editing
-
The Inverted Pyramid in Journalism
The Inverted Pyramid in Journalism
Sep 14, 2022
The inverted pyramid is a handy tool used by journalists and business writers to structure their work. Understanding the inverted pyramid and how it’s used will help you to edit this form of writing. In this post, we explain the basics of the inverted pyramid so that you can use it to help assess your […]
-
How to Use the 5 “W”s (and 1 H)
How to Use the 5 “W”s (and 1 H)
Sep 01, 2022
The five “W”s are a principle widely used in journalism and copywriting, so they are worth understanding if you want to edit these types of writing. In this post, we’ll set out the basics of the five “W”s and how you can use them as an editor. What Are the Five “W”s? The five “W”s […]
-
Proofreading Tips: When Should You Write Out Numbers in Full?
Aug 12, 2022
Style guides vary a lot on even the basics of how to write numbers. APA style, for instance, recommends writing out numbers under 10 as words and using numerals for larger numbers. But Chicago style recommends writing out numbers up to and including 100. And MLA style recommends writing out any number that can be […]
-
Common Clichés (And How to Avoid Them)
Aug 10, 2022
Part of your job as a proofreader or editor is to help your client avoid clichés in their writing. This will involve highlighting overused terms and phrases and suggesting less clichéd alternatives. But to do this, you’ll first need to know what clichéd language is and how to spot it. This is where our guide […]
-
A Guide to Countable and Uncountable Nouns
Aug 04, 2022
Common nouns can be either countable or uncountable. But what does this mean in practice? And what does a proofreader need to know about countable and uncountable nouns? In this post, we set out the basics of how these noun types work and some common errors to look out for. What Are Countable Nouns? Countable […]
-
5 Questions to Ask When Editing a Listicle
Aug 03, 2022
If you edit articles or blog posts for business clients, at some point you’ll probably need to edit one of the most popular formats out there nowadays – the listicle. As the name suggests, a listicle is a piece of writing that organizes its sections as a numbered list – just like this post, in […]
-
Writing Samples to Help You Practice Proofreading
Jul 27, 2022
At Knowadays, we love to help you improve your proofreading skills. So today, we’re giving you three short passages of text to practice on. They are written in American English. Just copy and paste each passage into a Microsoft Word document and make any changes you feel are necessary (focusing on clear errors rather than […]
-
Is or Are? A Guide to Collective Nouns
Jul 20, 2022
Collective nouns are nouns that refer to a group of people or objects, including words like team, family, and crowd. But are they singular or plural? And how do you use collective nouns in a sentence? These are things you need to know as a proofreader. Read on to find out more. Collective Nouns and […]
-
A Proofreader’s Guide to Exclamation Point Use
A Proofreader’s Guide to Exclamation Point Use
Jul 01, 2022
Exclamation points, also known as exclamation marks, are used to express excitement, enthusiasm, and other strong emotions. As a proofreader, though, you may need to help clients avoid overusing them or using exclamations in the wrong situation. So, when should exclamation points be used? And when should a proofreader step in to curb a client’s enthusiasm for […]
-
Proofreading and Editing Legal Writing
Proofreading and Editing Legal Writing
Jun 22, 2022
While we cover academic, creative, and business writing in the Becoming A Proofreader and Becoming An Editor courses, what about other writing types? How might proofreading and editing legal writing differ, for example? Well, there are some differences you will need to consider if you want to work with legal clients. In this post, we’ll […]