Articles & News About Jobs & Employment

How You Can Proofread Your Own Work

Putting out a high quality product is a given these days. With all the competition out there, you have to look great in every aspect. So proofreading all copy is extremely important and here are some tips to help you to proofread your own work after you've finished editing it:

Read through your copy the next day -- many times your eye tends to 'deceive' you by reading what's supposed to be there rather than what may actually be there! Reading it a day or two later helps you to look at your copy with a fresh perspective!

Use 'spell check' which is available on most programs. Although they're not perfect, they will help you to find many errors. A red squiggly underline means the word may be misspelled, a green squiggly underline may mean a grammatical or punctuation error.

Print it out. Reading it in print can many times help you catch things you didn't catch on the screen.

If at all possible, have someone else read it. They can catch sentences that may be too long, be unclear, etc. You know the point you're trying to make in your copy, but if others don't understand it, rewrite it so it's more clear to everyone.

Be very careful how you use words such as 'then' versus 'than'. These words are used incorrectly quite often but mean different things.

Then is primarily used to signify time, e.g. "We went to the grocery, then we went to the bank." Than is primarily used as a comparison, e.g., "I would rather go hiking than take a nap."

There are a lot of questions about the hyphen (-) versus dash (--) and here's the basic rule:

A hyphen is used when you are putting two words together or adding a prefix to a word. Here are a few examples: twenty-four, re-signed or long-time.

A dash is used when you're interjecting into a sentence (such as, "I love taking the dog for a walk -- especially on warm days -- because it is great exercise for us both.").

In many programs a dash will look like a long hyphen instead of two hyphens next to each other. Dashes are also many times used in place of parentheses in more informal writing.

Punctuation inside or outside the quotes? Here's the basic rule for this one: if you're using a comma or a period, they go inside the closing quotation mark. Colons and semicolons go outside the closing quotation marks.

Question marks and exclamation marks are different and depend on how they are being used (just to complicate things more!). If you are directly quoting someone and a question mark or quotation mark is needed because what you're quoting is a question or exclamation, it would go inside the quote.

Here's an example for this one: He asked, "Are you going to the party?" "You bet!" she exclaimed.

If what you're directly quoting isn't a question or exclamation, the quotes go inside the exclamation or question mark.

An example of this is, Did David say, "You must have fallen out of bed"? or Linda actually said "You must be right"! Learning these rules may take a little time but if you print out this article and post it near your computer, you can refer to it any time you get confused. Remember, you don't have to worry about it while you're writing and editing your copy (that's when you just let the creativity flow), worry about it after all revisions have been made and it's time to proofread.

You can also find Grammar books at your local bookstore or library. Glance through them to find one you like.

If you feel you don't have time to proofread, don't want the hassle of trying to learn the rules, or just don't want to worry about it, you always have the option of hiring a professional proofreader. Professional proofreaders (as well as copy-editors) can be found via a search on the internet or by asking other writers who they use (if they have good, clean copy). When you're searching for a proofreader, make sure they are skilled in the type of writing you do (business writing versus sales, informal or conversational writing) and that they have no errors on their copy -- if they aren't extremely careful with their own work, do you think they would be with yours?)

The money you spend on a professional proofreader, besides easily being made up with the increased sales you should expect by having a more professional product, is easily worth the time, effort and frustration you will save yourself. So take it easy, let the creativity flow, send the work off to a professional for editing and/or proofreading, then sit back and relax while your copy is being groomed to perfection!

(c) 2005 Nita Helping Hand?, all rights reserved.

You are free to use this material in whole or in part as long as you include the following:

About the author: Nita is a professional proofreader, copy-editor and the President of Nita Helping Hand? Please visit Nita's website for additional information about proofreading, copy-editing and other administrative needs available at NitaHelpingHand.com or contact her at info@NitaHelpingHand.com. Nita is your 'Partner In Perception'.

Other Article Sites

findabook.com  moneycd.info  a-mortgage.info   about-lemon-laws.info  aboutstudentloans.info
all-about-publishing.info  auctions-articles.info  bestcollege-university.com  bestispconnection.com
biblefolder.com  blogger-website.com  books-used.info  brokers-guide.info  buywindows.info  cable-dsl.info
career-miner.com  carpel-tunnel.info  cashinaflash.info  cashloanreviews.info  casinobell.com  chat-house.info
clearmycredit.info  collegeloantips.info  crones.info  depression-articles.info   dirnic.net  dishguides.info
divers-below.com  expodog.info   financewizz.com  fire-insurance.info  getgood.info  handleit.net   it-idea.info
health-supplies.info  hosting-right.com  insidealert.com  insurance-facts.info  jobs-employment.info
justgood.info  lookgold.net   lowcost-travel.info  money-source.info  myhostzone.info  numisblog.com
peoplesearchfinder.info  pr-articles.info  realeas.com   refinancing-guides.info  spyware-remove.info
telelot.info  the-law.info   toppaid.info  travel-deals.info  travelcorrect.com  wedding-guide-site.com
your-blog.info  your-credit.info

Being A Work At Home Business Opportunity Seeker And Finding Work From Home Jobs
The problem with work from home jobs is simply that so many people want to have them Because of this, there are lots of people who want to take advantage of people who truly want to be able to have the freedom of a home business

Work at Home Agent - Job Ideas For a Work at Home Agent
Are you interested in jobs that require you to spend hours on the phone talking to customers If you like personal relations work and have good interpersonal skills, then do consider the opportunity of being a work at home agent

Work at Home Jobs Vs Self Employment
Work at Home Jobs vs Owning a Home Based BusinessNot everyone is interested in owning their own home business, but a lot of people are interested in dropping out of the rat race a little bit. More and more jobs are available where you can work from home.

Home Computer Work - 3 Ideas For Home Computer Work Jobs
Surely, many people out there have told you about the wonders of working from home and being your own boss Well, not only are you able to save on transportation costs and have more time to spend with your family, you are also able to do whatever you like, whenever you feel like it

Work At Home Job Versus Work At Home Business
I often hear people complain about how they shouldnt have to pay for a business opportunity because "you wouldnt have to pay to get a job outside the home." It irritates me when I read that. Not because I think you should have to pay for a job - even a work at home position - its because they think that their should be no investment to start up a work at home business.

4 Legit Work From Home Jobs That Work
Everybody is turning to the internet to work from home and hopefully leave their day job. This means that finding legit work from jobs has become more popular than ever and you can understand why when hundreds of people weekly are quitting their day job and are working out of the comfort of their home.

Finding that Work at Home Job - A Job in Itself
The trend of corporate America creating work at home jobs for telecommuters is growing, which is good news for those of you who are looking to do your work in your pajamas every day. Technology has made the work at home job more appealing to both bosses and employees, though it does not mean the trend has hit the mainstream, so a work at home job can still be hard to find.

Legitimate Work At Home Jobs - Become Wealthy Working From Home
It all started when I was franticly going from company to company passing out my resume, needing a job so bad it hurt I had a college degree but could not get hired no matter what for the life of me

Work at Home Data Entry Jobs Career Are Available Now
Work at home data entry jobs career allow you the freedom to spend more time with your family It is perfect employment for someone who is looking for a job they can control themselves

Work From Home - How To Prepare For A Work From Home Job
Surely, you must have already heard about the perks of working from home Not only do you get the opportunity of being with your loved ones, but also the chance of earning good money doing what you like

Work at Home Businesses Versus Work at Home Jobs
Is a work at home business better than a work at home job? You bet. Hands down. But each option has pros and cons. It may be that for right now you're just not ready to start a work at home business. Its a big committment. That's OK. But if you're dedicated, smart and willing to work harder than most, settling for a work at home job could be selling yourself short.

On Campus Interviews - A Chance For Your "First Job" As Well As Career Employment
During the course of training or secondary educations some organizations - companies, firms as well as major non-profit organizations of great status and reputation will offer campus interviews to graduating students in such fields as engineering, electronics, business management, law accounting, computer information systems and marketing

Legitimate Work From Home Jobs - 4 Important Things to Consider Before Starting This Career Path
When you are selecting legitimate work from home jobs career, money is important, but there are some other factors that should be considered before making the final decision Before beginning even legitimate work from home jobs career, you should think about some of the factors that will help to make your venture succeed or fail

Work From Home Jobs For Moms - Jobs You Can Do at Home
A Legitimate Work from home job is a desire that many moms have, and being able to generate a great income while working from home is very possible I created this work from home jobs for moms lens to give you information about legitimate work from home jobs for moms, and for anyone looking to make part time to full time income