ED 488 Issues in Education

Handy tips for effective proofreading
 

• Print out your document to proofread
   
• Preview it in a different application. Change the format or screen resolution. Take a break and return to it with fresh eyes.
   
• "Read" the document backward to check for misspelled words  
   
• Read the essay slowly and carefully out loud (to another person).
  • It is much easier to miss errors when proofreading on screen
     
• Take your time --  Pay attention to the beginning and end of sentences.
  •  Watch for doubled words at the end and the start of a sentence. A doubled “that” will
    often slip right by if you let it.
  • Small errors are sometimes difficult to spot when you're in a hurry
     
• If you do not understand your own sentence, neither will your reader. 
  • Words can easily be repeated without the eye noticing                                
  • Beware of negatives and double negatives in sentences
  • Beware of contractions and apostrophes: their and they’re, its and it’s, your
    and you’re.
     
• Give yourself a 'time gap' to be able to look at the essay with "fresh eyes"
  • This will provide a distancing effect from the essay content

        


Grammarly is an automated proofreader, checking spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.  
 

           
           


PaperRater.com --- Grammar & Spelling Check; FREE online proofreading and NO downloads!This link opens in a new window

Thesaurus.com -- Contains over 3 million synonyms and antonyms

Dictionary.com -- an online source for English definitions, synonyms, word origins, audio pronunciations, and more