Transcript Proof_reading_slideshow

Proofreading Hints
Ten common mistakes
To look for
when
proof
reading
1. Putting the wrong word in the
wrong place - especially when
using words that sound the same.
• Words may sound
the same (or similar)
but have different
spellings and
meanings.
• Common pairs to
watch out for are of
and off; to and too;
there and their.
2. Leaving letters out, especially
in the middle of words.
• Many words contain silent letters, or letters
that are not sounded clearly when you speak
quickly.
E.g. Doubt, Wednesday, calm, subtle etc.
3. Mistakes when adding an
ending, or suffix, to a root word.
• It's easy to make mistakes especially
when adding the -ing suffix.
• E.g. Make + -ing = making (drop the final 'e')
shut + ing = shutting (double the final
consonant)
4. Using a small i as a pronoun.
A pronoun is a word that
stands in place of a
name such as Sheila
or John. Remember
that whenever I is a
word on its own, you
should use a capital
letter.
E.g. Max and I went to
the cinema last night.
5. Missing words out altogether.
Most people think
much faster than
they can write, so
it's easy to leave out
small words such as
a, the, and, it, and
in. Careful
proofreading can
help you spot this
type of mistake.
6. Getting letters the wrong way
round, especially i and e.
E.g. freind – friend
Sheild- Shield
beleive – believe
recieve – receive
Remember the
spelling rule 'i
before e except
after c'.
7.
Leaving out apostrophes.
• Apostrophes are
punctuation marks
• They are used to
show belonging e.g.
Nina’s dress
• They can show
where letters have
been left out e.g.
didn’t = did not
8.
Using one word when you
should use two or more.
Note: there are conflicting views on this- Br.E and Am.E etc.
E.g. Alot should
be written as
a lot
______________
A bit should be
written as
a bit
Inspite of
should be
written in spite
of_________
Inplace of should
be written
In place of
9.
Mistakes with subject-verb
agreement.
This means using a
singular verb with a
plural subject, or
vice versa:
E.g. She were late for
her appointment on
Friday.
She was late …..
We was going to the
park to have out
picnic when we met
John.
We were going to the
park…..
He have a nice car.
He has a nice car.
10. Using "should of".
This is another
common mistake, in
sentences such as:
I should of packed my
raincoat.
In stead of:
I should have packed
my raincoat.
Tips for Proofreading
Read aloud or try listening to
the sound of your voice
'inside your head' as you
read. This will help you spot
if any words have been left
out. Make sure that the
meaning of the sentence as
a whole is clear.
Try writing problem words out
several different ways to see which
version looks right. This will help to
improve your visual memory, so that
you feel more confident in correcting
your spelling.
Be aware of possible
and probable letter
combinations. For
example every word
in English must
contain a vowel
sound.
Don't rely on the
computer spell
checker to find
every mistake.
Focus on words which you
know give you problems.
These will vary from
person to person, but
they could be words with
a particular ending (such
as -ing) or a soft 'c' as in
'cinema' or 'centre'.
And Finally
7. Make sure you
leave enough
time to
proofread your
writing carefully,
especially if you
are in a hurry!