Proof Readers….

A simple step to proof reading your own copy is to read from the end to the beginning. This small step will help your eye catch misspelled and misused words that reading beginning to end would not.

A short while back I posted an article to demonstrate how the eye is accustomed to word patterns. The letter x replaced the letter e in several words.

Example: Thx lxttxr x rxplacxd thx lxttxr x in sxvxral words.

If you are speed reading the words are familiar enough to skip over.

Proof reading is at its base a matter of speed reading. You are seeking misspelled words, grammar errors, not checking for accuracy at this point. Or not always. Some authors will combine the tasks into one proof reading task. Mistakes are missed when this happens, not intentionally. Well, here are a few words that get missed.

Form = from
For = four
read = read 🙂 had to do that.
bear = bare

You get the idea. Don’t you?

To ensure you do not miss these common mistakes, read from the end of the paragraph to the beginning. Hence this paragraph would read:

read would paragraph this Hence . beginning the to paragraph the of end the from read ,mistakes common these miss not do you ensure To

Get it? Use to hate it when I first began practicing proof reading my articles, homework, and yes, even my journal. After a time you get faster and more accustomed. Do not get to fast, again accustomed becomes missing those errors mentioned earlier.

Hope this helps for now. Become your own proof reader. Actually very simple indeed.

Thank you and look forward to meeting again.