Post by ZandraJoi on Mar 8, 2021 10:05:49 GMT -5
"Every year on March 8th, National Proofreading Day highlights the importance of proofreading our written work. The day also allows those who enjoy proofreading to gently correct others. However, if invited to proofread another’s work, constructive criticism is usually welcome!
The day promotes mistake-free writing. Carefully review all your letters and documents to make a positive and professional impression. When proofreading, it sometimes helps to have a few tips handy to catch mistakes that are often overlooked. Use several of them and mix them up from time to time for the most effective proofreading.
Walk away – Proofread after an article, important email, or chapter has time to set, and you’re reading it with fresh eyes.
Do not disturb – Remove all distractions, including phones, other deadlines, traffic, noise, and interruptions.
Learn your habits – Keep a list of your routine errors and look for those first.
Turn off the autocorrect – When used strictly as a tool, autocorrect may be helpful. Over time we become reliant upon it. In texts and emails, it can overcorrect our messages, creating havoc. When we’re uncertain of the spelling or a word, so many more reliable and efficient tools are available.
Read it aloud – We catch different errors when we read aloud than when we read by sight alone.
Read it backward – A fresh perspective allows us to find new errors. Start with the last sentence and work your way to the beginning.
Fresh eyes – When the second set of eyes reads something completely new, it’s amazing what they find!
Print it – And use a different font. Once again, our eyes see the document differently when it is printed on paper, and we find errors we didn’t see the first few times."
My notes: I tend to do these tips myself.
The day promotes mistake-free writing. Carefully review all your letters and documents to make a positive and professional impression. When proofreading, it sometimes helps to have a few tips handy to catch mistakes that are often overlooked. Use several of them and mix them up from time to time for the most effective proofreading.
Walk away – Proofread after an article, important email, or chapter has time to set, and you’re reading it with fresh eyes.
Do not disturb – Remove all distractions, including phones, other deadlines, traffic, noise, and interruptions.
Learn your habits – Keep a list of your routine errors and look for those first.
Turn off the autocorrect – When used strictly as a tool, autocorrect may be helpful. Over time we become reliant upon it. In texts and emails, it can overcorrect our messages, creating havoc. When we’re uncertain of the spelling or a word, so many more reliable and efficient tools are available.
Read it aloud – We catch different errors when we read aloud than when we read by sight alone.
Read it backward – A fresh perspective allows us to find new errors. Start with the last sentence and work your way to the beginning.
Fresh eyes – When the second set of eyes reads something completely new, it’s amazing what they find!
Print it – And use a different font. Once again, our eyes see the document differently when it is printed on paper, and we find errors we didn’t see the first few times."
My notes: I tend to do these tips myself.