Editing Diversity

Having so much access to American television here in Australia means we grow up seeing words spelt the way they spell them the United States. Different to us and mostly not acceptable for Australians to use at school, Uni or in business. Even our spell checkers default at the US spelling often. It drives me nuts when my daughter who is seven says, candy instead of lollies, flashlight instead of torch, drugstore instead of chemist, sidewalk rather than footpath and states she is taking a shower instead of having one. One thing that's easy to remember is that Americans use 'z' in many words, where we use 's' and even pronounce 'Z' contrarily. Examples of 'Z' usage; antagonize versus antagonise, analysed and analysed, appetizer and appetiser and so on. Americans often also shorten words by removing a letter such as, anesthetic and anaesthetic, archeological and archaeological, mold versus mould, favor as opposed to favour and behaviour and behaviour. There are word alterations like center versus centre, color versus colour, tire and tyre, plow and plough and so on and on. So, who have we to blame or thank for all this American drama? The nineteenth century, American lexicographer, Mr Noah Webster, of the dictionary fame. He supposed making the changes away from British language would make America more superior and set them aside. It has certainly set them aside.

The Oxford comma, Harvard comma or serial comma. There are supporters for and against the use of it. It is also known as the pretentious comma and at the end of the day is optional and up to the author unless following a particular style. We in Australia don't use it as often as Americans although there are arguments that it clarifies meanings within sentences that may be confusing otherwise. What is it? It is the comma positioned directly before the coordinating conjunction such as: and, or, or nor in a sequence of three terms or more. An example using the Oxford comma is: I have a recipe, a pot, and an oven. Not using the comma would look like: I have a recipe, a pot and an oven.

€‹The exclamation mark has been called the cheap whore of punctuation. My thoughts are, there is a place for it, but professionally it does not belong. The more the merrier also should not apply and as F. Scott Fitzgerald said 'Cut out all these exclamation points. An exclamation point is like laughing at your own joke.' It's a useful way of conveying emotions, irony, annoyance, or friendliness when used six at a time for instance as a text, or on Facebook, email or any other electronic means. In addition, this sets up the foundation for others to respond similarly with 17!!!!! or ???????, such as, 'I just jumped out of a plane and my parachute opened!!!!!!' Really?????? Cool!!!!!!' Ridiculous.

I love the logogram ampersand (&) which epitomises 'and' but when used correctly. Not for use willy nilly or in some haphazard manner. It does not save on your word count students. An ampersand originated from Latin of course, as et which meant and. An example of good use could be in a business title like Anders & Wallace Editing or in academic references such as (Anders & Judd, 2007). It wouldn't be appropriate to use to write something like, 'They put the bricks & mortar against the wall.'

Font use looks like fun. But there's a place for countless font practice like on a circus banner or in a comic. That's right people comic sans as whimsical as it is, should be used in a comic - and nowhere else. Particular fonts work better on hardcopy (times new roman, courier or fonts with feet/serif) and others better on screen (Sans-serif, Helvetica, Century gothic, Verdana, Arial or fonts without feet/sans serif). Although pixel resolution has changed you still need to consider small devices. I think use of a particular font or fonts can really affect readability so my advice is not to 'blend it up'. That's okay when making a mixed tape but not for a letter or other document. Keep your readers. Don't use impact for a whole page, or kitch it up with pages of Bradley hand and papyrus... well pffftt. I have no idea what wingdings is for.

As an editor and proofreader, my role is to sort through the diversity and confusion of the written word to guide and advise for excellent readability and credibility. 

http://www.kirstieanders.com

Ask me

Not Noah’s boat that housed millions of coupled animals, no. This is a language disaster. Try though I may I just can’t get past it. When someone says to me ‘Arks your friend if I can borrow her pen’ or ‘I'm arksking you to come over here', I could die...well almost. I will never, ever be ready for 'arks'...unless of course it’s God sending a message about it raining for 40 days and 40 nights to drown us right out.
Ark ɑːk/ noun 1. (in the Bible) the ship built by Noah to save his family and two of every kind of animal from the flood; Noah's ark. o archaic a ship or boat. plural noun: arks

People!!!! - get it right. It’s ASK. Arse-K. Always has been (well since the 1600’s), always will be. ‘Ask me a question’, or ‘Ask me what my favourite colour is’...I don't care, just don't arks me...it’s wrong, it's frigging lazy and it's a boat built cubit by cubit. My thoughts are, if it’s cultural, that’s okay. If it’s a speech impediment, that's okay...if not...don’t use it. It discredit’s you. Most of you are not gangsters, rappers or from the Caribbean. Back in Chaucer’s day he used ‘I ax’...Chaucer wrote between 1374 to 1386. The olden days. Even Shakespeare used ‘Ask’. Stop it...it’s ARRRSSSKKKK...Ask. It’s just ask.

Tautologies and Feedback

When writing a paper, using a trillion purposeless words are a waste of time. They’re unnecessarily filling. It’s like pouring custard on a custard tart. Why would you do it? It is an obvious striving to reach that word count that looms ahead of you and you have run out of references or things to say. Thing is, your lecturer knows this.  You’re probably better off being under the word count than adding verbose jargon.  Reading papers like this as an editor and proofreader is like listening to a wordy little tune by Paul Simon about a bat faced girl.  No-one really enjoys that. My red pen comes out and slashes at these words with teeth bared and great resolve and gladness.  Superfluous words like tautologies of; in  addition or worse - in addition to that, furthermore, also, still, moreover, henceforth (personal disgust), hereafter, nonetheless, nevertheless. Then there is the over use of ‘the’ and ‘so’.  You don’t need to use ‘the’ all the time. ‘The best practice’ for example is okay, in fact superior being called ‘best practice’.  I can often see thesaurus suggestions jump out at me in paragraphs that have required paraphrasing. Phrases like ‘a large proportion’ instead of the word, ‘many’. ‘By virtue of the fact that’, actually just ‘because’ would do. What about ‘sum total’ isn’t that the same thing? Or ‘unexpected surprise?’  However, (there just did it myself, but sometimes it is necessary, you can’t always just leap into a room without knocking first) reading page after page where an author has consistently and persistently used the same phrase at every paragraph without pause, like ‘in addition’ rather than mixing it up just a bit really does my head in. 

It’s funny, or maybe not that funny, that authors have asked me after proofreading and/or editing many works, what I thought of the paper as a whole. I do understand this but find it immaterial too. My role is to correct it, make it better, they want the feedback. I feel that it’s a bit like when a defendant asks his/her lawyer, ‘do you think I'm innocent?’ and the lawyer says, ‘it’s not what I think, it’s what I can prove’. It doesn't matter what I think, it’s what I can do to make it the best it can be. But I understand that feedback is important and I'm the one reading their work so it makes sense. What I have noticed is that when I give feedback, the client develops more of a trust with me and I feel more supportive. It alters our relationship just that little bit and in a positive way because I have gone from just some entity making red and blue marks on their papers to someone who has some feeling and opinion about what they have written. I think they deserve feedback and make a point now to give some encouraging comments as well as suggestions of what they might need to change to make it great. Proofreader and editor? http://kirstieanders16.wix.com/editingproofreading

Facts about editing and proofreading

Use of 'single' and "double" quotations

I grew up always using “double” quotation marks but Australia generally follows England’s lead rather than America’s when it comes to grammar and spelling. So these days, there is a partiality for ‘single’ quotation marks. Universities can vary with this however so it’s worth checking but I would air on the side of caution and go with single quotes. Using a quote within a quote though, calls for “double” quotation marks. For example, ‘Frank told me he didn't want to come by, he said he was “too busy” to hang out doing nothing with me’. I also feel that many double quotes can change the readability of something, making it too busy and dense. Other rules around quotation marks are where to place punctuation…before or after the quote mark? It depends whether the punctuation is part of the sentence within the quote, for instance, using a question mark, ‘Is it today you fly to Adelaide?’ demonstrates that the punctuation is part of the question, rather than ‘I asked you if you would be flying to Adelaide today’?

Capitalisation

Capital letters are also on the decline, making reading less full on and top heavy. The main rules apply naturally in terms of proper nouns, the first word in a sentence but in a heading for example, it is no longer imperative to capitalise every first letter of every word and we certainly don’t capitalise conjunctions like and, in, the, of, or others. For example, a heading is just fine being, ‘Proofreading and editing service’ rather than ‘Proofreading and Editing Service’. Only the first word and proper nouns need to be capitalised, such as ‘Proofreading and editing service in Brisbane’. Always make ‘I’ a capital no matter what. It is also a proper noun so the rule applies. Historical events like World War One, and in acronyms even if there are no capitals when spelled out like PTO, (please turn over). Mum and Dad can be tricky but when I'm talking about my dad I use a lower case d. When I say ‘Hi Dad, come over for dinner’ it’s a capital D.

Fonts

There are a plethora of fonts available now and it is so tempting to try many of them. Trust me, this looks ridiculous and unprofessional on any page and comic sans should be banned. Over used and made for comics…nothing else. The truth is some fonts work better for hard copies and some for reading on a screen although web fonts have certainly moved away from the web-safe Verdana, San Serif, Arial and Georgia fonts. Some fonts look pretty but are incredibly difficult to read, and some you would simply get tired of . I think if you are scribing something that was supposed to be brief and written by a child then this would be fun and for blogs perhaps and they can give a web page a real personality but they need to be assessed properly, fitting browsers, the style of page and platform used. A serious website about a legal practice for example would look ludicrous and unprofessional being done up in a preposterous font. Keep in mind that many institutions have strict rules about fonts such as Times New Roman 12 point, 1.5 space in between. There is no deviating. 

The power of proofreading

Proofreading is a system of scanning a document and correcting errors. This can happen electronically or on hard copy using proofreading marks (paper). Self-proofreading is fine and do-able, however, it can be quite difficult to step back far enough from your work to see errors within. Any last faults often occur just when stress levels are uppermost and time shortest, readers' minds resist recognising them as errors. Under these circumstances, proof-readers are inclined to see only what they want to see.

As a proofreader I find the best way to go about proofing work from someone is to initially print off a copy and read it out loud. I always mark as I go, in case I miss something on my second go over. I read aloud so I can hear a run on sentence or any other problems that you tend to pick up more than reading quietly. I often use another piece of paper to block the lines below where I am reading because I have a habit of reading ahead. This ensures that I am focused on the line I am on only. After I read it twice I put it down for 15 minutes and then come back to it. Just that small distance from it allows me often to pick up more errors. I don't rely simply on spell check when proofing online because it won't deal well with homonyms (e.g., 'they're,' 'their,' 'there') or certain typos (like 'he' for 'the'). Once I feel the document is complete and that the standard of presentation is suitable for publication, I again scrutinise each word, punctuation mark and graphic element for discrepancies before sending back. I also check that the layout and type stipulations have been precisely followed, and that the line breaks, and table and illustration placements are appropriate.

Good presentation to any piece of work of any sort can make a huge difference. Whether it's a website, newsletter, essay, brochure, or corporate document; errors tell me and the general public that it is not good enough, not professional enough. They ask, 'If they make mistakes like this, will their service be any good?' A simple proofread can make all the difference in getting good and numerous customers, good grades and establishing a good reputation for producing quality work. Proofreading is vital to creating completed pieces of quality work. Typos and inconsistencies happen to the best of writers. A spell-checker can only fix spelling errors, but do not take into account substituting 'is' or 'it' or using the incorrect forms of other words.

Contact me for an opportunity to get fast editing and proofreading completed on your masterpiece. http://kirstieanders.com

http://kirstieanders16.wix.com/editingproofreading

Attention to detail

Can you imagine a world where written work you produced was perfect? It could mean a 5-20% higher grade. It could mean embarrassing mistakes aren’t found that can reduce businesses to seemingly, ‘unprofessional with little aptitude’. It means a respectable reputation and public confidence.

Proofreading can help immeasurably. Your job is to get the words down. My job as proofreader is the attention to detail, to tidy it up, make it faultless and get you that better grade, perfect English and superior reputation. Editing, is also a service that can make a huge difference to your documents, projects, theses, brochures and so on. Just one or two errors in an essay or piece of work can change the meaning and sentence structure that might come across in a way you didn’t intend.

Online proofreading saves you time and effort to get your work proofed or edited without leaving home, Uni or work. The job can be completed fast and more efficiently and emailed back for you to go over and resend back if needed before the due date.  It also ensures there is a trail via email should you misplace a hardcopy. Many people feel that they can proofread their own copy but this isn’t as easy as you think. Proofreading and editing work that has been completed by a professional will provide you with a much better job. When you are too familiar with the work, it is hard to pick out typos and other errors that a professional will see immediately. Work can be done on hard copy and scanned and emailed or using tracked changes and emailed.

For ESL (English second language) students in particular, conversational English can differ greatly when it comes to putting information down on paper. It can be incredibly daunting for these students who know their content well but require some editing or proofreading to assist in tying it together.

When talking about attention to detail you don't want to come across as sounding redundant by getting sentences back to front or being repetitious but it’s not always easy to be resourceful in prose. Editing and then proofreading your work who is trained to be detailed and particular is what will enhance your work. detail is what makes a masterpiece. For an affordable quote, see my website at http://kirstieanders16.wix.com/editingproofreading

Proofread

Proofreading your own work is incredibly important and doable. It's about examining what you have written carefully to correct typographical faults. Prior to proofreading your document, ensure you have given yourself some space from the text especially if you have just finished writing it. Print it off and read it aloud. This can help with picking up run-on sentences and other issues you might miss reading to yourself. You can also read it backwards, the words come in a strange and unusual order and will make it easier to pick up errors. It is easier to pick up mistakes from a printout rather than on screen. You are also able to feel more intimate with the work on paper. You can use a computers spell check however, but this may not discern variances between US English and Australian English and may miss some properly spelt words in incorrect places such as their, there and they're and weather and whether or which and witch.

Proofreading is done following editing, which involves inspecting content to make certain that concepts are expressed clearly, logically forming an intelligible and meaningful whole. Proofreading is done in finer detail and is last so needs to be flawless. This is why often, it's worth looking at an independent proofreader. When you proofread work that you have written yourself, you are so familiar with it that you see what you think you have written rather than what you really wrote.

A professional proofreader examines text critically and carefully and is expected to be consistently accurate in focusing on surface errors like spelling mistakes, or errors in punctuation, syntax and grammar. A proofreader will also check your clarity of expression. A writer of any document works hard to get the right words down and after working on something for some time, can start to miss common slip-ups and often don't have the time to spend to ensure professional and high quality work. Fresh, qualified eyes on a project can make all the difference with regards to a writers reputation, making a proofreader indispensable. Proofreaders can proofread novels, academic papers, people whose second language is English, corporate or government official papers, business documents such as manuals, websites, marketing materials, personal documents such as resumes, letters and emails.

In any case, it is important to be clear and avoid embarrassment. It's important to get merit for your work not your English writing ability. Get marked for your ideas rather than your grammar. Work with someone who consistently returns timely documents that have been proofread and/or edited with precision.

Please see my website for all your proofreading work. http://kirstieanders.com

I use Microsoft Word's Track Changes. Every suggestion I make on your document will be 'tracked', and any query or comment will appear in the margin.

When I return your copy edited documents with the tracked-changes and the completed copy, it will show all changes and queries. This will give you, the author, complete control over the final version. You can go through the tracked-changes, and accept or reject any changes, reading my comments in the margin, and you can choose whether or not to take on my suggestions. It will always be your work and your say.