Credibility and grammar

Good grammar gives people credibility. It’s critical. You lose integrity if what you put on paper is incorrect or lazy. Using improper grammar in social media, in papers, emails, or websites makes other people assume that you are stupid. Your words and use of grammar portrays who you are; they reflect you, they get you hired, they help you pass subjects at university, and as a company they help people trust you. 

Hold back on dropping commas throughout your sentences like bombs over Hiroshima. Read it aloud. Does it sound good or does it sound like a machine gun? Details. Attention to detail is ensuring high standards, and giving your devotion and attention to the details of your work. It means that your end result is polished. 

As a writer, editor and proofreader I know it’s easy to make mistakes when rushing. Even wordsmiths need to pause and mentally work stuff out. My problem words are affect versus effect. My Apostrophes, colons and commas can be thrown around like a sock in a tumble dryer so get it proofread. Check your words for plurals, it’s women for more than one, not woman. 

A key aspect to remember is readability. If the reader has to slam on the brakes at something s/he scans or needs to go back to re-read because it was confusing – you’ll lose them. When we write ourselves, we have in our heads, how it’s supposed to sound. This could lead to ghost words. Words we think are there but aren’t. A Proofreader is brilliant at picking this up. A proofreader will also remove or suggest you remove superfluous words such as ‘that’. Less is more. People don’t want to read waffle. They want to get to the point. Know your their, there and they’re’ s, your and you’re, and it’s and its. Get it stuck in your head, but if you can’t, get a proofreader. Here, I can recommend one at www.kirstieanders.com  

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. 

Editors do!

Why do we edit something? For the reader of course. The writer and editor work together to put something out there that is clear, elegant and correct. It's all about readability. We have all read something that feels uncomfortable to read; too many capitals, inconsistencies, poor grammar, confusing sentence structure or ambiguity, waffle and spelling mistakes. A poorly written piece of work can grate on nerves and in all likeliness prevent someone from finishing the rest of your work. Sometimes all it needs is a fresh pair of eyes from someone who knows what to scan for.

Editors can edit anything from essays, dissertations, books, brochures, websites, reports, resumes, letters, newsletter articles, and advertisements. An editor is able to improve effectiveness in terms of reading the target audience to convey information. Skills needed by an editor is reading skills, social skills to be tactful and patient, concentration, initiative and good attention to detail.

Copy editing occurs to remove mistakes, inconsistencies, or meagre styles of expression that could irritate or mislead readers and humiliate the author. During copy editing, the editor will check out all the aspects of that paper that makes for good reading and remove mistakes. Substantive editing focuses on the content, structure, language and style of a document. Some restructuring and rewording might also be done in the interests of accessibility, clarity, a cohesive style and tone, and a tighter reader focus.

As the writer, there are a few things to keep in mind. It is incredibly hard to get a draft right the first time around. You overlook errors because you are so familiar with the work. Don't make excuses or apologise, see it as a work in progress, not a final piece. Don't expect an editor or a proofreader to re-write your work. They can make suggestions, research or fact check and recommend alterations but they won't write your paper. You need to know what you might need. If you are writing a novel and you think your characters aren't interesting enough or possibly too one dimensional, a developmental editor can assist you to create depth and make them come to life, make your story line punchier and help with writers block. An editor can certainly make your paper, book, brochure more appealing and readable but they can't guarantee you an A+, High distinction or sell your book any more successfully. A professional editor and or proofreader can make your work the best it can be all the same.

Make your work the best it can possibly be with a professional editor and proofreader;http://kirstieanders16.wix.com/editingproofreading#