I come across a wide variety of typos and errors when proofreading manuscripts, but certain mistakes pop up repeatedly. Familiarize yourself with these common mistakes so you can correct them—or avoid them entirely—in your own writing. 1. A single quotation mark instead of an apostrophe Examples: Incorrect: Go get ‘em. Correct: Go get ’em. An apostrophe—not a quotation mark—takes the place of a missing letter or letters. The direction that […]
Yes, it’s been a while since I’ve posted. More on that in a moment. First, here’s my brief word-usage lesson for the day: a while or awhile? a while is a noun that means a length of time. Example: I haven’t seen you in a while. awhile is an adverb that means for a length of time. Example: I’d like to sleep awhile. You wouldn’t say “I haven’t seen you […]
Reading out loud is a highly effective proofreading method used by many writers, and for good reason. Whether your manuscript is long or short, reading out loud forces your eyes to slow down and keep pace with your voice. And when you slow down, you’re more likely to catch errors. Additionally, hearing your words aloud instead of silently in your head will highlight problems that your eyes alone simply don’t […]
In honor of National Grammar Day (did you even know that was a thing?), I’m sharing four pairs of frequently misused words. Why four? Because National Grammar Day is on March 4, of course! 1. It’s or its It’s is always a contraction and means “it is” or “it has.” The apostrophe indicates the missing letter(s) and is NOT indicating possession. Example: It’s going to be a long day. Its is possessive. […]
The best proofreading advice I can give you is to slow down when you read your manuscript. Slow. Down. Ex. Treme. Lee. Take the time to literally focus on each and every syllable, letter, space, and punctuation mark (particularly the apostrophe). Concentrate and take in what is on the page as well as what isn’t. Sound ridiculous? Tedious? Maybe, but this is honestly what it takes to spot elusive errors. […]
Not long ago, a man contacted me through my personal author website to inform me of a misspelled word: “I thought you would like to know you misspelled the word ‘likeable’. Silly mistakes are a pet peeve of mine and they can ruin your website’s credibility.” The man then went on to push an online spelling website/tool at me, claiming I needed it. In truth, the mistake was made by […]
Welcome to 2018! Most of us make New Year’s resolutions (clichéd as that may be), and I’m no exception. (Meanwhile, my husband happily makes no resolutions—that way, he doesn’t have to be concerned about breaking them.) I believe it’s true that the more resolutions we make, the less likely we’ll be able to keep them. It’s simple math. So I’m trying to keep things manageable. My list of resolutions (see below) […]
I was recently reading a new self-published Christian novel, and I was impressed. After several pages, I hadn’t found one typo, misspelling, or misused apostrophe—not even a misplaced comma or modifier. Wow! The text read smoothly, cleanly—a refreshing change from many self-published novels. Then there it was, on the first page of chapter two: the young woman’s gate faltered. Her what? I pictured a small door shuddering and squeaking on […]