The other day I led a business writing class for leaders in a world-class company. Because they were a supportive group, one of them admitted she often doesn't proofread her email. With the need to send out dozens of messages each day, how can a person take time to read through each message before sending it?
But how can a person NOT proofread? When a tiny error can mean hours of damage control, it just isn't smart not to do at least one read-through.
One common error I see is the word not for now, or now for not–a simple one-letter mistake. I made the error purposely in the title of this post. Didn't you think I had lost my mind? How could I possibly say proofreading is not essential?
It was just a little error. Imagine these variations:
- Merisa is not due for a salary increase. [should have been now]
- She is not a member of the executive team. [should have been now]
- He has now completed his probationary period. [should have been not]
A quick read-through would catch those damaging errors.
Now more than ever, with the huge volume of writing we do, it's essential to proofread.
Lynn
Syntax Training