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 writtenin 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!