Have you written an essay, dissertation or thesis but are concerned that perhaps it doesn’t read quite as well as it could? Valuable marks can be lost through simple mistakes such as spelling and grammatical errors, repetition or using an incorrect word. Ideas can be lost if they’re not explained clearly, and much of your hard work will be wasted if your writing is not fluent, clear and concise.
This is where I can help you out. Maybe you’re sure there are spelling mistakes and grammatical errors in your work, but you can’t face going through it all again. Perhaps English is not your first language, and you’re concerned some of your writing may be ‘lost in translation’. Or maybe you’d simply like somebody else to read through your work and make it sound more professional. As a proofreader, I will go through your writing with a fine-tooth comb, so that you can hand in a polished piece you can be proud of.
What I can do:
- I will correct spelling mistakes – common errors include the use of homophones (such as their and there, practise and practice) and typographical mistakes.
- I will correct missing or incorrect punctuation.
- I will correct grammatical errors, like the use of ‘less’ instead of ‘fewer’.
- I will look for occasions where the wrong word has been used (for example, fortuitous instead of fortunate).
- I will look for repetition; sometimes a word or sentence has simply been typed twice, or sometimes a word has been used more than once within close proximity, which spoils the flow of the writing.
- I will make suggestions as to how a sentence could be re-phrased to make your writing clearer.
What I can’t do:
I am not an expert in your subject, and will generally be proofreading as a layperson. This means that I may not understand some technical terms or abbreviations in your work. This also means that while I can make suggestions as to how to re-phrase your writing in terms of the English language, I cannot do the same in terms of the content. I also cannot check the factual accuracy of your work. |
