Each 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.
accommodate
Remember that this word is long enough to accommodate both a double 'c' and a double 'm'!
recommend
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 gives advice on how to form the plurals of compound nouns.
Why is it grown-ups but runners-up? What is the plural of Poet Laureate? Why is it all so confusing? These are all questions I have asked myself while writing or proofreading. As always, there are no hard-and-fast rules, but here are some general guidelines on how to form the plurals of those pesky compound nouns.
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.
Why does it matter?
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.
Read moreThe semicolon is a punctuation mark that many people feel unsure when to use. Friends tell me that they just stick one in when they feel like it, to make their writing look more interesting or more professional.
Many of us were so encouraged to employ semicolons during exams, to demonstrate our full range of punctuation prowess, that we still feel the need to liberally sprinkle them into our writing, without being entirely certain that we're using them correctly.
So when should a semicolon be used? Are they even necessary in these times where punctuation is being used more and more sparingly?
Read moreTo hyphenate, or not to hyphenate, that is the question
A question many of us spend far too long agonising over. At one time or another, we have all sat staring at a compound word, wondering, ‘Should I use a hyphen? Or is it all one word? Or is it two separate words?’ Even with the most common of phrases, it is difficult not to second-guess ourselves.
Read moreSome people may imagine a proofreader to be the stereotypical stickler for rules, ruthlessly correcting every split infinitive and condemning sentences which end in a preposition. In fact, the truth is a little more complicated. Of course, one of the roles of a proofreader is to provide the final quality check for a piece of writing, correcting spelling, punctuation or grammatical errors. However, far from tweaking every little detail and covering a proof in red pen, a good proofreader is much more practical and considerate, using their judgement and experience to decide when to intervene.
Read moreWelcome to my new blog! Here I will post about proofreading, writing and all things linguistic. I will also provide updates on my own proofreading business, The Remedy of Errors.
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