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Each week proofreader Hannah Jones discusses and offers a remedy to common problems we encounter when writing. Today she discusses i before e except after c and whether there are too many exceptions to prove the rule.
i before e except after c is one of the most well-known spelling mnemonics, one that most people learning English encounter early on. However, it is also arguably one of the most misleading 'rules' as it has so many exceptions. So, how useful is it?
Read moreEach week proofreader Hannah Jones discusses and offers a remedy to common problems we encounter when writing. Today she gives advice on how to avoid some common misspellings.
Everyone has those words that always trip them up. No matter how many times you use them, you always have to double-check the spelling. These words may be different for each person but there do seem to be some words that prove to be particularly troublesome for many people. Here are some of the most commonly misspelled words I come across when proofreading and some advice on how to remember the correct spellings.
Remember that this word is long enough to accommodate both a double 'c' and a double 'm'!
However, it is recommended that you only use one 'c' in recommend.
Read moreEach week proofreader Hannah Jones discusses and offers a remedy to common problems we encounter when writing. Today she explores when to use -ise and -ize endings.
One of the most common errors I come across when proofreading is inconsistency of verbs ending in -ise or -ize. If a word is spelled with the -ise ending on one line and the -ize ending a few lines later, this can look very clumsy. Inconsistency in spelling can distract the reader from the text; if they are doubting how something is written, they may begin to doubt what is written, too.
Read moreOne of the main reasons people hire proofreaders is because a spell checker can only go so far in ensuring a text is free from errors. Perhaps the most notable limitation of spell checkers is that, as long as a word is spelled correctly, it will not be queried even if it is the wrong word to use in that context.
Today, I discuss some of the most commonly confused words I encounter when proofreading.
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