PROOFREADING SUGGESTIONS
Proofread.
Proofread to make sure your work is an accurate and clean transcription of your
final draft. Proofread after you revise and edit. If you try to
proofread while you edit, one process might distract from the other.
- You may want
to proofread with a ruler so that you can focus on one line at a time.
- It can be
helpful to start at the end so you avoid becoming distracted by the content of
your paper.
- Read your final
draft aloud, to yourself or to a friend; this process can help you hear and see
errors that have
slipped past your notice.
- Look for letters
or words inadvertently left out.
Revise.
Revising is paying attention to the meaning that you want your material to
deliver effectively.
Add. Insert needed words,
sentences, and paragraphs.
Cut. Get rid of whatever
veers from the topic or repeats what has already been said.
Replace. As needed,
substitute new words, sentences, and paragraphs for what you have
cut.
Move material around.
Change the sequence of paragraphs if the material is not
presented in logical order. Move sentences within paragraphs or to other
paragraphs
if any paragraph arrangement seems illogical.
Edit.
Now check the technical correctness of your writing--grammar, spelling, and
punctuation--and the correct use of capitals, numbers, italics, and
abbreviations.
Is your grammar correct?
(subject-verb agreement, pronoun-noun antecedent agreement,
etc.)
Is your spelling correct, and are
your hyphens correct?
Have you correctly used commas?
(check for run ons, comma splices, and fragments)
Have you correctly used capital
letters, italics, abbreviations, and numbers?