Proofreading Archives

A Sales Flyer in Need of Hyphens

On a morning walk, I picked up a sales flyer for a luxury building–luxurious except for the missing hyphens. How many hyphens would you insert in the passage below? Feel free to list your hyphenated words. Stunning stand alone home. Striking design and functionality come… continue reading

School-AgeD? Pint-SizeD? Is “D” Required?

To D or not to D? I published my monthly newsletter today, and it included the phrase “Olympic-size pool.” But should it have been an “Olympic-sized pool?” A subscriber wrote and asked the -sized question. She also wondered whether to wear a striped shirt or a stripe shirt. Her questions… continue reading

Proofreading

Help Proofreaders Stay Sane and Efficient

Good proofreaders catch errors that would embarrass, torment, and diminish us if those errors appeared in print or online. But their jobs aren’t easy. Those valuable workers often put up with tense deadlines, continual interruptions, and unrealistic expectations. Are you someone who makes proofreaders’ lives difficult? Don’t make your… continue reading

Correct This Sign

This sign includes several subtle errors. Can you find and correct them? Please share your brief corrections–no need to rewrite the content. I will post my corrections on November 16. Enjoy the weekend! Would you like to be more confident correcting punctuation? Take my… continue reading

How Fast Can You Change Passive Verbs?

Passive voice verbs sneak into everyone's writing–at least in first drafts. When your grammar and spelling checker flags a passive verb, how quickly can you rewrite the sentence? My Microsoft grammar and spelling checker underlined 10 of the 11 passive verbs below. Its only miss… continue reading

What’s Missing From This Reminder?

My husband, Michael, is planning to participate in an event on Saturday. Below is the entire content of the reminder email he received today. Can you identify what’s missing? Subject: Three More Days Until the Run! We hope you are getting excited about participating in Saturday’s… continue reading

Need a Punctuation Class? Try This Test.

In response to client requests, I have designed a new online self-study course, Punctuation for Professionals. It’s a lively, interactive review of the essential rules of punctuation. Would you benefit from a punctuation class? See whether you can identify punctuation errors in 8 of the 16 sentences… continue reading

Test Yourself: If or Whether

Which word, if or whether, is correct in each of these sentences? I am not sure if/whether I need management approval for this purchase. Let me know if/whether you plan to ride with us, and I will pick you up. The lunch will take place under the… continue reading

Test Yourself: Using Commas and Semicolons

How confident are you in your use of commas and semicolons? The article below contains 10 intentional errors that involve commas and semicolons. Note: I use the serial comma. If you don’t use it, your error count will be different. A corrected version and a… continue reading

Don’t Chip Away at Your Credibility

The other day I had lunch with an old friend at a restaurant. We both ordered tea, and our tea came in ceramic teapots. My friend's teapot had a noticeable chip on its lid. She commented to me, "They should not be using a chipped… continue reading