Online proofreaders

12 Capitalization Rules Most People Don’t Know

by

Capitalization rules can be extremely difficult to master, and there are a number of common capitalization errors that our proofreaders and editors come across time and time again.

In this article, we take a look at some of the capitalizations rules that are regularly flouted and explain the do’s & don’ts of using capital letters in your writing.

Picture of the number oneDo capitalize official job titles or role names but only if they come before the name and are attached to the name. Do not capitalize the title if it comes after the name.

 

  • President Barack Obama

or

  • Barack Obama, president

 

  • Llama Farming President Donkey Jones

or

  • Donkey Jones, llama farming president

Read more

Pages: 1 2

14 Punctuation Marks Everyone Needs to Master

by

There are 14 punctuation marks in English grammar. Master them all and… well, you’ve mastered punctuation!

In this guide to punctuation, we take a look at common punctuation marks and how they are used. We also provide some great examples of how you can use punctuation marks in your writing and when proofreading and editing your work. We’re also offering a free punctuation poster to boot!

1. The Semi-Colon

Punctuation marks semi colon

The semi-colon is an immensely useful punctuation mark for those who are looking to slam two slightly related clauses together into a single triumphant sentence.

Semi-colons are most commonly used to merge two independent clauses. For example:

Read more

Pages: 1 2 3

5 Character Traits That Are Essential for College Application Essays

by

Personality in the brainCollege application essays are fraught with anxiety and stress for the average high school senior. Whether you are asked to answer a bizarre question like, “What are your thoughts on February?”—or a more mundane question about how you have demonstrated leadership skills under pressure, you may be losing a great deal of sleep about how the essay will impact your chances of gaining a place at the educational establishment of your choice.

If you’re here, then chances are you’re looking for information about writing college application essays. Luckily for you, we have five great tips that should help you out in your moment of need.

Read more

Proofreader’s Checklist: A Tightrope Walker’s Guide to Proofreading

by

Proofreader checklist can be like walking a tightropeProofreading need not be boring… check out our proofreader’s checklist with a twist!

If you can’t afford professional native English proofreading services and instead opt to step out onto a grammatical tightrope and proofread your own work, you should do so with care. It is often very difficult to proofread your own writing because you are very familiar with its content, and you know what it should say. Sadly, what your written communications should say, does not always mirror what they actually do say. If you’re an ESL student, or grammar and punctuation aren’t exactly your forte, you will find proofreading an extremely difficult and time-consuming process.

If you really must insist on proofreading your own work then break the task up into manageable chunks, making sure that you approach each element in a methodical manner. Our proofreader’s checklist contains a list of steps that you can progress through in order to ensure that your draft is proofread fully.

Read more

The Secrets to Writing Amazing Argumentative Essays

by

Argumentative essays often strike fear deep into the heart of even the most dedicated students; there really is no need. Let’s face it, we all like a good argument every now and again! Everyone’s at it: politicians, news broadcasters, lawyers, and solicitors… even that noisy couple next door who can’t seem to agree on whose turn it is to take the garbage out! But topping the list of supporters of the argumentative form simply has to be teachers and professors. It doesn’t matter what the subject is, the chances are that, at some point during the school year, you will be asked to write an argumentative essay.

Well, fear not, our essay editors have put together just the guide for you, and in a few minutes time, you will have the confidence and knowledge to go forth and argue!

Read more

Online English Check. From Just $0.020 USD Per Word!

by

Business proofreading for all business typesIf you’re searching for an online English check then stop here; you’ve found exactly what you need. Vappingo’s online editing and proofreading services provide a quick and easy English checking service from just 0.020 USD per word! You may have been searching for grammar software or an automated service… to use these would be a big mistake and won’t give you the best results. Software can’t tell you how to fix mistakes and won’t be able to assist you to express yourself using the best possible choice of words: WE CAN!

Read more

Statement of Purpose: Editing and Proofreading

by

Personal Statement Editing and Proofreading ServicesYour statement of purpose is an extremely important document that can heavily influence whether or not you are offered a place on the university course of your dreams. Every year university admission departments review thousands of student statements and, for this reason, you need to make sure that you know how to write a statement of purpose.

Before we proceed, it’s important that you understand that a statement of purpose is not the same thing as a personal statement or application essay. For more information, check out our guide to the difference between a personal statement and a statement of purpose. If you are looking for help writing a personal statement, you would be better off reading our guide on how to write a statement of purpose.

Read more

5 Reasons why you Should use a Document Editor Today

by

When you are writing or publishing an important document, you should never underestimate the importance of having your written English checked by a professional proofreading agency. Here are five reasons why you should use a document editor from Vappingo to perfect your written English documents:


English expert document editors1)  Our Professional document editors are English experts. Our editors know the English language inside out and will analyze your written English using over 160 English grammar rules. However, unlike automatic grammar checking software and websites, our document editors won’t simply point out the mistake and make suggestions for how you can fix it, they will actually fix it for you, saving you the major headache and confusion of deciphering complex English rules.

Read more

A Great Proofreading Trick For Mac Owners

by

Mac LogoWe’re always telling our customers that one great proofreading trick is to read your paper or essay aloud in order to audibly hear mistakes. Well, if you’re a Mac owner, you may be able to go one better and have your Mac do the reading for you!

Hearing the words without having to read them yourself will undoubtedly assist you to identify punctuation and grammar issues and, best of all, the function is really easy to use and set up.

Select the Apple menu > System Preferences > Speech > Text to Speech. Place a check next to the check box “Speak selected text when the key is pressed”. Click on the “Set Key” button and choose a combination of keys that you will use to activate the speech recognition activity. Choose your preferred voice from the options offered at the top of the window and select the speaking rate from the speeds available. Close the window and you’re done.

Read more

Proofreader, Proof-reader or Proof reader?

by

Proofreader, proof-reader or proof reader… hmm. Perform a simple search on the Internet and you’ll quickly become confused about which version is actually correct. In practice, all three versions of this job title are perfectly acceptable, including the lesser-spotted hyphenated version. We favor the term proofreader and that’s why you will see that this is … Read more

7 Common English Errors Every Proofreader Should Look For

by

Grammar lady says "apostrophes are for possessives, not pluralsThere are a number of common English errors that our proofreaders come across time and time again and, given that Vappingo’s mission is to make written communications the norm, we feel that it is our duty to help our customers with their written English. Hopefully, this post will help a few of you to learn from your mistakes and develop your own proofreading skills. If nothing else, they most certainly highlight the importance of proofreading and editing before it is published.

Read more

Proofreading Joke: An Important Distinction

by

Thanks to James Garlick who sent in a really good joke about the importance of proofreading that he found on the Internet. We love it!

If only this guy had come across our editing and proofreading services.

In an ancient monastery, a new monk arrived to dedicate his life to subservient solitude and to join the others as they copied ancient records. The first thing he noticed was that the other monks were copying, by hand, books that had already been copied by hand.

The new monk had to speak up: “Forgive me, Brother Mark, but copying other copies by hand allows many chances for error. How do we know we aren’t copying someone else’s mistakes? Are they ever checked against the originals? Who is proofreading them?”

Read more

Proofreading Symbols Every Proofreader Should Know

by
A set of proofreading symbols

Proofreading symbols are like a foreign language to most people; they are often considered to be an indecipherable series of squiggles, letters, and symbols that mean absolutely nothing to the regular guy or girl on the street. Unless you know what these proofreading marks actually mean, using them to improve and develop your writing is … Read more

Spellchecker Poem: Proofreading Software FAIL

by

Once again we have come across a great example of why proofreading software cannot be relied upon as a substitute for using professional proofreaders.  This time, it is in the form of the Spellchecker Poem.  Run this little verse through your spell checker and you will find that it doesn’t contain one single mistake, or does it?

Candidate for a Pullet Surprise by Mark Eckman and Jerrold H. Zar

I have a spelling checker,
It came with my PC.
It plane lee marks four my revue
Miss steaks aye can knot sea.

Read more

Idiom: The Black Sheep of the Family

by

black sheep of the family

Fig. A worthless or disreputable family member.

The “black sheep” is a member of a social group or family who is regarded as a disgrace and an embarrassment to the rest of the group. The phrase became popular during the 18th century and is associated with the proverb, “There’s a black sheep in every flock.”

It is believed that the phrase derived from the fact that the fleeces of black sheep were not as valuable as those of the white sheep.  While the wool of a white sheep could be dyed many different colors, the black fleece was a lot more limited and, for this reason, people preferred to have only white sheep in their flocks.

Examples:

Read more

The Most Painfully Idiotic Contradictions You Have Ever Seen

by
Top sign reads 'Do not enter". Sign directly below reads "enter only"

One of the biggest thing our proofreaders keep a beady eye out for when proofreading important documents is contradictions. It’s important that your text does not contain any events characters, plot lines and settings that contradict each other and leave your readers scratching their heads. Here are some great examples of contradictions in action.

Sign reads: "Do not enter. Entrance only."

No pets allowed. All pets must be on a leash.

Read more