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What do you mean? The app is ad editor.typely.com

what exactly do you mean? Your work is not saved?

Hello Rich, thanks for stopping by. I will allow it to read much bigger chunks but for the premium plan because it is costly for us too.

i might be wrong https://github.com/defmethodinc/just-not-sorry

A common mistake due to the pronunciation of could've would've and should've is to write it incorrectly as could of would of and should of. This should be linted to return either 've or have.

A huge portion of our audience are students doing essay editing. A plagiarism checker makes a lot of sense and is in the works for the next version.

Feature that allows users to use a microphone and dictate to Typely which will use AI to identify and send back the spoken words. The feature will have to include some trigger words or sentences to manipulate the content such as: new sentence (period) new phrase punctuation formatting shortcuts The speech-to-text feature is highly requested as it brings a lot of benefits such as: faster typing (writers can be up to 3 times faster compared to normal typing) you can work literally anywhere without issues it integrates very well with mobile phones where typing is hard/slow

If you're a writer, you're probably always looking for some way to get ahead in the game. What if I told you that there was one technique that could take your regular writing and make it pop? This technique is simple, anyone can use it to make their writing more effective, exciting and most importantly, professional. What is this technique? It's called writing in an active voice. You might have heard the words passive voice and active voice before when it comes to writing, but what exactly do these words mean? Simply put, an active voice is a sentence where the subject is performing an action. Grammatically speaking, we would look a sentence like this Tom hugged Sally. If we look at the breakdown of this sentence, we can see that Tom is the subject, hugged is the action and Sally is the object. Subjection + Action + Object. The active voice is more alive and exciting than the passive voice. The active voice conveys a sense of action and movement, it makes the writing stronger and gives it a better punch. Let's rearrange the sentence a little bit to find out how the passive voice would read. Sally was hugged by Tom Here, we find that everything is backward. Sally is now the subject, the action is being hugged and it doesn't have a lot of action to it. She's simply receiving an action and there's no amount of punch or energy to it Sally is entirely passive. That's where we get the word passive voice. The subject is active in the first sentence, but passive in the second sentence. This is a very simplified example, we will look at some more things that qualify a passive sentence a little later on. First, we must ask the hard question, why avoid passive voice? Sometimes rules of language can be a little confusing and no one wants to adhere to arbitrary constraints on language. However, the simple explanation of why you should avoid passive voice is all about style more than anything. Style determines how a person perceives your work. When the language is passive, few people will be impacted by the strength of the writing. When there is energy in your words, you will convey a stronger sense of urgency. Compare these two sentences below and determine which one reads better to you: Jacob charged at the troll with his sword. Vs The troll was charged at by Jacob. Quickly, you can see that there is a significant amount of energy in the first sentence. This conveys a sense of action, impact, and strength. The second sentence isn't wrong on a grammatical sense, but stylistically, it lacks the punch and energy of the first one When you are writing, your biggest challenge is drawing people into your words. Your words can either draw people in or push them away. If you don't avoid passive voice, you run the risk of boring your readers. If a reader becomes bored, you run the risk of them moving on to read something else. There are millions of things that a person could be reading with the click of a button, so there is no reason for them to engage with a work that isn't rewarding to them. This fact alone should motivate you to want to keep your voice as an active as possible. So let's talk about some more rules that will help you identify passive voice in your writing. The easiest way to identify a passive voice is to always follow the “to-be” rule. There are various forms of to-be words such as is, was, are, were, have been, has been, will, will, etc. These words are the gateway to quickly identifying a sentence that is passive. The rule is simple, if a to-be word is followed by a past participle, then the sentence is passive. A past participle, if you don't remember, is a verb that ends in an -ed such as loved, hugged, touched, etc. When you combine a to-be word with a past participle, you are most likely going to be finding out that your sentence is indeed written in the passive voice. Susan was grabbed by the pirate. The pirate had been stabbed by Susan's protector. Susan was being saved by the handsome rogue. All of these sentences are passive, and while they are functional in the fact that they convey information, they don't carry a lot of energy and excitement. Revising these sentences doesn't take much effort and provides you with a considerable amount of forward motion in your writing. This captures the imagination and can excite those who are reading. Remember, the more visceral and alive your work is, the better. The pirate grabbed hold of Susan. Susan's protector lunged forward and stabbed the pirate. The handsome rogue saved Susan. See how much more energy comes across in these words? They are basic changes to the structure of the sentence, but they are arranged in the correct order. The best way to avoid passive voice is to make a habit to start evaluating your writing every day. Look for the simple combination of to-be words and past participles to determine if your writing is passive or not. Once you get in the habit of identifying them, all you have to do is rearrange the structure and your writing will take on a much stronger voice. You must remember that when it comes to learning to write in the active voice at all times, that practice will make perfect. Writing is nothing more than a collection of habits and inclinations. Your writing habits are shaped by the discipline and importance that you place upon writing itself. If you don't see the passive voice as something to avoid, you will never work to get rid of it however, if you understand and respect the active voice, if you make sure that you earnestly believe that the passive voice is inferior, you will have a much easier time getting into the discipline of sitting down and rooting out the passive voice. Practice as much as you can, each time you find yourself writing in the passive voice, stop and rewrite it then remind yourself why you are rewriting. Remember, the best type of writing is the kind that can draw readers in and active voice is the best choice for that.

A contraction, or short form, is an abbreviated form of a word or words, from which one or more letters have been left out and replaced by an apostrophe. They're very common in conversational spoken English. For example, when speaking informally we usually say words such as ‘I am’ as ‘I'm’, ‘he is’ as ‘he’s’, ‘it is’ as ‘it's’, and ‘we will’ as ‘we'll’. What about contractions in written English? Informal writing Informal writing is very much like a spoken conversation because you’re writing as you would speak. So contractions are also very common in informal written English such as personal letters, emails, text messages to close friends and family, and postcards. Contractions can also be used in business correspondence such as letters, emails, and email newsletters, where you want to communicate with clients or customers in a friendly, conversational tone. Blog posts are almost always written in an informal way, as are many longer online articles, and so contractions are common in both. Depending on your audience, website content such as Home and About pages are also usually written informally. Fiction writing Contractions are common in fiction writing, both in dialogue and normal prose. The playwright George Bernard Shaw famously didn’t use the apostrophe for contractions in his fiction writing, preferring to write ‘dont’ instead of ‘don’t’, ‘wouldnt’ instead of ‘wouldn’t’, ‘cant’ instead of ‘can’t’, and so on. Equally famously, author Lewis Carroll took things to the other extreme with extra apostrophes; writing ‘ca’n’t’ instead of ‘can’t’, ‘sha’n’t’ instead of ‘shan’t’ (shall not), and so on! Formal writing Style guides and recommendations for the use of contractions in formal writing vary, but the general advice is that you shouldn’t use them. So, for example, instead of ‘it’s’, we should use ‘it is’, and instead of ‘didn’t’’, we should use ‘did not’. However, there are varying degrees of formality, and contractions are increasingly accepted in formal writing because they make the writing more natural, and easier to read. The best advice is to write in the style most appropriate to your specific audience, and in the style which is required or recommended by the context, profession, business, or institution you’re writing for. Academic writing Academic writing, which would normally be included under formal writing, does at times use a more informal tone with some contractions, for example in some course books and scholarly articles. But for university assignments and research papers you will almost certainly be required to write formally, using long rather than short forms of words. And of course many other academic texts, technical writing, and legal documents, etc., are also expected to be very precise and formal, with only long forms of words used. So, what are some of the most common contractions? Common English Contractions First of all, and as we said above, in written English the apostrophe ( ’ ) is used to replace the missing letter or letters in contractions. For example: am becomes ’m are becomes ’re had becomes ’d has becomes ’s have becomes ’ve is becomes ’s will becomes ’ll would becomes ’d List of common English contractions Long form Contraction/short form I am I'm he is he's it is it's she is she's they are they're we are we're you are you're I have I've it has it's he has he's she has she's they have they've you have you've we have we've I had I'd it had it'd he had he'd she had she'd they had they'd you had you'd we had we'd Question words + 'is' Long form Contraction/short form how is how's what is what's when is when's where is where's who is who's why is why's Negative Contractions Long form Contraction/short form are not aren't were not weren't do not don't did not didn't has not hasn't have not haven't had not hadn't is not isn't was not wasn't can not can't could not couldn't must not mustn't might not mightn't shall not shan't should not shouldn't will not won't would not won't Example sentences using common English contractions he'll – he will Do you think he'll pass his driving test? I'll – I will I'll see you next week. I'm – I am I'm going for a walk. I'm hungry - can we eat now, please? it's – it is It’s freezing outside! she'd/he’d – she/he would or she/he had a) I wish she'd told me she wasn’t coming. (she had) b) Do you think he’d like to come to our party? (he would) Contractions are used often in negative sentences. For example: aren't – are not Why aren’t you answering your phone? can't – can not I can't find my glasses anywhere. didn't - did not They didn't tell me the meeting was cancelled. hasn't - has not He hasn't been in touch for over a month. mustn't - must not You mustn't be late for work shouldn't - should not I shouldn't have eaten so much! won't – will not My husband’s been feeling ill for days, but he won’t go to the doctor. wouldn't - would not My dad wouldn't let me drive his car. Questions words + ‘is’ What's the time? (what is) Where's my newspaper? (where is) When's your wedding? (when is) Who's coming to your wedding? (who is) Summary Contractions (or short forms) are abbreviated forms of a word or words, from which one or more letters have been left out and replaced by an apostrophe. They're very common in spoken English and many forms of informal writing, and are increasingly accepted in more formal writing. However, in some formal writing such as university assignments it’s still considered inappropriate to include contractions. Write for your audience and your purpose, and follow any guidance you have been given by the profession, business, or institution you’re writing for.

How confident do you feel about using English phrasal verbs correctly? If you’re a non-native English speaker, the prospect of mastering the use of these frustrating, but very common and very useful, parts of language might fill you with dread! I know English language learners often worry about learning how to use them correctly. But if you’re a native English speaker, there’s a good chance you use them many times a day without giving them a second thought. And although they’re very familiar to you, it’s possible you might not even know what these much-used parts of language are called. Here’s a very brief explanation and reminder if you need one… What is a phrasal verb? Phrasal verbs are also sometimes called multi-word verbs. They’re used just like other verbs and are a combination of a verb, such as ‘talk’ or ‘run’, plus one or two particles (an adverb or a preposition), that results in a new word or unit of meaning. Examples of common phrasal verbs: buy out call off cool off eat up fall for freshen up hit it off look after pull out run out sell up show off step up soup up talk over write off Phrasal verbs are particularly common in normal conversation. Using phrasal verbs in your informal speech makes it sound more natural, and if you’re a non-native English speaker, using them makes your speech much more like that of a native English speaker. But what about phrasal verbs in writing? Phrasal verbs are also very common in informal writing where the style of the writing is similar to a spoken conversation. In informal writing you’re writing very much as you speak and, according to the context, your writing may include slang, idioms, colloquial expressions, abbreviations, contractions, and of course, many phrasal verbs. Because of their frequent occurrence in informal speech and writing, it’s not unreasonable to think that phrasal verbs are always informal. You may have read that phrasal verbs should be avoided in formal writing, and that the single verb equivalents should be used instead. While to some extent that’s true, the reality is more complicated. Phrasal verbs in formal writing There are many phrasal verbs that can and also should be used in formal writing. You will often see them used in many quite formal and formal texts such as business letters, academic writing, scientific papers, technical papers, legal documents, news reports, and official government documents. Before we move on to examples of phrasal verbs that are useful and appropriate for formal writing, let’s look at language register for a moment... ‘Register’ is the term we use to refer to different varieties or styles of speaking and writing, and also the degree or level of formality with which we speak or write. Degree of formality is on a sliding scale rather than in distinct categories, and although phrasal verbs are often thought of as an informal part of language, most of them are neutral, and some are in fact rather formal. Some phrasal verbs are definitely informal, for example: beaver away – work hard for a long time belt out - sing or play a musical instrument very loudly harp on – talk non-stop about something in a boring or annoying way pig out - eat a lot of or too much food In your formal writing, you should of course avoid phrasal verbs that are at the informal end of register, and steer clear of slang phrasal verbs, and those that would be considered by many to be offensive. A good phrasal verb dictionary will tell you which phrasal verbs are informal, slang, or offensive. It's true that very often, single verbs are more formal and therefore are more appropriate for formal writing than their phrasal verb equivalents. Some examples of these are: Single verb/Phrasal Verb constitute/make up calculate/work out cause/bring about discover/find out discuss/talk about emerge/come out eradicate/stamp out increase/go up maintain/keep up organize/set up propose/put forward select/pick out However, most phrasal verbs are neutral, neither informal or formal, and in general there’s no reason to specify they shouldn’t be used in formal writing. In fact, in some cases it’s more appropriate to use a phrasal verb in place of a single verb. For example, the phrasal verb ‘carry out’: “Researchers carried out a survey into …” sounds much better for formal writing than “Researchers did a survey into …” At the other end of the formality register, there are phrasal verbs that are so formal they’re only used in very formal or serious speech or writing. If you were to use them in informal writing they would very strange and out of place. Examples of formal phrasal verbs adhere to appertain to ascribe to disabuse of emanate from/to depart from engage in enlarge on/upon enter on/upon offend against permit of pertain to provide against set forth As always with writing, context is everything – remember to use the language most appropriate to your audience. Your university, organization, etc. will most probably have a guide to the language you should use for formal writing, including their preferences for using phrasal verbs or their single verb equivalents. Summary Often, single verbs are more formal than phrasal verbs and therefore can be more appropriate for formal writing than their phrasal verb equivalents. Nevertheless, phrasal verbs are very common in formal writing. Offensive, slang, and informal phrasal verbs are not appropriate for formal writing. Most phrasal verbs are neutral and therefore, in general, there’s no reason to specify they shouldn’t be used in formal writing. Some phrasal verbs are so formal they’re only used in very formal or serious writing. Yes, you can use phrasal verbs in formal writing, as long as you choose those that are the most suitable for your context or audience.

their, there, they’re (/ðɛː/) ‘Their’, ‘there’, and ‘they’re’ are commonly misspelled and used incorrectly in writing, even by native English speakers. It’s easily done because they’re homophones - words that are pronounced the same, but are spelt differently and have different meanings. The word ‘homophone’ comes from Greek homóphõnos homo same – phõné sound However, although these three words sound the same, they have very different meanings, and so it’s important to use them correctly. For example: their – Their car is blue. there – It's parked over there. they're – They're going to buy a new car soon. THEIR ‘their’ is a determiner meaning belonging to, or associated with, people, animals, or things previously mentioned, or easily identified. It’s nearly always followed by a noun. For example: their children their car their house Example sentences using ‘their’: I could use some ideas about the best ways to help my children with their homework. The couple and their accomplice were eventually caught red-handed. Have you seen their new house? This is their car, and this is ours. We also use it as a gender-neutral alternative to ‘his’ or ‘her’. For example: Someone left their coat in the bar last night. Who finished their dinner first? Anyone who cares about their writing should proofread and edit it carefully. Some people dislike the use of ‘their’ as a gender-neutral substitute as they feel it’s ungrammatical. But it's now become widely used in this way and generally accepted as a natural part of language use. THERE there – in, at, or to, that place I had a great time in Malta. I’d like to go there again. there – used to introduce the subject of a sentence There’s someone at the door. There were too many people on the bus to work this morning. get there – arrive somewhere It took us more than five hours to drive home in the snow. I thought we’d never get there. THEY'RE ‘They’re’ is a contraction of ‘they are’ - the ‘a’ from ‘are’ is replaced by an apostrophe. ‘They’ is a pronoun used to refer to a group of people, animals or things that have already been mentioned, or are easily identified. Example sentences using ‘they’re’ I saw Marie and David last week. Did you know they’re getting married? They’re getting here around six o’clock If they said they didn’t know what they were doing, they’re lying. My parents said they’re going to Nice for their holiday. Example sentences that have their, there, and they’re in the same sentence Their parents live in Canada and they’re flying to Quebec to be there with them for their fortieth wedding anniversary. When they get there, they’re staying in a hotel with their extended family. They’re staying there for ten days and then travelling to visit their friends in Montreal. They’re hoping to have time to visit all their favourite places while they’re there. How do I know if I’m using their, there, and they’re correctly? Mistakes made by confusing ‘their’, ‘there’ and ‘they’re’ in your writing are not usually picked up by proofreading software because although you may have used a word inappropriately in a sentence, if it's spelt correctly the software doesn't recognise it as an error. So, how do you know if you’re using them correctly? In most cases, the following tips should help you decide if you’re using the right word in the right place... THEIR: Try replacing ‘their’ with ‘our’ in your sentence. Does it still make sense? If it does, then you’re using it correctly. For example: Their parents live in Canada. Our parents live in Canada. Have you seen their new baby? Have you seen our new baby? THERE: Try replacing ‘there’ with ‘here’. Does your sentence still make sense? If it does, then it’s correct. THEY’RE: For ‘they’re’, does your sentence still make sense if you replace ‘they’re’ with ‘they are’? If it does, then it’s correct. A final word from their, there, and they're … Remember, they’re easy to mix up because their sound is the same, but their meanings are different. Proofreading software won’t help you identify when you’re using them incorrectly but, for most cases, there are questions you can ask yourself to test whether you have the right word.

An explanation of the definite and indefinite articles in English, and how we use them. With example sentences. What is an article? Articles are a part of grammar often included in the word class determiner. In English, there are two articles: the indefinite article, a/an, and the definite article, the. We use the to refer to something specific, and a/an to refer to something non-specific or general. For example, if we say, “He’s married to an English woman.”, this could refer to any English woman, we don’t know specific which one he’s married to. If we say, “He’s married to the English woman.”, we know which specific English woman he is married to. Indefinite articles: 'a' and 'an' Let’s have a closer look at the indefinite articles 'a' and 'an'. 'a' and 'an' are used to modify non-specific countable nouns. We don’t use them with plural nouns or uncountable nouns. For example: “Let's watch a DVD.” We have more than one DVD we could watch, but we don't yet know which one we will choose. “She ate a banana.” There are probably several bananas, but we don't know which specific banana she ate. “She read a book.” There are many books, but we don't know which specific one she read. “His son really wants a ride in a helicopter for his birthday.” This could be a ride in any helicopter. “I’d love to go and see an opera this Christmas.” This is referring to any opera, not a specific opera. 'a' and 'an' are also used when we refer to what someone is, or what job they do. Here are some examples: She’s an airline pilot. He's an electrician. She's a university student. He's a Muslim. But remember, they are not used with uncountable nouns or plural nouns. For example: He likes brown bread (uncountable noun) He loves fast cars (plural noun) We use 'a' before words that start with a consonant or consonant sound. For example: a government a bird a book a horse a language a library a university - /ˌjuːnɪˈvɜː(r)səti/ a European - /ˌjʊərəˈpiːən/ We use 'an' before words that start with a vowel or vowel sound. For example: an apple an engine an English lesson an exam an honour - /ˈɒnə(r)/ an hour - /ˈaʊə(r)/ Where the noun is modified by an adjective, you use 'a' or 'an' depending on whether the adjective starts with a consonant or consonant sound, or a vowel or vowel sound. For example: a red car a terrible accident a difficult exam an exciting party an interesting job an action-packed football match Definite article: 'the' Now, let’s have a look at definite article ‘the’. 'the' is used to modify specific nouns when it’s clear what is being referred to. It can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns. For example: “On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first person to step on the moon.” We only have one moon, so we know which specific moon is being referred to here. “The English course for beginners starts next Tuesday.” A specific English course starts next Tuesday. “They were lost in the Sahara Desert for four days.” There is only one Sahara Desert. “We went on a boat trip on the Danube.” There is only one Danube river. “She sailed solo across the Atlantic.” “Can you pass me the hammer and nails, please?” Examples of the definite article used with uncountable nouns. “Who's used all the bread?” “The weather has been gorgeous all weekend.” “The scenery around our hotel was amazing.” "I don’t have the courage to do a parachute jump.” Incidentally, according to the Oxford English Corpus, 'the' also happens to be the word that occurs most frequently in written English. Omission of Articles Some nouns don't take an article before them. For example, we do not use an article when referring to: the names of sports: e.g. hockey, football, tennis, ice-skating, swimming. academic subjects: e.g. geography, history, English literature, physics. the names of languages and nationalities: e.g. Italian, Chinese, English, French, Mandarin, Polish, Catalan. Note: If you are referring to the population of a country or nation, an article is used. For example: The French, The Chinese. "The French are well known for their excellent food." the names of countries, territories or islands: e.g. Holland, Peru, Latvia, New Zealand, Easter Island. Note: There are some exceptions to this. For example, the US/the United States, the Caribbean, the Philippines, the Netherlands. the names of continents: e.g. Africa, Asia, Europe. the names of cities or towns: e.g. London, Moscow, Sydney, Athens. Some languages have complex systems of articles relating to gender, person, number, and case, whereas other languages have no definite or indefinite articles at all. The English language only has 'a/an' and 'the' to learn and remember so, in theory at least, they should be straightforward to learn and use. Nevertheless, remembering their correct use and non-use can still be quite difficult for learners of English. Remember… We use the indefinite article 'a/an' to talk about something that is not specific or definite. We use the definite article ‘the’ to talk about something specific. Indefinite: “I’m going to eat an apple.” This could be any apple, we don’t know which one. Definite: “I’m going to eat the apple.” We do know which apple I’m going to eat. If you can remember these two rules, you’re off to a very good start mastering English articles 'a/an' and 'the'.

The importance of proofreading your writing, plus key proofreading tips that show you how to proofread and make sure your writing is error-free. What is proofreading? To proofread a document is to carefully read it to find any errors in spelling, punctuation, or grammar, so they can be corrected before publishing. Have you ever wondered where the word ‘proofreader’ comes from? It makes sense when we know the etymology of the word ‘proof’, and that it comes from the Latin probare, to test or prove. We normally associate the word ‘proof’ with facts or information that show something exists or is true, but, as its etymology shows, it also refers to the action of proving or testing something. A proof (noun) is something produced as a test version. And a galley proof is a trial version of a book created for proofreaders, as well as authors and editors, for proofreading and editing purposes. So, a proofreader is someone who checks or tests proofs (or trial versions of documents/texts), for errors. The internet has made it possible for rapidly growing numbers of people to write for an audience and for their work to be read. Just about anyone can write and publish a book to Amazon Kindle. The platform’s detailed instructions make the publishing process straightforward and, providing you follow their rules, open to everyone. You can set up a free blog and immediately start publishing your ideas and thoughts. Many small business owners write all sorts of types of content and copy, from marketing and advertising copy, to Home pages and About pages, to emails for clients and potential clients. And a lot of office communication is now carried out by email, rather than in person or by phone. And then of course there are the more traditional forms of writing such as academic writing, fiction and nonfiction print books, and journalism. All these forms of writing need to be proofread before publishing. When you’ve written the final word in your piece of writing you might think that your work is finished. But there’s more work to be done. Proofreading for things like spelling, grammar, punctuation, and word choice is an essential part of the writing process, and a vital part of creating a fine piece of written work. Even if you have a gift for telling stories, or writing compelling blog posts, or you’re good at explaining complex issues in a way that most people can understand – your writing still needs to be proofread. Everyone makes errors as they write, and every writer has areas of weakness. Why should you proofread? Proofreading is important for several reasons, but most importantly for ensuring clarity of meaning in your finished text. You want to make sure your information is clear, and your message is understood – there should be no room for misunderstanding or misinterpretation. You also want to make sure your reader is not distracted by errors. Having a lot of grammatical errors or spelling mistakes in a piece of writing is not only distracting, but can also be seen as a poor reflection of your knowledge and expertise in a subject – even when your actual content is great. Some people do find errors like this particularly annoying, as well as distracting, and on content such as blog posts will happily point them out. Identifying and removing errors before you hit publish avoids any embarrassment you might feel about that kind of feedback. Unfortunately, even minor errors in your writing can negatively affect your reputation and undermine the weight of your arguments, which is especially important if you’re writing because you want to be an influencer and recognized as an expert in your field. Too many spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors can even affect your overall grades in your university essays. So, after you get your ideas, arguments, and other content in order, proofreading is an essential step that helps ensure your writing is as good as it can be. It shows you’re conscientious and, combined with your great content, gives your readers a good impression. First impressions count, and if your first contact with someone is via the written word, for example in emails or CVs/Resumes to potential employers, or in a university application, or for new visitors and possible clients to your website or blog, then you need to make that first impression as good as possible. Even though visual and audio content such as videos and podcasts are so popular today, most communication is still in written format. And with the prevalence of things like blogging, and the growing trend towards remote working, freelancing, and the favouring of email over telephone calls, very often the main, and sometimes the only communication you’ll have with someone is via the written word. More than ever, the ability to proofread documents is a necessary skill, and not only for those offering professional proofreading services. If you’re going to proofread your own work, here are some proofreading techniques to help with the process. Proofreading techniques Get your content right first. Proofreading is the final check of your writing. Get your content right first and make sure you’ve included all your ideas and arguments, and you have the right structure for your type or genre of writing. Carry out overview editing to check for things like: do your paragraphs flow well from idea to idea and guide your reader through your writing? if you’re writing an essay, thesis, article, blog post etc., does your title and your introductory paragraph let your readers know what to expect? Is your formatting correct? E.g. titles, subtitles, contents page, headers, footers etc. Check for whatever’s relevant to your piece of writing. Then when that’s done, you can begin your proofreading. Write first, proofread last. Leave your proofreading until after you’ve finished writing. Writing and proofreading/editing use very different mental processes, and trying to proofread as you write can break the flow of your writing, the creative process of writing, and your chain of thought. However, this is general advice only, as many people much prefer to proofread (and edit) as they go along. Print a copy. Print your document out for proofreading. It helps you see errors you might have missed when proofreading digital versions. Change how it looks. If you’re reading on a screen, change the font size and type. Work on one section at a time. If you have a very long document to proofread, break it down into sections and work on one part at a time. This way, what could be a totally overwhelming task becomes much more manageable. You’ll be able to concentrate more fully on each section and will be less likely to miss errors. Take your time. Read everything through slowly and carefully. Try tapping or pointing to each word with a pencil. Leave time between finishing your writing, and proofreading. For example, two or three days if you can for things like blog posts, articles, essays, ebooks, etc. If that’s not possible, for example for things like emails and exams, at least leave a few minutes after you finish writing, so you can look at it with fresh eyes. Check for spelling errors. Most writing tools have spell-checkers built in. Depending on your audience, if you’re writing in English check you’re using the correct spelling variations e.g. US or British/UK. Check for punctuation. Especially punctuation that commonly causes problems such as semicolons and colons. A labour-intensive but apparently effective way to identify any punctuation errors is to pick out every single punctuation mark with a red pen. Check for missing words. These are very easy to miss as our brains automatically fill in the blanks, and we read what we expect to read. Proofread for only one error at a time. It helps you to really focus and not miss anything. Identify your weaknesses in your writing, and focus on checking for these. Every writer has them. If you know you have a tendency to over-season your writing with semi-colons and exclamation marks, or you know you sometimes have trouble with subject-verb agreement, make a point of checking for those. When you get feedback on your writing, note down any recurring errors errors you make so you can hunt them out next time you proofread. Try reading aloud. Very often it’s easier to pick out missing words and misspellings when you have to slow down and really pay attention so you can read your writing aloud. However, much as you do when you’re reading your own writing to proofread it, there’s a chance you may also read aloud what you’re expecting to read/say. So for an important document, you could get a friend, family member, or colleague to read it aloud for you instead. Or you could even try text to voice software. Typely supports text to speech and you can use it to read your text. Read it backwards. Try something really different and start at the end of your text and read it backwards! It might sound strange, but it’s effective because it forces you to focus on just one word at a time. Have someone else check your writing Ideally, you need to have more than one pair of eyes looking over your work. For things like emails that need to be sent immediately, it’s not realistic to do this of course, but for longer pieces get at least another two pairs of eyes to look over your work if you can. It’s not always easy to find someone to check your work, but perhaps you could partner up with someone and reciprocate. Use Online Proofreading Software. Online proofreading software is a very useful tool for picking up a variety of issues in your writing, and suggesting ways you improve it. Remember to keep in mind not to rely on it, as it won’t identify some common grammatical errors. Hire a Professional Proofreader. If precision and clarity are vital for an important document, and if your budget allows, you can have a professional proofreader check your work. There are many sites offering proofreading services online, and finding one to suit your budget and time-frame is straightforward. You can even find proofreaders who specialize in different areas. For example, academic proofreading to check for errors in your essays and research papers, or proofreading for medical, legal, or business writing. There’s a caveat to the proofreading techniques suggested above - no matter how carefully a document is proofread, something will slip through the net. Who hasn’t spotted a typo or two in a published novel that’s probably gone through multiple stages of professional proofreading and editing? And I expect you’ve heard the quote, “I do my best proofreading after I hit send.” I think we can all empathise with that one! It’s very difficult to successfully proofread your own writing in a consistent way, and although it’s a little embarrassing discover you’ve made typos in work that’s been sent or published, there’s no point feeling bad about it. So, should this emphasis on the importance of proofreading for perfection put you off writing if you feel your writing isn’t good enough? Writing errors can attract surprisingly strong opinions, and it can be hard to go public with your writing if you’re worried about making mistakes. Blog posts and infographics with titles like “XX Grammatical Errors That Make You Look Dumb”, don’t help. The definition of a well-written piece of text is subjective. For some, it will be perfect grammar and spelling, for others it will be writing that connects emotionally, regardless of whether the spelling, punctuation or grammar is perfect. If you have something to say that you feel strongly about, it would be a great pity if you didn’t write it because of the fear that someone might call you out on your mistakes. The best way to improve your writing is practice – keep writing, and keep learning, and get into the habit of proofreading your work. It really is worth spending the extra time to make sure your writing is the best it can be, and that you're giving the best impression of yourself and your writing that you can. But don’t let fear of making errors put you off writing. Every writer makes mistakes, and even professionally edited and proofread documents are sometimes published with the odd typo, missing word, and grammar gaffe. How much do you worry about getting your grammar, spelling and punctuation perfect before you send or publish your writing? And do you have a favourite proofreading technique?