The Importance of Proofreading
When someone reads a document that you have written, they will likely judge your intelligence and work ethic based on the level of writing. So if you"re writing a cover letter for a job or an essay for your professor, if its riddled with grammatical errors and punctuation mistakes, the reader will see you as not only less intelligent, but also careless.Common Big Mistakes
Itò€™s the blatant mistakes, not in-depth rules of English that only English majors understand, which are going to get you in trouble. For example, these are common mistakes that will always have negative effects:
ò€¢If you misspell someone"s name, the reader is automatically put off. Can you imagine misspelling your employer"s name when looking for a job?
ò€¢If your document is littered with misspelled words, all of your hard work and research will be overlooked.
ò€¢If you use abbreviations common in texting, the reader may see you as immature.
ò€¢If you use a lot of slang, then the reader may see you as lazy.
ò€¢If you send someone a Word document and itò€™s full of red-underlined words, they are going to definitely see you as careless.
Common Small Mistakes
There are a few common mistakes that may be overlooked by a reader because they happen so often. But, itò€™s a good idea to catch these mistakes regardless, to prove that you care about your essay as well as the experience of the reader:
Their, There, and They"re: This mistake is done often when people are writing in a hurry.
ò€¢Their refers to possession: "Their home is very beautiful."
ò€¢There refers to location: "There is a beautiful home."
ò€¢They"re is a contraction of they are: "Theyò€™re living in a beautiful home."
Its and It"s: This one can be confusing, because an apostrophe usually indicates possession. However, the rule doesn"t apply here. This apostrophe is used when indicating a conjunction.
ò€¢It"s: "With so many clouds in the sky, it"s (it is) going to be a dreary day."
ò€¢Its: "Buy me a new computer and please don"t forget its directions."
Then and Than: One letter can make all the difference in this common mistake.
ò€¢Wrong: "That canyon had more then 500 rocks."
ò€¢Right: "That canyon had more than 500 rocks."
ò€¢Wrong: "I have more toys then you do."
ò€¢Right: "I have more toys than you do."
ò€¢Wrong: "I"m going to the store, than I"m going home."
ò€¢Right: "I"m going to the store, and then I"m going home."
Proofreading
Proofreading is easy and important to properly convey your message. Take these steps to have stellar documents each and every time:
ò€¢Do a manual spell-check. Don"t just rely on the automatic
spell-check in your software. Actually run the spell-check itself.
ò€¢Use a dictionary. If a word isn"t recognized by your software, look it up the old-fashioned way, either in print or online.
ò€¢Use a grammar check. Again, don"t rely on the automatic grammar-check. Run it from your Tools menu to be sure each and every mistake is caught.
ò€¢Proofread it yourself. Let your essay sit for a day. Then look at it with a fresh set of eyes tomorrow. You"ll likely see mistakes you didn"t see the day before.
ò€¢Find a friend: A friend may see mistakes that your tired eyes missed.
Remember, writing is a reflection of your work ethic and intelligence. So don"t take it lightly. Proofread, write well, and you"ll be rewarded many times over in the future.