Common Errors

In these posts, we look at common errors that proofreaders and editors may encounter in their work. This will include issues related to spelling, grammar, punctuation, and other aspects of writing.

  • 5 Misused Phrases to Watch Out for While Proofreading

    5 Misused Phrases to Watch Out for While Proofreading

    Jul 19, 2020

    • Common Errors
    • Other Errors
    • Proofreading Tips

    Proofreading is much easier when you know what to look for in a document. That’s why we cover many common errors in our Becoming A Proofreader course. And to help you spot even more mistakes, in this post, we’re looking at five commonly misused phrases. First Come, First Serve (First Come, First Served) That’s it […]

    Read more
  • Editing Tips: How to Punctuate Dates

    Editing Tips: How to Punctuate Dates

    Jul 09, 2020

    • Common Errors
    • Proofreading Tips
    • Punctuation

    There are various ways to punctuate dates. This poses a challenge for proofreaders. 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 date format uses […]

    Read more

What to Do with the Singular They

  • What to Do with Tentative Language

    Jan 13, 2020

    • Common Errors
    • Editing Tips
    • Other Errors
    • Proofreading Tips

    Tentative 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 […]

    Read more
  • Proofreading and Editing Tips: Word Choice: Similar Words or Similar Meanings?

    Word Choice: Similar Words or Similar Meanings?

    Mar 20, 2019

    • Common Errors
    • Proofreading Tips
    • Spelling

    Our rich, annoying language has many words whose meanings are subtly distinct. It also has many words with similar spellings. Sometimes the two intersect and we get a double whammy of confusion. Today, we look at two pairs of words we suspect are trying to catch us out. The first is recur and reoccur, which […]

    Read more
  • The Ideal Date

    The Ideal Date

    Dec 11, 2018

    • Common Errors
    • Dialects
    • Other Errors
    • Proofreading Tips
    • Style

    Hello, reader. You look lovely today. We at Knowadays know this may seem a little forward, but… what would your dream date be? Our dates aren’t terribly romantic, but they’re always formatted impeccably. Yes, today we’re talking about the finer points of formatting dates in writing. Regional Differences The main issue that determines date format […]

    Read more
  • Negative Prefixes

    Aug 07, 2018

    • Common Errors
    • ESL Writing
    • Proofreading Tips
    • Spelling

    English 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 […]

    Read more
  • Capitalisation: Compass Points and Titles

    Jul 02, 2018

    • Common Errors
    • Grammar
    • Other Errors
    • Proofreading Tips

    In 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 […]

    Read more
  • Proofreading and Editing Tips: How Commas Pull Their Weight

    How Commas Pull Their Weight

    Mar 09, 2018

    • Common Errors
    • Grammar
    • Proofreading Tips
    • Punctuation

    In previous posts, we’ve discussed how proofreaders need to be aware of meaning when working on a document. And it’s not only word choice that affects meaning: punctuation can also change a sentence. In this post, then, we look at a few things you can do with commas. Direct Address A comma is necessary to […]

    Read more
  • Top 3 Justifications for Sentence Fragments

    Top 3 Justifications for Sentence Fragments

    Mar 01, 2018

    • Common Errors
    • Grammar
    • Proofreading Tips

    This post is very. Let that sink in for a moment. Deep, isn’t it? Unfortunately, it’s also poor grammar. As proofreaders, we know that incomplete sentences are usually unacceptable. But there are circumstances in which a partial sentence might make sense. Thus, here are our top three reasons to leave sentence fragments be. 1. For […]

    Read more
  • All Together Now! Or Altogether Now?

    All Together Now! Or Altogether Now?

    Feb 21, 2018

    • Common Errors
    • Proofreading Tips
    • Spelling

    The 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 […]

    Read more