Other Errors
Discover insightful articles on avoiding lesser-known writing errors that can impact the clarity of a piece of writing. Make sure your content – or that of your clients – stands out for all the right reasons!
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15 Commonly Misused Phrases to Look Out for While Proofreading
15 Commonly Misused Phrases to Look Out for While Proofreading
Last Updated May 27, 2025
As a proofreader, you need to be on the lookout for misspelled words and phrases. To help you spot mistakes, we’ve compiled a list of commonly misused phrases that you should be aware of while proofreading. Here are fifteen phrases that often trip up writers: 1. First Come, First Serve (First Come, First Served) “First […]
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Proofreading Tips: Prepositions in Title Case
Proofreading Tips: Prepositions in Title Case
Last Updated May 02, 2021
In title case – a common approach to styling titles and headings – the first letters of the main words in a title are prepositions in titles. Title Case and Prepositions If you want to know more, sign up for a free trial of the course today!
Editing Tips: What Is Alphabet Soup?
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When to Use Italics for Non-English Words
Last Updated Feb 11, 2021
In 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 […]
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Proofreading Tips: Editing Gendered Language
Last Updated Jan 24, 2021
Many companies and individuals now aim to make their writing gender neutral. And, as a proofreader, you may have to help them achieve this. In this post, we’re going to look at some common examples of gendered language you may need to watch out for: The gendered pronoun being used as a neutral or default […]
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Editing Tips: Typographic Rivers Explained
Last Updated Jan 17, 2021
When proofreading a typeset text, such as page proofs for a book, you may need to keep an eye out for rivers. No, we don’t mean bodies of water. We mean gaps in the text. To find out what rivers are and what to do with them, check out our guide below. Rivers in Text […]
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5 Tips for Proofreading Different English Dialects
Last Updated Nov 29, 2020
One benefit of freelance proofreading is that you can work with clients all around the world. But this may mean you encounter English dialects that differ from the one you know best. And while this can pose challenges for proofreaders, we have a few tips that can help: Set the language preferences in your word […]
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Date Formats: Little-Endian, Middle-Endian, Big-Endian
Last Updated Aug 30, 2020
In the Becoming A Proofreader course, we look at how date formats differ between American English and British/Australian English. There are, though, more than three countries in the world, so it’s worth looking at regional date format variations more generally. Otherwise, simply leave a comment prompting your client to check the date format(s) used in […]
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What to Do with Tentative Language
Last Updated Jan 13, 2020
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 […]
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Capitalisation: Compass Points and Titles
Capitalisation: Compass Points and Titles
Last Updated Jul 02, 2018
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 […]
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Unruly Prefixes: Pre and Pro
Unruly Prefixes: Pre and Pro
Last Updated Jan 23, 2018
Prefixes. Can’t live with ‘em, can’t communicate without ‘em. Can’t even say prefixes without ‘em. And we can see both how essential and how tricky they are by looking at the words prescribe and proscribe. First, though, some preliminaries. Prefixes for Beginners If you’re pursuing a career in proofreading, you probably know a thing or […]
