing it:

Read through your copy the next day -- many times your eye tends to 'deceive' you by reading what's supposed to be there rather than what may actually be there! Reading it a day or two later helps you to look at your copy with a fresh perspective!

Use 'spell check' which is available on most programs. Although they're not perfect, they will help you to find many errors. A red squiggly underline means the word may be misspelled, a green squiggly underline may mean a grammatical or punctuation error.

Print it out. Reading it in print can many times help you catch things you didn't catch on the screen.

If at all possible, have someone else read it. They can catch sentences that may be too long, be unclear, etc. You know the point you're trying to make in your copy, but if others don't understand it, rewrite it so it's more clear to everyone.

Be very careful how you use words such as 'then' versus 'than'. These words are used incorrectly quite often but mean different things.

Then is primarily used to signify time, e.g. "We went to the grocery, then we went to the bank." Than is primarily used as a comparison, e.g., "I would rather go hiking than take a nap."

There are a lot of questions about the hyphen (-) versus dash (--) and here's the basic rule:

A hyphen is used when you are putting two words together or adding a prefix to a word. Here are a few examples: twenty-four, re-signed or long-time.

A dash is used when you're interjecting into a sentence (such as, "I love taking the dog for a walk -- especially on warm days -- because it is great exercise for us both.").

In many programs a dash will look like a long hyphen instead of two hyphens next to each other. Dashes are also many times used in place of parentheses in more informal writing.

Punctuation inside or outside the quotes? Here's the basic rule for this one: if you're using a comma or a period, they go inside the closing quotation mark. Colons and semicolons go outside the closing quotation marks.

Question marks and exclamation marks are different and depend on how they are being used (just to complicate things more!). If you are directly quoting someone and a question mark or quotation mark is needed because what you're quoting is a question or exclamation, it would go inside the quote.

Here's an example for this one: He asked, "Are you going to the party?" "You bet!" she exclaimed.

If what you're directly quoting isn't a question or exclamation, the quotes go inside the exclamation or question mark.

An example of this is, Did David say, "You must have fallen out of bed"? or Linda actually said "You must be right"! Learning these rules may take a little time but if you print out this article and post it near your computer, you can refer to it any time you get confused. Remember, you don't have to worry about it while you're writing and editing your copy (that's when you just let the creativity flow), worry about it after all revisions have been made and it's time to proofread.

You can also find Grammar books at your local bookstore or library. Glance through them to find one you like.

If you feel you don't have time to proofread, don't want the hassle of trying to learn the rules, or just don't want to worry about it, you always have the option of hiring a professional proofreader. Professional proofreaders (as well as copy-editors) can be found via a search on the internet or by asking other writers who they use (if they have good, clean copy). When you're searching for a proofreader, make sure they are skilled in the type of writing you do (business writing versus sales, informal or conversational writing) and that they have no errors on their copy -- if they aren't extremely careful with their own work, do you think they would be with yours?)

The money you spend on a professional proofreader, besides easily being made up with the increased sales you should expect by having a more professional product, is easily worth the time, effort and frustration you will save yourself. So take it easy, let the creativity flow, send the work off to a professional for editing and/or proofreading, then sit back and relax while your copy is being groomed to perfection!

(c) 2005 Nita Helping Hand?, all rights reserved.

You are free to use this material in whole or in part as long as you include the following:

About the author: Nita is a professional proofreader, copy-editor and the President of Nita Helping Hand? Please visit Nita's website for additional information about proofreading, copy-editing and other administrative needs available at NitaHelpingHand.com or contact her at info@NitaHelpingHand.com. Nita is your 'Partner In Perception'.

---

How To Make A Career Out Of Copyediting And Proofreading

Do you possess the qualities of a good proof reader?... Read More

Writing Suitable Copy for the Press

Summer is finally here and school is out, but learning... Read More

How to Hold Peoples Interest throughout those Long Copy Sales Letters

People tend to read your ads and sales letters in... Read More

So Youve Decided to Hire a Freelance Copywriter - A Guide to the Collaboration Process

Whether you're an executive or a small business owner, chances... Read More

How You Can Become A Freelance Business Plan Writer

As with any business, becoming a freelance business plan writer... Read More

Progressive Headlines Guide Customers To Buy

Headlines are, without a doubt, one of the most important... Read More

Writing Great Website Sales Copy

Many small businesses fail because their owners don't pay enough... Read More

A Little-Known Secret To Writing Sales Copy, For Serious Copywriters Only!

Have you ever wondered how your copy sounds to your... Read More

Buy My Book for $27 and Ill Give You Bonuses Worth a Gazillion Dollars!

Subhead..How to bundle for valuable results without devaluing your productI... Read More

The Number One Copywriting Technique That Makes Your Prospects Read Every Word You Write

How does this sound?Today, I'm going to show you how... Read More

Hook Your Direct Mail Sales Letter Readers With Good Transition Sentences

Anglers in Maine catch trout using dry flies with barbless... Read More

Increase Freelance Sales With an Online Resume!

Freelancing is a competitive business, especially in today's fast-paced, e-focused... Read More

Can 97% of Netpreneurs be Wrong?

Why Some People's Ads Almost Always Make MoneyDiscover the Master... Read More

How To Become A Freelance Copywriter In New York

As a freelance copywriter in New York, your work is... Read More

The Biggest Mistake Copywriters Make

Most of the sales pieces people ask me to rewrite... Read More

11 Ways to Get an Editors Attention

I worked as a business magazine editor for about 20... Read More

On Copying and Stealing Designs

The notion on the great artist, Pablo Picasso's quote, "Bad... Read More

Deciding What Voice to Use in Copy

You have to choose a character or an angle that... Read More

How to Get Instant Attention

Most of us have seen a heckler at a baseball... Read More

Copywriting Makeover: Search Engine-Friendly Can Also Mean Visitor-Friendly

When it comes to search engine optimization, copywriting plays a... Read More

12 Copywriting Tips to Make Your Advertising More Profitable

Year after year people make the same mistakes in direct-response... Read More

Making a Living as a Copywriter; Freelancing Versus Agency

So You Want To be A Copywriter?Wannabe copywriters often check... Read More

Knowing Copywriting Basics - How To Get Ahead In Your Copy Writing Business

In order to get ahead in your copy writing business,... Read More

How Writing Radio Can Help You Become a Better Writer

Knowing how to write, and write well, is a skill... Read More

Bullshit Avoid the use of the word Bullshit

It is important in this new paradigm of political correctness... Read More

How To Ethically Use A Swipe File For Your Ad Copy

Did you ever wish you could afford to hire one... Read More

The Lead: Sinking The Hook Into Your Prospect

You only have an instant to capture your prospect's attention.... Read More

Advice From Successful Freelancers: Starting & Maintaining A Freelancer Career

For the e-book, Advice from Successful Freelancers: How They Built... Read More

Health and Fitness: A Huge Industry in Need of Writers

Think about how much you read about and spend on... Read More

Freelance Technical Writers - How Much Are You Worth?

Where can you find out about freelance technical writing pay?... Read More

3 Copywriting Tips - How To Edit For Mass Appeal!

Web copy that's intended to sell or generate leads needs... Read More

More Insider Secrets to Great Copywriting - Judging Your Target Market

This week we're going to reinforce the training that Recruits... Read More

Write Benefits in Your Headlines to Deliver the Dream!

When you create headlines, do you put benefits into your... Read More