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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    Proofreading Tips: What Is Oxford Spelling?

    Proofreading Tips: What Is Oxford Spelling?

    Apr 08, 2021

    • Common Errors
    • Dialects
    • Proofreading Tips
    • Spelling

    As a proofreader, you might come across the term Oxford spelling. But what does this mean? And how should you approach a document if your client specifies using it? In this post, we explain everything you need to know to proofread documents effectively. If you’re not sure which spelling to use for a term, check […]

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    5 More Misused Phrases to Look Out for While Proofreading

    5 More Misused Phrases to Look Out for While Proofreading

    Mar 21, 2021

    • Common Errors
    • Other Errors
    • Proofreading Tips

    As a proofreader, you need to be on the lookout for misspelled words and phrases. To help you on this count, we previously looked at five commonly misused phrases. But there are plenty more to look out for! In this post, we’ll take you through five more. 1. Wet Your Appetite (Whet Your Appetite) The phrase […]

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A Proofreader’s Guide to Latin Plural Word Endings

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    A Proofreader's Guide to Conjunctive Adverbs

    Feb 25, 2021

    • Common Errors
    • Grammar
    • Proofreading Tips
    • Punctuation

    Conjunctive 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

    Feb 11, 2021

    • Common Errors
    • Formatting
    • Other Errors
    • Proofreading Tips
    • Style

    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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    5 Errors New Proofreaders Often Miss

    Jan 14, 2021

    • Common Errors
    • Proofreading Tips
    • Punctuation
    • Spelling

    Proofreaders need to be careful not to overlook mistakes in text while they work. Here, for instance, we’re going to look at five errors that new proofreaders often miss in documents: Mix-ups involving unfamiliar homophones. Multiple independent clauses combined in a comma splice. Inconsistencies in a document that don’t involve explicit errors. Misplaced or missing […]

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    Editing Tips: When Are Sentence Fragments Okay?

    Dec 20, 2020

    • Common Errors
    • Grammar
    • Proofreading Tips

    Strictly speaking, sentence fragments – incomplete sentences that don’t express a complete thought – are ungrammatical. And, as a proofreader, you would usually correct ungrammatical text in a document. But is a sentence fragment always an error? The short answer is  Many writers use sentence fragments deliberately, especially in creative writing and commercial copy. In […]

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    5 Tips for Proofreading Different English Dialects

    Nov 29, 2020

    • Common Errors
    • Dialects
    • Other Errors
    • Proofreading Tips

    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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    5 Easy-to-Miss Quotation Mark Errors

    Nov 08, 2020

    • Common Errors
    • Proofreading Tips
    • Punctuation

    Among 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

    Date Formats: Little-Endian, Middle-Endian, Big-Endian

    Aug 30, 2020

    • Common Errors
    • Other Errors
    • Proofreading Tips
    • Style

    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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    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 […]

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