PROOFREADING FOR ERRORS

Everybody writes. Some read. Few proofread. Let's do something about that!

Proofreading and Editing (Error Correction)

In addition to developing a better vocabulary, proofreading and editing are the two most essential skills you must learn when you are trying to improve your writing.

Proofreading means looking for grammar, punctuation and spelling mistakes in your writing. These could be verb tense mistakes, subject-verb agreement errors, sentence fragments, run-on sentences or comma splices, incorrect singular or plurals as well as many other types of errors. Editing simply means correcting the mistakes you have found.  (From https://learningenglishwithmichelle.blogspot.com.es).

Common errors that crop up:

- Run-on sentences

- Subject-Verb agreement

- Singular and plural nouns

- Pronoun agreement

- Articles (the social networks are ...)

- Contractions

- Capitalization (english instead of English)

- Verb tense errors

- Verb patterns (what pattern follows recommend and suggest, for instance?).

- Sloppy errors (wich instead of which)

- Hedging devices (mitigating word/s to soften the message): Use of modal verbs.

- Punctuation

- New paragraph

- Use words correctly (Every day means “each day,” while everyday means “common.”).

- Spelling

Now, the fix. Are you up for some practice?

Practise hedging in your writing exercise.

Hedging / Cautious Language.

Run-on sentences quizzes.

Subject-verb agreement quizzes.

Verb phrases quizzes.

Writing support: Verb tenses exercise.

Using words correctly.

Revising and editing exercise.

Interactions 2 Writing: Choose any chapter so to practise different areas of vocabulary and go through the exercises. There is a revising and editing section at the end of each one.

Writing workshop.

Six amazing websites that make your writing stronger.

EOI Oviedo writing bank.