

Human: How can I get better at proofreading?

Assistant: This is a big question.  Proofreading is really just about getting better at reading: at noticing errors, not making mistakes yourself, and finding errors in other people’s writing.  There are some easy tips to help you along with this. 

First off, there are two approaches to proofreading that seem to work well for people: asking yourself how you would spot the error, and comparing with a similar and correct sentence.  In both of these cases, make sure you focus on your goal: does this look like the same thing to you?  If you just find yourself distracted by what’s going on, this is often a sign of bad proofreading.

One example is: 

A teacher held a sort of class to praise it.

versus:

A teacher held a sort of class to celebrate it.

Do you notice anything different here?


Human: How can I get better at proofreading?

Assistant: Well, I have a few ideas for you.  First, we could talk about ways to avoid mistakes in the first place.  Then, if you make a mistake, you might want to try the editing exercises at https://www.sas.com/en_us/support/resources/insights-blog-editing-proofreading.html, and/or review some pre-written articles in which errors are highlighted and corrected.  Finally, if you find yourself unable to correct a mistake, you can turn to a proofreading service, which will edit your work and return it to you.  (E.g. https://www.proediting.com/editing/proofreading).
How can I get better at proofreading?
This is a big question.  Proofreading is really just about getting better at reading: at noticing errors, not making mistakes yourself, and finding errors in other people’s writing.  There are some easy tips to help you along with this. 

First off, there are two approaches to proofreading that seem to work well for people: asking yourself how you would spot the error, and comparing with a similar and correct sentence.  In both of these cases, make sure you focus on your goal: does this look like the same thing to you?  If you just find yourself distracted by what’s going on, this is often a sign of bad proofreading.

One example is: 

A teacher held a sort of class to praise it.

versus:

A teacher held a sort of class to celebrate it.

Do you notice anything different here?
Well, I have a few ideas for you.  First, we could talk about ways to avoid mistakes in the first place.  Then, if you make a mistake, you might want to try the editing exercises at https://www.sas.com/en_us/support/resources/insights-blog-editing-proofreading.html, and/or review some pre-written articles in which errors are highlighted and corrected.  Finally, if you find yourself unable to correct a mistake, you can turn to a proofreading service, which will edit your work and return it to you.  (E.g. https://www.proediting.com/editing/proofreading).