2011 E-Book Why Writers Need Proofreaders

8/22/2019 2011 E-Book Why Writers Need Proofreaders

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Why WritersNeed

ProfessionalProofreaders

4/13/2011 ProofreadNOW.com, Inc. All rights reserved.

written by Julie DeSilva


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ProofreadNOW.com, Inc. | 447 Boston Road | Topsfield, MA 01983 | 978-887-6675

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English writer Sydney Smith wrote: What you dont know

would make a great book. What people dont know about

proofreading would make a great e-book, so here goes!

In this electronic age anyone can become a publisher just

by clicking SEND. Thats why it is more important than

ever that writers distinguish themselves by deferring to

professional proofreaders to hone their prose and make it

perfect.

The word hone is a perfect example of something even a

great writer may need help with.

Example: His editorhonedthe speech through

rewrites, homing in on the many clichs that would

have left the audience members rolling theireyes.

Phrasal Verb: Hone in onMeaning: Target, focusExample: The company HONED IN ON its rival and tried

to take it over. (Some consider this verb to be wrong andthat is confused with 'home in on.)[sic]

Retrieved February 10, 2011 fromwww.usingenglish.com

In the example sentence the difference between hone and

home is clear, but if you were confused a quick GOOGLEsearch finds this:

Oh, where to begin!


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First, do not trust as expert any Web site that has thismany mistakes in so few characters! I have copied theentry exactly as it appearsmixed tenses, missing quota-tion mark, and all. And who does Some refer to? Someexperts or some people on the street?!

The GOOGLE entry on page 2 was followed by multiple

entrieseven blogson the subject. When in doubt turnto tried-and-true Merriam-Websters.

Main Entry: hone inFunction: intransitive verbEtymology: alteration ofhome inDate: 1965

: to move toward or focus attention on an objective*looking back for the ball honing in George Plimpton**a missile honing in on its target Bob Greene* *hones inon the plights and victories of the common man LisaRussell*usage The few commentators who have noticed hone inconsider it to be a mistake forhome in. It may have arisenfrom home in by the weakening of the \m\ sound to \n\ ormay perhaps simply be due to the influence ofhone.Though it seems to have established itself in American Eng-lish (and mention in a British usage book suggests it is usedin British English too), your use of it especially in writingis likely to be called a mistake.Home in or in figurativeuse zero in does nicely.

Merriam Websters Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition

Just two days after writing the section

on hone in, I was proofreading a book

for a major publisher, written by aprominent philanthropist, reviewed by a

seasoned editor, and copy edited by a

professional copy editor and I found

(and corrected) this sentence:

I relied on my rather abstract

conceptual framework for guidance and

Ihoned in on the concept . . . .

~Julie

Want to avoid mistakes like this one?Hire a professional proofreader!


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What Exactly Is a

Proofreader?

Over the years the termproofreadinghas come to

mean the same thing ascopy editing. In traditionalbook publishing theproofreader and copy editorroles are still two distinctlydifferent roles, with the actsof proofreading and copyediting being two distinctsteps in the publishingprocess.

Heres a quick overview of the proofreader and copyeditor roles and the hybrid role that has become thenorm in many publishing processes: editorial proofreader.

Copyediting Reviewing manuscript (on paper orelectronically) to ensure correctpunctuation, spelling, grammar, usage,sentence structure, and consistency

Proofreading Correcting typeset, designed copy bycomparing it with a previous version(usually the original copyeditedmanuscript). Involves using standardmarkings and symbols (on paper orelectronically, usually via PDF) to correcttypographical errors and deviations fromtypesetting and design instructions. Mayinvolve checking specifications. Egregioustypos and grammatical errors are alsocorrected.

EditorialProofreading

Proofreading material that may or may nothave been edited and may need extensivequerying for mistakes in spelling,

grammar, punctuation, consistency, andstyle


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Grammar and Spell Checkers

Weve all received one of those emails with a sentencethat looks like this:

Aoccdrnig to rscheearch, it deosn't mttaer in wahtoredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnttihng is taht frist and lsat ltteers are in the rghitpclae.

Even though the words are jumbled and words aremissing, most folks have no problem interpreting the

meaning. And running something like this through a quickgrammar and spell check should fix the problem, right?Wrong. Heres what the grammar and spell check turnedout:

Occurring to scholarch, it doesnt matter in whatorder the letters in a word are, the only iprmoatnt(no suggestions given) thing is that the(it did notcatch that this word was missing) first and lastletters are in the right place.

If typed correctly, the sentence should have read:

According to research, it doesnt matter in whatorder the letters in a word are, the only importantthing is that the first and last letters are in the rightplace.

A good proofreader would have fixed everything andedited it for clarity.

According to research, the order in which lettersappear in a word doesnt matter. The only importantthing is that the first and last letters are in the rightplace.

Mcuh bttr, rght?!


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Typos

How about words

that are words,

but not the right

ones? If the

jumbled word

theory above

applies, when

proofreading

your own work you will read a mistyped word as the word

you meantit to be. If you rely on your spell checker orgrammar checker to clean up behind you, most typos will

not be flagged as words used incorrectly. Here are some

sample sentences where a proofreader could help the

writer save face!

As the guest of honor, we severed the bride first.

(serve, server, served, sever, severed, severe)

Thanks to the parents who volunteered to mange

the science fair. (mange, manger, manage,

managed, manager)

The front office mangeris responsible for

distributing the mail. (mange, manger, manage,

managed, manager)

We complied a list of all donors. (compile,compiled, complied)

The community watch policies the neighborhood.

(polices, policies)

Not only could you type the wrong word but you could type

the wrong form of the word: compile instead ofcompiles or

manage instead ofmanaged. In my more than twenty

years as a professional proofreader this is one of the

mistakes I encounter most often.


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Of course, if you ever use the wordpublicin your writing,

you must use a professional proofreader!

South Bend, INPublished by CNN/WSBT, September 22, 2010.Retrieved on February 22, 2011, from

www.wthitv.com/dpps/news/strange/billboard-reads-pubic-instead-of-public-ob10-jgr_3588314

Wordos

Not only can you mistype a word creating a typo, you can

use the wrong word, thinking that its the right word, as

with hone and home in the opening section. I call these

wordos.

Once you have crafted that perfect piece of prose who will

ensure (assure orinsure would also be okay, but would

you know that!?) that your words will speak to your

principal (or is itprinciple?) audience or that your graphics

are complementary (not complimentary)? Once again,why stress yourself out? Why not take the worry out of

your writing and leave sorting through the words to a

professional?


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The difference betweenthe almost right word

and the right word is

really a large matter

its the difference

between the lightning

bug and the lightning.

~ Mark Twain

Grammar

You may have an excellent command of the English

language and all its nuances but even the finest writers

still dont know how to employ dashes correctlylike thisem dashuse semicolons, or decide whetherthator

which is correct. A good proofreader will fix all your gram-

matical errors, your subjectverb agreement issues, and

your inconsistent or incorrect use of punctuation.

Everything Else!

Weve only covered the words in your writing. If your

document has figures, tables, graphics, or multiple

heading levels, a proofreader will make sure that all ofthese elements are consistent within the document.

If you use a lot of proper names or industry-specific terms

a professional proofreader will make sure that they are

spelled and hyphenated correctly and consistently.

Moving from one year to the next with a document revisionor within a document? A professional proofreader will

check the calendar and make sure that February 22,

2011, is, in fact, a Tuesday if you write that it is.


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Make a Good Impression

A professional builder hires a professional plumber for

plumbing or a professional electrician for wiring. A

professional writer should hire a professional proofreader

to make sure that the words he crafts are perfect.

There are lots of proofreading options available today. Be

sure you choose a professional proofreader who offers the

quality you need and who has the experience to find your

errors before your work is published.

After all, wouldnt you rather spend your time writing andnot worrying?


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Back in 1999, we recognized that many business writers

had a need for fast, accurate, professional proofreading

services. We realized that we needed to be available to

these clients when they needed us, not just during regular

business hours. So, we created an online model that

allows writers to submit documents to us with no advancenotice, no pre-payment, and no contracts. And we created

a team of professional proofreaders who are available 365

days a year, around the clock, around the world.

Our model is unique in that we perform two separate,

complete readings on everydocument. And this doublereview is done as part of our standard service at no

additional charge.

Since then, weve helped marketers, advertisers,

publishers, editors, and other professional writers maintain

their professional and personal reputations by ensuring

their documents are free of errors and clearly written.

Weve caught hundreds of thousands of errors before

documents were published. This kept our customers from

incurring additional printing costs, saved them time and

protected them from professional and personal

embarrassment.

Our services come with a 100% satisfaction guarantee!

Youll love our service or its free.

To find out more about our services, please visit our Web

site at www.ProofreadNOW.com.

Why not send us a document and well proofread it at no

charge? Take advantage of this offer by going to:

http://www.proofreadnow.com/free-offer-march-2011-

ebook/

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2011 E-Book Why Writers Need Proofreaders