​Your deadline is looming, and you’ve decided perhaps you do need someone to proofread your work after all.  Great decision.

But wait…have you checked if your copy is ready for your proofreader’s beady eye?

Proofreading should be the final step taken before submitting work for marking or publishing.

That means when you get your clean copy back, the only thing that should be left for you to do is hit the send button. 

No adding bits, re-arranging bits, removing bits, changing bits, re-numbering bits, or last-minute tinkering of any sort. Definitely, no deciding to change the last paragraph, add a new one or delete an entire chapter.  Heaven forbid.

I charge according to the word count of the document initially sent to me.  So, if you decide to remove anything afterwards, you'll have wasted your money.

Check you have all the written elements you need for the completed work: Introduction, index, table of contents, bibliography, references, appendices, headings and sub-headings, footnotes, endnotes, cover blurb, graphs, tables, labels, etc.

Are you following a specific style guide, or creating your own?  The proofreader will need to know what ‘normal’ is, to spot any errors. 

Does your book or manual have colour-coded sections that you refer your reader to? You can’t then publish it in black and white!  So if you’re still umming and ahhing about whether you want to print in colour or black and white that decision and any necessary alterations need to be made before having your manuscript proofread.

Please don’t send different versions of a paragraph and expect your proofreader to meld them into one. That would constitute editing, which is a separate skill set, charged at a different rate.

Ask yourself if your writing is appropriate for your audience. Have you got the tone and choice of words right? You wouldn’t want to be too informal and chatty in an academic paper, or too formal and stuffy when writing a travel blog for teenagers.

Check for consistency. If you’re using contractions, make sure you’ve done so throughout the document.  Have you written dates and times the same way?

Check your formatting. Do you want one or two spaces after a full stop, how many line spacings between paragraphs?  Are your headings and sub-headings all in the same font and size?  Are you using numbered or bullet point lists?

If there's anything you aren't sure about or have not quite completed, you need to work on it yourself or ask for a draft of your work to be edited first.  My copy editing rates include a final proofread.

Only send your work for proofreading when you're completely happy with it. Sending unfinished work is pointless because anything you subsequently change won’t have been proofread. If you send a document back for further editing or proofreading, it will constitute a new assignment – and you'll receive a new invoice. Ouch!

So, before you engage a proofreader, ask yourself – Proofread ready…or not? 

​1. Articles

There are three articles in English.
One definite - the.  The is used when referring to something specific.
Two indefinite – a and an.  A and an are used when referring to something in general. 

These are three of the smallest words in the English language, yet they create some of the biggest problems for ESL writers who routinely use the wrong article, or omit them entirely. 

a is used before a word beginning with a consonant - a car, a star, a tree.
an is used before a word beginning with a vowel - an eagle, an orange, an eye.

the is used before singular or plural nouns and adjectives when referring to something specific that the author and reader are both aware of - the book, the chair, the horse.

Example: 

 I want to ride the horse you rode yesterday. (A specific horse we both know of.)
 I want to ride a horse tomorrow. (Any horse, we don't know which one.)

Note:  You should use an before a word starting with the consonant h if the h is silent.
e.g. an hour, an honour

You should use a before a word starting with the consonant h if the h is pronounced. 
e.g. a hotel, a hospital, a horse.

Never say or write an hotel, an hospital, an horse.  Never!
To be fair, many native English speakers make this mistake. 

Incorrect: an hotel
​Correct: a hotel

2. Prepositions

Not using prepositions is common with native speakers of the Romance languages such as Spanish or French.  This is because their prepositions are often built into their verbs. They also often use the incorrect preposition.

Incorrect: When I arrived to the birthday party, the cake was all gone.
​Correct: When I arrived at the birthday party, the cake was all gone. 

Incorrect: I want know how I can get London. 
​Correct: I want to know how I can get into London.

3. Verb Tenses 

Getting verb tenses right can be tricky. Getting them wrong can change the meaning of a sentence. 

Incorrect: I walk my dog to my friend's house yesterday. 
​Correct: I walked my dog to my friend's house yesterday. 

Incorrect: I eat my Easter egg yesterday.
Correct:  I ate my Easter egg yesterday. 

​4. Homophones 

Homophones are those pesky words that are pronounced the same when spoken, but are spelt differently when written, and have completely different meanings. 
Annoying - I know!

Incorrect: The bridesmaids all had a flour in their hair. (Surely not - unless it's Halloween.)
​Correct: The bridesmaids all had a flower in their hair.  (That's better - much prettier.)
​
5. Subject-Verb agreement

In English, the subject and verb must agree.  They must either both be singular, or both be plural.

Incorrect: The dogs next door is barking. (dogs - plural / is - singular)
Correct: The dog next door is barking. (dog - singular / is - singular)
​Correct: The dogs next door are barking. (dogs - plural / are - plural)
​
 So, if you're an ESL writer, get in touch, and let's work together to perfect your English.