Common Errors
Discover a wealth of insights on common writing errors and how to avoid them. These articles break down frequent mistakes in grammar, punctuation, and style, offering practical tips to elevate the quality of your writing. Perfect for anyone striving for clarity and precision in their communication.
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A Proofreader's Guide to Conjunctive Adverbs
A Proofreader's Guide to Conjunctive Adverbs
Published Feb 25, 2021
Last Updated Nov 18, 2024Conjunctive adverbs are a useful way of linking sentences and clauses in writing. However, the rules for punctuating conjunctive adverbs can be confusing. As a proofreader, then, you may need to look for issues with these terms. In this post, we’ll explain what you need to know. Linking Sentences with a Conjunctive Adverb Conjunctive adverbs […]
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When to Use Italics for Non-English Words
When to Use Italics for Non-English Words
Published Feb 11, 2021
Last Updated Nov 18, 2024In English-language writing, words from other languages are often presented in italics. As a proofreader, you may therefore need to check that such words are presented correctly. Becoming A Proofreader The Becoming A Proofreader course covers everything you need to know to start working as a freelance proofreader! Sign up for a free trial today […]
5 Errors New Proofreaders Often Miss
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5 Easy-to-Miss Quotation Mark Errors
Published Nov 08, 2020
Last Updated Aug 03, 2023Among other things, a good proofreader will check documents for proper use of quotes and quotation marks. However, there are many easy-to-miss quotation mark errors, including 4. Smart Quotes vs. Straight Quotes In typography, quotation marks come in two styles: Smart (or curly) quote marks – These are standard in most writing now, and most […]
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Date Formats: Little-Endian, Middle-Endian, Big-Endian
Published Aug 30, 2020
Last Updated Jul 02, 2025In the Becoming A Proofreader course, we look at how date formats differ between American English, British English, and Australian English. There are, though, more than three countries in the world, so it’s worth looking at regional date format variations more generally. Luckily, there are only three basic date format styles you need to know: […]
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Editing Tips: How to Punctuate Dates
Published Jul 09, 2020
Last Updated Dec 31, 2024There are various ways to punctuate dates, and this can pose a challenge for proofreaders. When should you correct punctuation in dates in a document? And how does punctuating dates vary in different situations? In this post, we answer your punctuation questions. Punctuating Numerical Date Formats Commas Between Days and Years in Dates The US […]
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What to Do with the Singular They
Published Apr 05, 2020
Last Updated May 16, 2023Becoming A Proofreader Are you interested in becoming a freelance proofreader, but not sure where to begin? Our comprehensive proofreading course, Becoming A Proofreader, is a great place to start! Sign up for a free trial and try it out today.
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What to Do with Tentative Language
Published Jan 13, 2020
Last Updated Jan 26, 2026Tentative language – also known as – is a common feature of many types of writing. But what exactly do we mean by tentative language? And what should you do if you encounter hedging when editing or proofreading a document? In this post, we explain all. What Do We Mean by Hedging? If a document […]
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How to Proofread Negative Prefixes in English
Published Aug 07, 2018
Last Updated Nov 25, 2024English is a magpie language. It picks up shiny words wherever it can, and it doesn’t care how disorganised its rules become in the process. Or should that be ‘unorganised’? Take prefixes, for instance. We have de-, dis-, un-, and in-, all of which signify that something isn’t the case. And they’re not the only […]
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Capitalisation: Compass Points and Titles
Capitalisation: Compass Points and Titles
Published Jul 02, 2018
Last Updated Aug 07, 2023In our time training proofreaders, we’ve noticed that the subtleties of capitalisation can sometimes confuse even the best students. So, today, we’re going to look at two tricky capitalisation issues that might trip you up: compass points and titles. Compass Points and Directions It is a common misconception that the four compass directions should always […]
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All Together Or Altogether?
All Together Or Altogether?
Published Feb 21, 2018
Last Updated Nov 19, 2024The classic movie Airplane! plays on the similarity between the terms all together and altogether. In that film, the protagonist discovers that pressing the autopilot button is counterproductive. But when he explains this and uses the word altogether to mean entirely, his companions respond by echoing his words all together. And, lo, we immediately see […]
