DON DEWSNAP is a master proofreader working with Writer Services in providing proofreading, editing and writing services to publishers, businesses and writers.
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DON DEWSNAP
Proofreading Correctly - Part II
In Part I of this article, I went over the five main requirements for proofreading correctly:
1) ASSUME THERE ARE ERRORS
2) DOUBLE-CHECK
3) USE A DICTIONARY
4) CHECK FOR CONSISTENCY
5) TAKE YOUR TIME
In this part, I will get into more of the nuts and bolts of proofreading correctly.
The single greatest obstacle to proofreading correctly is the way in which
people read. When a person reads, he sees whole words, not groups of
individual letters. Moreover, the mind automatically corrects errors in
spelling, if the word “looks” right. Thus, the mind will read “errror” or
“erorr” as if spelled “error.” This is why you have to Assume There Are
Errors. When you do, you are consciously overruling the tendency
of the mind to correct as it reads.
The solution is to read every single word individually, rather than as
part of a sentence. At first, this takes longer, but with practice, it is not
as hard as it sounds.
After you have read every single word, go back and read the sentence
as a whole, just to make sure it makes sense. This is when you find
out if a word has been left out or a completely wrong word was used.
For example, in the sentence, “Polar bears are frequently seen in
Florida,” the words are correct, but the meaning reveals an error.
Either the word “frequently” should be “infrequently,” or “Florida” should
be “Alaska.”
As a proofreader, it is not your job to edit, other than to correct obvious
errors. It IS, however, your job to bring suspected errors to the attention
of the author or whoever is responsible for correcting them. Proofreading
is a thinking person’s game, not a mechanical spelling and grammar
checking activity.
The next subject is Double-Checking. Here is a list of five of the most
frequently missed errors:
1. Headlines, Headings and Subheads
2. Two-Part Punctuation, such as parentheses
and quotation marks
3. The Numbering in Numbered Lists (if the author
takes an item out of the list, he might not remember
to re-number the rest of the list)
4. Page Numbers (if a page has been added or deleted,
the numbering can go awry)
5. Telephone Numbers
Few things in life are more embarrassing than a misspelling in a headline.
NEVER let it happen to you. Double-check all headlines. Almost as sad is
sending out a printed piece with an incorrect company phone number.
Who thinks to check the phone number" YOU DO!
Ideally you will double-check everything anyway, but the above is the
absolute minimum you should check twice, even if time is at a premium.
As for Using a Dictionary, I’ve been caught more than once by a word I
thought was wrong which turned out to be correct. If you think a word is
wrong, look it up. It may have a meaning you are not aware of, or it may
have two correct spellings. Both “parakeet” and “parrakeet” are acceptable
spellings. It may just be a word or spelling you don’t know. “Tortious,”
“tortuous,” and “torturous” are all good words. If you are not sure whether
“principal” or “principle” is the right word for the context, don’t just go with
what the author wrote: look them up.
The dictionary is also necessary for hyphenation. Dictionaries occasionally
disagree on how a word can be hyphenated, but for the most part, they are
reliable. Computer hyphenation programs are much less trustworthy. You
may choose not to hyphenate at all and live with the unsightly results, but
there is no reason to. Tests have shown that reading comprehension and
reading speed are not affected by occasional hyphenation.
Now we get into Consistency. I cannot overstress the importance of
consistency within a document. What is consistency" It is when identical
elements of a printed piece are treated in an identical way.
Inconsistencies can be subtle, even subliminal, but they detract from
the appearance and the effect of the document. In a promotional or
educational piece they can make a significant difference in results.
At the very least they are unprofessional and the mark of an amateur.
The list of what inconsistencies can occur in a document is far too long
to fit into one article. However, they do fall into a few groups, which I
will touch on here.
The big one is Spacing. In lists, if the spacing between a bullet and that
bullet’s text is different from one list to another, that is an inconsistency.
If the space between a picture and its caption varies from page to page;
if the space between lines or paragraphs, or headings and text differ
throughout the document; if the indents are all over the place: all are
inconsistencies.
The only way around this is to compare the space around identical
items on different pages. Often you will find they do vary. As the proof-
reader, you have to pick one, and make all the others agree with it
(mark them up as “Make spacing same as on page 9”). This can be
time-consuming, but it is necessary.
The next big one is Formatting. Formatting includes type font and type
size especially. Type font includes whether the type is regular, bold or
italic. Similar headings should all be the same font and size. Any
subsidiary elements (bylines, subheads, captions, extracts, boxed
text, etc.) must be consistent.
Another big area of inconsistency is Wording. Especially, does the
wording on the actual chapter or section headings exactly match the
wording in the Table of Contents" This is very easy to miss unless
you make a point of looking for it. (While you are at it, check the page
numbers in the Table of Contents to make sure they are accurate
– just a hint.) If chapter headings are similar in nature, are they worded
similarly" (If one is “John – His Story” and the next is “Jane’s Story,”
well, that’s just inconsistent.)
Then there is Structural Consistency. This includes the hierarchy of
headings, and internal compositional style. Hierarchy of headings
mean that headings that look the same should be of the same
importance. All your 18-point bold headings, for instance, should
signal major new thoughts or subjects, which are broken into sections
with consistent 12-point bold subheads, which may be further broken
down with 11-point italic sub-subheads. You do not want to see your
18-point subjects broken down later by your 11-point italics.
Inconsistent hierarchies can cause confusion and misunderstanding
for readers.
Internal compositional style is best handled by using a Style Sheet,
which you add to as you go along. Do you use a comma before the
“and” in a series" (Blue, yellow, and green.) Don’t use a comma with
“and” sometimes and then other times not use it. Be consistent. Don’t
abbreviate the word Doctor with “Dr.” in one place and then spell it out
in the next. Punctuation comes in here as well: if you have periods
after the text in one bulleted list, you had better have them in the
others as well; either with or without, all or none. Capitalization in
lists must be standardized. Write down all of these repeated elements
and how to handle them. Then you will know how to handle them when
they occur later in the document.
Remember, you might have to proofread other similar documents in
the future. You not only want each document to be consistent within
itself, but also with each other. The only way to have any chance of
this is to build up these Style Sheets for each kind of document.
Finally, watch out for Design Elements. Make sure artwork is placed
on the pages with consistent positioning. Check that the thickness of
lines is the same from one element to the next. If the art is at an
angle, and the type is at an angle, make sure they are the same angle.
Proofreading correctly is not easy. But it doesn’t have to be that
difficult if you’re careful and you take the time you need.
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