Prompt Proofing Blog Post: Writing Tips - Proofreading

    VANCOUVER, BC, January 18, 2013 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Everyone wants their website, emails and other business communications to be error free. Writing that contains either errors or typos is unprofessional and creates a poor first impression. Unfortunately, not everyone is an experienced proofreader.

While nothing beats having a professional proofreader review your work before it is out there in the public domain, there are a few tricks you can try yourself to be reasonably sure that your work is error free.

1) Take a break

Whenever possible, leave your writing for a few hours, or even a few days - then come back and re-read it with fresh eyes. I guarantee you will notice things that escaped you earlier.

2) Read your writing aloud

This helps you identify what you actually wrote, as opposed to what you think you wrote or what you intended to write; your ears may well work better than your eyes.

3) Keep a note of common errors

If you know there are words that you regularly misspell, letters that you often transpose when typing, or punctuation that you are unsure about, keep a shortlist and check for these things in particular when proofreading.

4) Get a second pair of eyes

Two pairs of eyes are always better than one. That said, ensure the person you are asking is qualified for the job; your friend/colleague/family member who cheerfully admits that they can't spell or that they don't really understand how to use semi-colons is likely not the best choice!

5) Use a style book and a dictionary

Double check anything you are not 100% certain of in a stylebook or dictionary.

6) Check proper nouns and dates

Triple-check that all proper nouns, people or places, are correctly spelled - this is essential. Also, be careful with dates; there is little more frustrating than receiving an invitation to an event on Saturday, January 25 when the 25th is actually a Friday - not only do you look unprofessional but no one knows whether to turn up on Friday or Saturday!

For complete confidence, employ a professional proofreader - it's more affordable than you may think and the saving in time will be well worth it.

About Prompt Proofing

Prompt Proofing is based in Vancouver, BC, Canada and was officially launched in 2010 by a team of editing and writing professionals who have over 40 years of experience in the education, news media, public relations and recruitment fields. Prompt Proofing prides itself on affordable services delivered with fast turnaround times, without sacrificing quality or accuracy.

Offering content writing, editing and proofreading services, Prompt Proofing takes care of your individual or business content needs. We have customers throughout North and South America, the Caribbean, Europe, the United Kingdom, Asia and Australia.

Visit our website for more information at http://www.PromptProofing.com.

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