ESL Writing

Learn how to work with ESL (English as a second language) clients and documents as a proofreader or editor with our top tips.

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    The Bad Big Wolf? A Proofreader’s Guide to Adjective Order

    The Bad Big Wolf? A Proofreader’s Guide to Adjective Order

    Oct 08, 2022

    • Common Errors
    • ESL Writing
    • Grammar
    • Proofreading Tips

    If the phrases “black little dress” and “red dry wine” sound strange in your head, you have intrinsic knowledge of English adjective order. When we use multiple adjectives to modify a noun or nouns, they don’t fall into a random sequence. Rather, they follow a pattern based on their function. In fact, most native English […]

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    Punctuation in Other Languages (And Why It Matters for Proofreaders)

    Punctuation in Other Languages (And Why It Matters for Proofreaders)

    May 20, 2021

    • ESL Writing
    • Proofreading Tips
    • Punctuation

    Proofreaders are (or should be!) familiar with how common punctuation marks are used in English. But punctuation marks and conventions differ between languages. As a result, when working with ESL clients, you might spot some unusual punctuation in a document. If you do see non-English punctuation in a document, you will need to correct it […]

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How to Proofread Negative Prefixes in English

  • Proofreading-and-Editing-Tips_-Top-5-Tips-for-ESL-Proofreading_21F_.jpg

    Top 5 Tips for ESL Proofreading

    Oct 07, 2017

    • ESL Writing
    • Proofreading Tips

    As a proofreader, you are almost certain to encounter clients who do not speak English as a first language. This may seem daunting, but never fear! In this post, we have five top tips for working with ESL (English as a second language) clients and documents. 1. Be Clear and Patient in Your Communication The […]

    Read more
  • The-Bad-Big-Wolf_-A-Proofreaders-Guide-to-Adjective-Order01_22F_.jpg

    The Bad Big Wolf? A Proofreader’s Guide to Adjective Order

    Oct 08, 2022

    • Common Errors
    • ESL Writing
    • Grammar
    • Proofreading Tips

    If the phrases “black little dress” and “red dry wine” sound strange in your head, you have intrinsic knowledge of English adjective order. When we use multiple adjectives to modify a noun or nouns, they don’t fall into a random sequence. Rather, they follow a pattern based on their function. In fact, most native English […]

    Read more
  • What-Is-an-Oxford-Comma_-With-Examples-05_22F_.jpg

    Punctuation in Other Languages (And Why It Matters for Proofreaders)

    May 20, 2021

    • ESL Writing
    • Proofreading Tips
    • Punctuation

    Proofreaders are (or should be!) familiar with how common punctuation marks are used in English. But punctuation marks and conventions differ between languages. As a result, when working with ESL clients, you might spot some unusual punctuation in a document. If you do see non-English punctuation in a document, you will need to correct it […]

    Read more
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    How to Proofread Negative Prefixes in English

    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 […]

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  • Proofreading-and-Editing-Tips_-Top-5-Tips-for-ESL-Proofreading_21F_.jpg

    Top 5 Tips for ESL Proofreading

    Top 5 Tips for ESL Proofreading

    Oct 07, 2017

    • ESL Writing
    • Proofreading Tips

    As a proofreader, you are almost certain to encounter clients who do not speak English as a first language. This may seem daunting, but never fear! In this post, we have five top tips for working with ESL (English as a second language) clients and documents. 1. Be Clear and Patient in Your Communication The […]

    Read more