We found several different versions of these proofreading rules on the Internet and decided to combine them and add a few of our own.
Online proofreaders
Spellchecker Poem: Proofreading Software FAIL
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.
Idiom: The Black Sheep of the Family
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:
The Most Painfully Idiotic Contradictions You Have Ever Seen
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.
A Humorous Look at The Importance of Punctuation
Punctuation is not really that important, right? WRONG! It’s very important, and a tiny, misplaced comma or question mark can cost millions of dollars or break someone’s heart. That’s why using native English proofreading services before publishing your work is so important.
Not convinced?
Take a look at some of these great examples of punctuation mistakes. If you didn’t previously recognize the importance of punctuation, you will after seeing these!
How to Proofread in 5 Easy Steps
If you’re wondering how to proofread, this is certainly the article for you. We’re going to reveal the five basic steps of proofreading and give you hints and tips for making sure that your final written English is error free. Everyone knows that written English should be free of grammatical and spelling errors, and everyone knows … Read more
The Definitive Guide to Cockney Rhyming Slang
Cockney Rhyming Slang is a part of the English language that many English learners may not be familiar with. In English, a slang word is a word that isn’t really considered to be standard English but is something that many people continue to use nonetheless.
Cockney rhyming slang first started to appear on the streets of the East End of London during the 19th century and was primarily used as a secret language through which criminals could communicate with one another without being understood by the police. However, despite its origins, it has remained popular with all people in that area of the country and is still very much in use today. People who use these slang expressions generally substitute one word with two or more words that rhyme with the original word to speak in some type of code. Only people who are familiar with Cockney Rhyming Slang would be able to truly understand what the person is actually talking about.
Confused? Let’s have a bit of fun.
Proofreading Marks for All Needs
Proofreading marks are used by proofreaders and editors to indicate an error in the copy. The nature of the mark is directly related to the type of error that has been produced, and proofreaders and editors will place the proofreading mark in the line of text where the error takes place.
Depending on the nature of the editing services, the proofreader will then either write a correction in the margin or will write a correction directly above the sentence.
You can read more about what proofreaders do in our guide to the differences between editing and proofreading.
We Love You Mariah Carey But . . .
I was lucky enough to see Mariah Carey live on stage at the Singapore Grand Prix last night. However, I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw her in this T-shirt:
Idioms in Music: Lady Gaga Lyrics Explained
If you’re teaching or learning English, one way to keep things interesting is to look at the use of idioms in music. One musician who certainly knows how to rock idioms is Lady Gaga.
Lady Gaga shocked the world in 2011 when she appeared at the MTV Video Music Awards wearing a dress made of meat… yuk! Love her or loathe her, her songs can be actually very useful if you are learning English as a second language. In this article, we take a look at the idioms contained within some of Lady Gaga’s most popular songs and tell you exactly what they mean.
10 Very Funny Restaurant Signs
We love receiving links to funny bloopers. These funny restaurant signs were sent in from a professor of English who uses them in her class.
The following funny restaurant and hotel signs are real. We think the people who wrote these are in desperate need of our professional proofreading services!
P.S. If you like these, you’ll love our President Bush Bloopers.
Introductory Phrases. What Are They and Why Should You Care?
Last week we promised to share some of our proofreader’s tricks of the trade and because we’re great at keeping promises, here they are. Again we’re looking at the common English errors that proofreaders will look for when they are studying a document. This week we’re going to stick with the comma theme and explore another one of the errors that seem to appear regularly: failing to use a comma after introductory phrases or words.
President Bush Bloopers. He Never Lets Us Down.
These funny President Bush bloopers prove that we all make mistakes. Can you believe he said some of this stuff though?
If you like these, you’ll love our reasons why proofreading is important.
How a Trip to Starbucks Can Make you an Expert Proofreader
Many people rely on a strong cup of coffee to get them through the morning, but new research suggests that a daily fix of caffeine can actually help to improve your proofreading skills. According to Tad Brunye, a senior cognitive scientist at the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center in Massachusetts, caffeine … Read more