Proofreading Challenge
Here is a very short, simple challenge for anyone thinking of learning to proofread.
I have placed a few errors in this little piece. Your job is simply to find it and make a note of them. The answers will appear here on Thursday. I have introduced difficult or controversial points; the mistakes are simple and obvious
Proofreaders have to learn restaint. It is very annoying to an author if a proofreader makes unnecessary interventions, and changes to a
a book. Missing a typo (typographical error is important, but changing the author’s style or choice of words is unforgivable. Every book has it’s own “voice; a proofreader does not altar this.
That’s it. Have fun.
So, if it’s Thursday, here’s our answer.
1 Line 2 of text: it and them disagree so simply to find them would be the best correction. There is clearly more than one error.
2 Line 3: either the word no is missing after introduced, or I could have missed out not after have. The context makes this clear. Either solution would do.
3 Line 4: a full stop (full point) is missing from the end of the line.
4 Line 5: restraint.
5 Line 6: extraneous comma after interventions.
6 Lines 6 and 7: a repeated. There’s also an unwanted extra line space between lines 6 and 7.
7 Line 5: round bracket missing after error.
8 Line 6: its not it’s.
9 Line 7: add double quotes after voice and before the semicolon.
10 Line 8: alter.
If you have found more than this you have probably rewritten or copy-edited rather than proofread. Remember that when you learn to proofread you have to leave your ego behind, however much you dislike the author’s style. Not easy!