proofreading tips

A Complete Guide to Formatting Tools in Microsoft Word

Last Updated Dec 04, 2022

Microsoft Word is a popular type of word processing software with a wide variety of features. As a freelance proofreader, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with its tools, as you’ll likely use them as part of your workflow.  While proofreading doesn’t always include formatting, many proofreaders offer it as an additional service. Microsoft […]

What’s a Colloquialism?

Last Updated Nov 21, 2022

A colloquialism is an informal word or phrase commonly used in everyday conversation and often specific to a geographic region. For example, the word “y’all” (you all) is commonly used in the southern US, but not necessarily elsewhere in the world. Sometimes, a colloquialism’s popularity is a bit more widespread, like “head over heels” (falling […]

When to Use “I” and “Me” in a Sentence

Last Updated Nov 19, 2022

Is it “you and me” or “you and I”? This can be a complex question, even for native English speakers. The difference lies in whether you need to use a subject pronoun or an object pronoun. In this post, we’ll dig into what these pronouns are and how to establish when “I” or “me” is […]

Literally and Figuratively: What’s the Difference?

Last Updated Nov 16, 2022

The English language’s waters can be muddy. So too can the difference between this pair of words: literally and figuratively.  Literally and figuratively aren’t the same thing, despite what some people may think. Literally used to denote a literal, or letter-by-letter, meaning. People didn’t start to use literally in a figurative sense until about 200 […]

When to Use Possessive Apostrophes

Last Updated Nov 13, 2022

Apostrophes are one of the most commonly misused forms of punctuation. As a proofreader or editor, you’ll need to catch apostrophe errors in your client’s work. There are two main uses of apostrophes: to indicate possession and to create a contraction. In this post, we’ll be focusing on the former. Read on to learn the […]

Similes and Metaphors: What’s the Difference?

Last Updated Nov 09, 2022

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a simile and a metaphor and how to use them in writing? If you’re an editor, particularly of creative writing and fiction, it’s important to know the difference between these two literary devices so that you can advise your client on when to use them – […]