Compiled by Laura Thomas, Senior Editor jaBlog!
These tips were part of a recent LTC Insider weekly giveaway challenge.
Only open to LTC Insiders
Use a different font. I have heard that proof reading is easier if you use a different font and read aloud. Sometimes after a while your eyes become accustomed to a certain font, and it looks like every word is the same. When you change the font to something completely different, you don’t so much read the text as read each word individually. – Imogen Reeves, Age 11, Australia
Ask a friend to read it out loud to you. Reread, reread, reread and when you are done reading it, read it again. Every time you read, check for any grammar errors, spelling errors, consistency and flow. When you feel there are no errors, give it to a close friend or family member to read to you. Often hearing someone else read your own work allows you to spot errors you normally wouldn’t pick up. Not only that, it gives you a fresh pair of eyes on your work. You can also gauge the effectiveness of your storyline and reader response. - Jessica Ah Sing, Age 16, South Africa
Take your time. My tip is that you should take your time to proofread. This is the final error hunt, the most important one, which means that you can’t afford to miss mistakes. Take your time and you will most likely catch all types of mistakes. If you rush, you will most likely miss them. – Audrey Corno, Age 11, Hong Kong
Be your reader. Not just any of your readers, but the kind of reader that scowls and shakes her head every time the author uses a tired and overused word like “plethora” or accidentally skips a period at the end of a sentence. Be the reader whose day is ruined whenever a writer misspells “definitely” or “schedule.” Go to the extreme and examine your manuscript with a hard, critical eye. – Vanessa Medeiros, Age 14, Canada
Take a break. Put the manuscript aside for two days (not too long) and pick up a novel, read your favourite part or the parts which you think have been written gracefully. And after the term ends, pick up your manuscript and think of it like it’s your rival. You point out a punctuation mistake and you score a point, you point out a spelling mistake and you score two points! – Vidhi Bagadia, Age 17, India
Read backwards. When we read a text, our brain automatically corrects the typos and errors. What I have learned from experience is that the best way to spot mistakes in the text is to read it backwards, word by word. Although this method is a bit tedious and requires a lot of concentration, it counters any chances of errors being left ignored. - Sadaf Tausif, Age 14, Pakistan
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Do you have a proofreading tip not listed here that you would like to share with our readers? We would like to know what it is! Please email it to our senior editor or post it in a comment.
