Grammar

Tip1.Neverrelyonaspellchecker

Spellcheckers have their place but they wont catch

every mistake.
Even when words are spelled correctly, theyre
often used incorrectly. Compare these statements:
1 We have an envious track record.
2 We have an enviable track record.
The spellchecker skips right through and says
everythings fine. But wait: the first sentence doesnt
convey the right meaning (hey, trust us, even
though were jealous of everyone else!).
Knowing such issues exist is one thing; finding and
fixing them is quite another. But thats what the
remaining tips are about, so dont give up!
A spellcheck alone is rarely enough.

Tip2.Beclear

Keep your target audience in mind. Will they

understand your writing? Get these basics right:
Clarity: make clear statements
Simplicity: eliminate jargon where possible
Tone: use appropriate language

Tip3.Useprintouts(andplanttrees)

My least environmentally friendly tip is to proofread

a printout of your work. For some people, its easier
to spot errors on paper than on a screen. If youve
ever written a letter in Microsoft Word and then
seen something wrong with it after it was printed,
youll know what I mean.
If you can, add some space between the lines of text

and choose a typeface thats easy on the eye. I

prefer sans-serif typefaces, but its really all down to
personal preference.
Remember also to print on both sides of the paper.

Tip4.Readyourcontentbackwards

Altering your reading pattern can help you spot

oddities and mistakes in your text. Reading
backwards can be slow going at first, but youll soon
speed up. Persevere and the rewards will come.
Backwards content your read.
(If it helps, imagine youre Yoda. Mistakes more
spot will you.)

Tip5.Readoutloud

Saying your words out loud helps reveal the

statements most likely to cause confusion among
readers. If a sentence sounds clumsy when you say
it to yourself, imagine what someone else might
make of it. Do some rewording and make life easier
for your audience.

Tip6.Proofreadinthemorning

Or whenever your brain is at its most alert. Set aside

some quiet time and get your checks done when
youre ready to concentrate.
If thats not possible, do at least try not to check
everything in a single sitting. A good nights sleep
and a fresh start may reveal several errors youd
previously missed.

Tip7.Breakupthetask

Read your content multiple times, each time looking

for different types of issue. Heres an example:
Reading 1: focus only on spelling
Reading 2: focus only on grammar
Reading 3: focus only on headings

The more you break things down, the easier each

reading becomes. This approach is great for
improving the consistency of your writing.
Be wary of re-reading your work too many times,
though. Taking long breaks in between sittings can
help you avoid word blindness.

Tip8.Phoneafriend

Ask a colleague or a trusted friend to go through

your document in as much detail as possible.
Request specific feedback what was good or bad
about the content? Accept any comments with good
grace and think about how you can make your
writing clearer.

Tip9.Dontchaseperfection

Dont expect to spot every single error in your work.

Dont get hung up about it either.
There are diminishing returns in re-reading your
work dozens of times. If your meaning is clear, that
may well be good enough.
Remember that time is precious.

Tip10.Callintheprofessionals

If youve followed the other tips in this post,

perhaps youve already fixed some errors in your
work. If so, well done! Each correction is a small
victory.

The semicolon isnt all that scary! Actually, it can

help give your writing new life and vigor. It
can structure your writing to match dialect. Its
the in-between punctuation that can bridge the
gap between commas and periods. And
decrypting their mystery has never been easier!

Check out this handy guide to

the semicolon!

1.THEYFORMCONNECTIONS
BETWEENSEPARATESENTENCES.
A semicolon can help combine two sentences that
are similar. You can conjoin related sentences by
turning them into clauses and linking them
together with a semicolon. This way, the second,
separate sentence becomes a continuation of the
first!
Ex: I almost crashed my bicycle on my way to
work today. Traffic was really bad.
As separate sentences, these ideas might come
across as unrelated. But when you link them with
a semicolon, the bad traffic becomes the reason
you almost crashed your bicycle.
Ex: I almost crashed my bicycle on my way to
work today; traffic was really bad.
ViaInstragram.com/bicycleheadpdx

2.THEYCAN
REPLACECOORDINATING
CONJUNCTIONS.
Many sentences include conjunctions that help
differentiate ideas of equal importance. The easy
way to remember these words is through the
acronym, FANBOYS. These words are:
For

And
Nor
But
Or
Yet
So
Semicolons can replace these words in a sentence
to help shorten its length, or to avoid overuse
of conjunctions. By using a semicolon instead of
a conjunction, the reader is forced to stop and
look at the clauses as separate ideas that are still
related to each other instead of reading them as
one long idea containing multiple parts.
Ex: I had trouble reading your article about
jellyfish, for I was distracted by the stunning
pictures.
Ex: I had trouble reading your article about
jellyfish; I was distracted by the stunning
pictures.

3.SEMICOLONSCANBEUSEDAS
SUPERCOMMAS.
In a sentence that is divided up by commas but
contains clauses that are long enough to contain
commas of their own, semicolons can be used as
the commas of the sentence. They can organize a
sentence full of commas to help readers find
which clauses are part of the list, and which are
modifiers to the list.
Ex: I ordered three coffees, which were

expensive because they roast the beans in-house,

then a soy latte for Richard, who is
lactose intolerant, also, some muffins for the
accounting team.
This comes across as a run-on sentence and
might be confusing. By adding semicolons to the
separate items in the list, the reader will have an
easier time understanding who ordered what and
why!
Ex: I ordered three coffees, which were
expensive because they roast the beans inhouse; then a soy latte for Richard, who is
lactose intolerant; also, some muffins for the
accounting team.
ViaInstagram.com/tcbaker

There is also a short TED Talk about semicolons

done by Emma Bryce that weve found very
handy. The lesson further illuminates the many
uses of semicolons, gives great examples, and is
all done through endearing animation!

Hyphens and Dashes: Clearing

Up the Confusion
Whats the difference between a hyphen and a dash? Did you even
know there was a difference? Lots of people use them
interchangeably, but if you want to present a perfect document and
stand out from the crowd, you need to understand the difference.

Do You Remember Typewriters, Pens

and Paper?
Its not surprising that hyphens and dashes get confused. They
look very similar! In handwritten documents theyre virtually
indistinguishable. However, there are clear and important
differences in the ways that theyre used.
There are actually two types of dash: the en dash (or en rule) and
the em dash (or em rule). They take their names from the letters n
and m respectively. Its not usually the case in modern
typography, but originally the en dash was the width of a lower
case n and the em dash was the width of a lower case m.
One of the biggest practical problems for anyone getting to grips
with hyphens and dashes is that standard keyboards only have
hyphens. In the days of typewriters (if youre under 30, you may
have seen one in a museum), typists would use two hyphens to
represent a dash. Today there are handy shortcuts: on a PC, press
the minus key on the numeric keypad to produce a hyphen, press
the same key with CTRL to insert an en dash and with CTRL+ALT
to add an em dash. Even easier, MS Word will usually change
hyphens into dashes where appropriate as you type (and for
former typewriter users, it even converts two hyphens to a dash).
However, beware of the false sense of security that modern
technology can give! MS Word will occasionally miss hyphens that
should be converted, especially in ranges or if you go back and
edit what youve written. The best thing is to understand the
difference and enter them yourself.

Vive la (Small) Diffrence

A hyphen (-) is used to join words together to show that they have
a combined meaning. This can be a compound noun (e.g. glowworm, pick-me-up, or policy-maker) or where a prefix is used
(e.g. anti-aircraft, pre-ordained). Hyphens are also found in
compound adjectives that come before a noun (e.g. a well-known

actor). Hyphens are also used to indicate where a long word has
been broken in two at the end of a line.
Dashes ( or ) have a few uses. The first is to separate parts of a
sentence where they can be used to create a pause or to lead on
to the next clause. Dashes can also be used in pairs to separate a
clause from the rest of the sentence (similar to how brackets are
used). Another use of the dash (in this case only the en dash) is to
join together two words that are of equal importance, as in the
retailercustomer relationship or the LondonBrighton railway.
Though remember, if the first word cant stand alone and it is a
prefix then you must use a hyphen (e.g. the Sino-Japanese War).
An en dash can also stand for words such as and or to; and it
follows that a dash rather than a hyphen should be used in number
or date ranges: 2550, 193945. Other uses of the dash include
where a sentence is abruptly broken off, especially in dialogue.
Its not just knowing when to use a dash that matters. You may
need to choose which dash to use. Many UK publishers use en
dashes while those in the US often prefer em dashes. More often
than not, American publishers will also set their em dashes without
spaces between the preceding and following letters even when
theyre used parenthetically. And its not strictly a transatlantic
divide, as there are publishers, journals and websites on both
sides of the Atlantic who have their own particular preferences (just
as they do with things like quotation marks).
You may be asking why this matters: couldnt we just use hyphens
for all these uses? The answer is that the differences between the
hyphen and the dash enable both the writer and the publisher to
make subtle but important distinctions in both the sense and the
appearance of their text, distinctions that remain important whether
in a book or on a website. Showing that you know the difference
and how to use them properly will help your document stand out

from the crowd.

Five Things to Check In Your

Document
3 A hyphen should never be surrounded by spaces on both sides.
If there is a space both before and after a hyphen, then it
should be changed to a dash.
4 Consistency is crucial. There are lots of words that can be
spelled equally acceptably with or without a hyphen, but you
must ensure that you stick to one usage within your
document. Check your entire document to make sure that if
you hyphenate a word in one place, you hyphenate it in
others too. The same goes for en dashes.
5 Pay attention to prefixes: are words beginning with re, pre or
anti, for example, consistently hyphenated in your
document?
6 Dont get carried away with hyphenation. Make sure that you
havent used a hyphen in compound adjectives that come
after the noun. If the compound adjective is before the noun
then use the hyphen (e.g. it was a well-trodden path).
However, if the compound adjective is after the noun, there is
no hyphen (e.g. the path was well trodden).
7 Dont get carried away with dashes either! Its often better to
avoid dashes in sentences. For example, dont use a dash in
a number or date range after from or between, as in their
ages ranged from 1215 or there were between 3040
people in the room. In those cases, always write the word to
or and (i.e. from 12 to 15 and between 30 and 40).

A More Accurate Way to Check

If youre under time pressure (or even if youre not), spotting

differences between hyphens and dashes can be extremely
difficult. It usually involves writing down every choice youve made
between hyphens and dashes, and then comparing that choice to

your text in every single location that hyphens or dashes are used.
Its time-consuming, and its very easy to make a mistake. But
were not stuck with typewriters, pens and paper anymore! So
heres a better way. You can use PerfectIt to quickly check hyphens
and dashes both for consistency and for house style preferences.
PerfectIt is an MS Word add-in that runs over 30 checks on your
document, including hyphens and dashes. Launch PerfectIt directly
from MS Word, then, in seconds, it can compare every hyphenated
word or phrase to every phrase with dashes. It shows any
inconsistency so that you can make corrections with a few clicks of
your mouse. You still need to understand the difference between
hyphens and dashes yourself (it wont do the thinking for you).
However, PerfectIt makes it easy to make corrections.
PerfectIt also checks preferences. If you know that you want a
word or phrase to always be hyphenated, PerfectIt can make sure
it is. And PerfectIt can look out for errors such as hyphens
surrounded by spaces. You can even use PerfectIt to set your
preference for spaced or unspaced en or em dashes. In each
case, you still make the choice. But potential errors become easy
to locate.

Readingmorethanonce
5Replies

.commentslink
.entryheader

AtanSfEPlocalgroupmeetingtheotherday,someoneaskedthe
questionDoyoureadthingsmorethanonce?Severalofusanswered
Nowithouthesitation.Often,thereisnotthebudgettoallowformore
thanonefullpassattheproofreadingorcopyeditingstage.However,as
theconversationwenton,thatnowasfurtherqualified.
Theresnodoubtthatlookingatsomethingmorethanonceislikelyto
provideamoreaccurateendresult.Sowhen,andinwhatways,mightit
beappropriatetogooverthingsagain?
8 Awaytogetaquickoverviewistocheckthecontentscarefullyfirst
againstthemainbodyofthebookordocumentwhenproofreading.
Checkthatchapternamesarecorrectandnumberedcorrectly,and
checktherunningheads.Aswellasensuringthatthecontentslist
isaccurate,thisprovidesaquickoverviewofthebooksstructure
andgeneralcontent,soyouknowwhatscomingthismay
influenceearlyproofreadingdecisions,potentiallysavingyoutime
andangstlateron.
9 Oneideathatwassuggestedwastomakeseparatepassesfordifferent
kindsoferroreitherthosespecifictotheproject,orerrorswe
personallyknowwehaveatendencytooverlook.These
weaknesseswillvaryfrompersontoperson;IknowIhaveablind
spotwhenitcomestosubheadings,forinstance.Someoneelse
mentionedendashesinnumberranges.Therewillbeatleastas
manyexamplesarethereareeditors.

10

Wealsoagreedthattheneedformultiplereadingsmightbe
dictatedbythesubjectmatterorthegenreoftheproject.Fiction,
forexample,demandsanindepthunderstandingofplotand
structurethatmaynotbepossibletograspwithasingleread.Of
coursestructureisimportantinanonfictionbooktoo,butoftenit
willbemoreexplicitandprescribed.
11
Someeditorsswearbyprintingthingsoutanddoingaseparate
readthroughonhardcopy.Again,thedecisiontodothis,ornot,
willcomedowntopersonalpreferenceandmaywellbeinfluenced
bythebudget.
12
Mostofusprobablyusesomekindofendofprojectchecklistto
helpusscanthetextforparticularthingsattheendofajob.This
mightbeastandardchecklistthatweuseforeveryproject,or
somethingmorespecifictothejob(perhapsprovidedbythe
client),oracombinationofthetwoapproaches.
13
Finally,weallagreedthatwhenstartingoutproofreading,multiple
passesareprobablynecessary.Anyproofreadoreditinvolves
lookingforarangeoftypesoferror,andittakestimetolearnto
pickupallthelittledetails,whilealsoreadingformeaning.
Accuracyatspeedcomeswithpractice.
Doyoureadmorethanonce?Anddoyoudoadetailedread,ordoyou
havestrategiestospeedthingsup?
ItakeadifferentapproachtoLaura.Ionlydoadditionalproofreading

passesiftheclientandIhavebudgetedforthem.Proofreadingismy
business,andmyclientsneedtorespectmyprofessionalintegrityby
acknowledgingthatmyexpertisehasvalue,andthereforeaprice.Im
happytoreportthatanincreasingnumberofmyindependentauthor
clientsarerecognisingthebenefitofmultiplepasses.
Forqualitycontrolpurposes,Ialwaysbreakdowntheproofreading
processintoseparatetaskssothatIcanfocusondistinctissues.For
example,checksforwidows/orphans,correctrunningheads,page
numbering,spelling,headinglevels,andsoon,alltakeplaceoneata
timeduringeachpass.Thatway,eveniftheclientisonlypayingforone
pass,ImgoingthroughthecontentmultipletimeswhileIlookfor
differentproblems.

1.Stayfocusedonthebriefandtheaudience
Chancesare,ifyoureaneditor,yourealsoavoraciousreaderwho
ispassionateaboutgoodwriting.Yourpersonalresponsetowhat
youreadisgoingtoguideyouandkeepyoutruthful,butitsvital
thatyouputyourownopinionsinperspective.Beforeyoubegin,ask
yourself:Whatisthepurposeofthisbook?Whoisitfor?Keepthese
questionsinyourmindforthewholecourseoftheedit.Theywill
keepyougroundedandensurethatthecommentsyoumakeare
relevanttotheprojectandhelpfultotheauthor.
2.Remember:itsadialogue
Youvegotyourownopinionsandyourviewofthebooksintended
audience,andnowyouvegotlotsofobservationstosharewiththe
author.Great.Butitsnotaonewaystreet.Itsveryrarethatyoull
beissuingblanketinstructions:Dothis.Changethat.Yourepartof
aprocess;youreaimingtounderstandwhattheauthorwantedto
achieve,andthenyouregoingtosuggesthowtheycanachievethat
sameresultinanevenbetterway.Pitchyourideasassuggestions,
placetheminthecontextofthebookspurposeandreadership,and
allowtheauthortorespond.
Aslongasyourideasarentmad,theauthorislikelytoreceivethem
positivelyandyouneedtoleavethedooropensothattheauthor
cansay,fromtimetotime,Yes,IseewhatyoumeanbutIthinkit
worksbettermyway,becauseAfterall,youmaybetotally
brilliantbutevenbrilliantpeoplegetitwrongoccasionally.
3.Lookoutforwhattheauthordoesntsay
Ofallthesecrettips,thisismyfavourite.Whenyourereadinga

text,thenaturaltendencyistothinkabouthowyoucouldchangeit
tomakeitbetter:takeajokeandmakeitfunnier;ortakeapieceof
dialogueandmakeitsoundmorenatural.Butoneofthesmartest
thingsaneditorcandoislookoutforwhatisntthere.LikeSherlock
Holmes,sometimesyouhavetolistenoutforthedogthatdidnt
bark.
Forexample,ifyourereadingatravelnarrative,perhapstheauthor
describeseverythingthathappenedbuttheyneverwriteaboutthe
landscape,thescents,thesoundsoftheplacetheyregoingthrough.
Orperhapstheytellyouwhathappenedbutnothowitmadethem
feel.Youcanbringyourperspectiveasafreshreaderoftheauthors
text,andonewhossteepedintheirgenre,toaskthemtofillinthe
blanksandmakethestorymorecomplete.
4.Timingisimportant
Whatsthesecretofgoodcomedytiming.
Thatsajokethatworksalotbetterinspeechthanwriting,butitwas
sorelevantherethatIhadtotryitonyou.Thepointisthatyoucan
reallystealyourownthunderifyoudontgetyourtimingright.
Itsnotjustobviouschronologyslipupsthatyouneedtowatchout
forthekindwhereapersongetsmarriedonFridaymorningand
walksoutintotheThursdayafternoonsunshinebutalsothose
givethegameawaymoments.Someauthorswilltellyouatthe
startofeveryadventure,AsIwastodiscoverlater,Xwouldbea
terriblemistake.Youmustverypolitelyscreamatthem
DONTTELLUSYET!TELLUSWHENITHAPPENS!You
willfeelbetterandthereaderswillthankyou.Ortheywouldifthey
knewanythingaboutyou.Whichtheyprobablyneverwillbecause
youareahiddenpractitioneroftheDarkArtsofEditing.Sorry
aboutthat.
5.Sharethelove
Thisisprobablythesinglemostimportantthingyouneedtodo
whenyoureediting:telltheauthorwhatyouloveabouttheirbook.
Dontjusthandoutaonesizefitsalllovebomb,buttellthem
whichbitsmadeyoulaughorcry,whichdescriptionstookyouright
intotheheartoftheaction,whichsentencestookyourbreathaway
becausetheyweresimplysobeautiful.
Theauthorhasachievedsomethingamazingalready:itsso
importantthatyouexpressyourdelightintheirwork,anddontjust

delugethemwithyourmillionandoneideasformakingthebook
evenbetter.Imaginehowpleasedyoufeelwhensomeoneloveswhat
youdo,andgivethatfeelingbacktotheauthoryoureworkingwith.
So,thosearemyfivetoptipsforbeingafabulouseditor.Idloveto
knowyours:pleaseleavetheminthecommentsfieldbelowand
wellstartsheddingevenmorelightontheDarkArts
While planning your project
1 Keep the manuscript simple. If you're an author, consider
how best to prepare your manuscript. If you're an in-house
editor, brief your authors on manuscript preparation.
2 Be clear about the difference between editing and
proofreading and why each is equally important. Please see the
SfEP FAQs on copy-editing and proofreading if you're not sure.
3 Be aware that getting a manuscript into shape takes time.
Be up front about your budget and be realistic about what you
can expect me to do for the money that you have available.
4 Know what different freelances do and be aware of our
particular specialisms and skills.
5 Choose someone who has good training and/or experience
and the relevant subject specialism, where possible. Having
chosen me, trust me. And if I'm willing and able to take on
more responsibility, consider using me as a project manager.
6 Smooth the way for a good authoreditor relationship. If
you're an author, know what to ask me to do and be clear
about what you expect from me. If you're a desk editor, check
that the author will be available at the right time to answer my
queries or consider passing on my name and say that I'll be in
touch in due course.
7 Recognise that, as well as editing and proofreading, a house
style is essential to ensure a high-quality product. If you don't
have a style guide, please commission an SfEP member to help
you compile one, which can include specifying a published
reference book. The SfEP guide Your House Style: Styling your
words for maximum impact may help.
8 Please don't send me a contract full of jargon and legalese
that doesn't apply to me as a self-employed freelance. If you
don't have a suitable contract, you may find that I have terms
and conditions that are acceptable to you. You can also check
out the SfEP's suggested terms and conditions.
9 Brief your freelances well, pay them reasonably and
promptly, and make the most of their expertise. If you do, you
will get the best freelances, who will ease your burden
considerably, stay in business and be loyal to you.

When sending the work

10 Keep me in the loop. Give plenty of notice of work that will
be arriving on my desk and let me know in reasonable time if
the schedule changes. I'm then much more likely to be able to
rearrange my other work and deliver your work by your
deadline.
11 Don't give artificial or short deadlines that make me work
long hours when I don't need to! But if you want me to work
nights or weekends, please be prepared to pay extra for it.
12 Please ensure that you provide me with all the necessary
final documents to edit or proofread and the relevant
information about the project and the people involved.
13 A concise but comprehensive brief will allow me to make
decisions without pestering you and will save you time, money
and problems further down the line. Look over the whole text,
or at least a couple of inner chapters, before writing a brief
the first chapter may not be representative of the whole text.
Think through what you want me to do and, if you haven't had
time for a good look, tell me what you haven't assessed.
14 It pays to build a close working relationship with me. Ask
me if there are ways that my job could be made easier or more
efficient. You may not be able to do anything but occasionally
something that doesn't take up much of your time will save a
lot of mine.
15 Pick my brains. Many freelances have years of experience
and varied client lists so I may well have come across similar
issues before. You're hiring an expert I can save you from
reinventing the wheel.

While I'm doing the work

16 Treat me as part of the team that will bring your
publication to fruition. Encourage me to ask questions as
necessary to clarify the brief or devise solutions to any
problems that I may spot.
17 Be aware that I often have several projects on the go.
When you phone me, ask if it's a convenient time. Also
remember that I may not be able to start your job immediately.
18 Please tell me if you're going on holiday or on leave and
whom to contact instead, especially if my deadline falls during
your absence. If you work in house and are leaving your
position, please introduce me to your replacement.

After I've signed of

19 Please acknowledge receipt of work when it comes in. This

is very important for both of us.
20 Set aside some time (perhaps 20 minutes) to give
constructive feedback at the end of the job. Let me know if I've

done a good job or if there's anything I did that wasn't wanted

or could have been done differently including any areas in
which I could have used the time better and whether queries
were phrased appropriately.
21 Please send me a copy of the product when published. I'll
enjoy seeing it as much as you will!

First Edit
Logistics and continuity make sure people are not
standing up before theyve sat

down, not leaving a room without entering it, getting up

before going to bed and havent pinched any dialogue.
More than once Ive written a scene which tumbles out of
my brain and then wondered what day it was and who
was speaking to whom.
Characters are they multi-dimensional? Do they stay
consistent?
Names choose them carefully in the first instance so the
reader isnt confused by similarity. If only I followed my
own advice, it would save so much time at first edit.
Knowledge make sure a character doesnt pontificate on
a subject about which they know should know
nothing because no one from the story has told them.
Ruthlessness get rid of rubbish. Every chapter should
have some significance. No point in writing five thousand
words of fluffy niceness, unless its relevant to the plot.

Does it have a sentence or word that will anchor it to the

reveal?
Plot is it contradictory? Does it flow? Does it deviate?
Is it interesting? Is it believable or sufficiently
entertaining for the suspension of reality to work?
If the manuscript doesnt meet the above criteria then its
not a case of #AmEditing, its #AmRewriting or
even #AmScrapping and one of my efforts met a sticky end
at this point.
Now its time to move forward.
Second Edit
is the bit I love. Delving and plucking. Being happy with
the overall manuscript and then tweaking and twisting the
plot with subtle nuances.
Third Edit
is all about proof-reading. Going through with the
proverbial fine-tooth comb looking for repetition, typos,
grammatical errors, punctuation et al. At the end of this
edit I look at my manuscript critically and if it passes
muster, I arrange a second opinion. (If youre an Indie
author, I would still recommend professional proofreading prior to publication).