The best way to proofread your work is to get someone else to do it. Unfortunately, this is not always possible.
The following proofreading techniques are easy and help minimize errors in your documents.
- Use a spell checker and grammar checker, but DON’T trust them. Spell checkers catch obviously misspelled words (like byt instead of but, but will miss bit if you meant but). Grammar checkers detect simple grammatical mistakes (like repeated words), but give a lot of spurious warnings.
- Look at the document differently. Change the font or go from single column to two columns. Changing the way the document appears makes it easier to notice errors.
- Print out the document. Reading hard copy is very different from reading on screen.
- Read it out loud. Preferably pointing at the words with a finger as you read. This is also a good way to ensure your content flows well.
- Put it aside and come back to it later. A break can help you see things in a fresh way.
And I was just wondering about that too!
You’re welcome.