How to improve your proof reading skills

1
Proof reading

• How to improve your proof reading skills

2
How many fs in this?

• FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT OF YEARS OF
  SCIENTIFIC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF
  YEARS.

3
How can you count right?

• Develop a healthy sense of doubt. If there are
  types of errors you know you tend to make, double
  check for those.
• Read very slowly. If possible, read out loud.
  Read one word at a time and you're more likely to
  spot errors.
• Try whispering the words to yourself at first.
  After you've tried this a few times, do it
  completely silently.

4
How can you count right?

• Read what is actually on the page, not what you
  think is there (this is very difficult to do,
  particularly if you wrote what you are reading).
• Look especially for your own "bogy words" -
  errors that you make regularly.
• Proof-read more than once. If possible, work with
  someone else you read, they check or vice
  versa.

5
How can you count right?

• If you have time, write the data one day, and
  proof-read it the next
• Anything you're not sure about, use a dictionary
• Start reading from the end of the essay, or
• Read the paragraphs in random order -
  932857461

6
Slowing down

• I
• LOVE
• PARIS IN THE
• THE SPRINGTIME

7
Slowing down

• When you read normally, you often see only the
  shell of words - the first and last few
  letters, perhaps.
• You fix your eyes on the print only three or
  four times per line, or less.
• The average reader can only take in six letters
  accurately in one go.
• This means you have to fix your eyes on almost
  every word you have written and do it twice in
  longer words, in order to proof-read accurately.
• You have to look at the word, not slide over it. 

8
Slowing down can you read this?

• Aoccdrnig to rsceearh at an Elingsh uinervtisy,
  it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a
  wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is that the
  frist and lsat ltteer are in the rghit pclae.
• The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll
  raed it wouthit a porbelm.
• Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by it
  slef but the wrod as a wlohe.

9
Slowing down

• Unconscious mistakes are easy to make. It helps
  to read out loud, because 
• you are forced to slow down
• you hear what you are reading as well as see it,
  so you are using two senses
• it is often possible to hear a mistake, such as
  an omitted or repeated word that you have not
  seen.
•  
• Remember that it is twice as hard to detect
  mistakes in your own work as in someone else's! 

10
Whats wrong?

• I see that your have taken the last fence post
  and put it on the garden fire.  When can you
  furnish the job
• Where the errors are 
• I see that your have taken the last fence post
  and put it on the garden fire.  When can you
  furnish the job_   
•  

11
The answer

• What it should look like 
• I see that you have taken the last fence post and
  put it on the garden fire.  When can you finish
  the job? 

12
Find 8 errors

• Did somebody tell you practice made perfect?
  Thats only if your practicing it right. Each time
  you spell a word wrong, you're 'practicing' the
  wrong spelling. So, if your not shore how to
  spell the word, find out, then practise that
  spelling. Keep an ongoing notebook of works, so
  you've got your own personnel dictionary and you
  can see your progress. Start small, thought!

13
8 errors

• Did somebody tell you practice made perfect?
  Thats only if your practising it right. Each time
  you spell a word wrong, you're 'practising' the
  wrong spelling. So, if your not shore how to
  spell the word, find out, then practise that
  spelling. Keep an ongoing notebook of works, so
  you've got your own personnel dictionary and you
  can see your progress. Start small, thought!

14
corrected version

• Did somebody tell you practice makes perfect?
  That's only if you're practising it right. Each
  time you spell a word wrong, you're 'practising'
  the wrong spelling. So, if you're not sure how to
  spell the word, find out, then practise that
  spelling. Keep an ongoing notebook of words, so
  you've got your own personal dictionary and you
  can see your progress. Start small, though!
•  

15
Add apostrophes where necessary

•  
• Sheilas 39 Austin 10 Cambridge is her proudest
  possession.
• The dogs bark was far worse than its bite.
• Theyre not afraid to go ahead with the plans,
  though the choice is not theirs.
• The man whose face was tan said that he had spent
  his two weeks holiday in the South of France.
• My address has three 7s, and Tims phone number
  has four 2s.

16
Answers

• Sheila's 39 Austin 10 Cambridge is her proudest
  possession.
• The dog's bark was far worse than its bite.
• They're not afraid to go ahead with the plans,
  though the choice is not theirs.
• The man whose face was tan said that he had spent
  his two weeks' holiday in the South of France.
• My address has three 7s, and Tim's phone number
  has four 2s.
• Adapted from BBC Key Skills Website. Available
  from http//72.14.207.104/search?qcache7jXPZfXk
  2ZIJwww.bbc.co.uk/keyskills/toolkit/comms_l2/incl
  udes/2_1.docimproveproofreadinghlenglukctc
  lnkcd1 23 February 2006
•  

17
Proofreading Your Own Word-Processed Text -
Exercise

• The Leaning Plan is planning tool which slot
  time deadlines to what must be achieved in
  learning as a Participatory Action Researcher
  when out in the field engaging in participatory
  processes. Participatory Action Researcher do not
  conduct research on others as objects, but
  engaged others as subjects where they themselves
  also learn for their own required improvement and
  transformation (Gaventa, 2004).

18
Proofreading Your Own Word-Processed Text
Exercise Sample

• The Learning Plan is a planning tool which
  applies slot time deadlines to what needs to be
  achieved in learning as a Participatory Action
  Researcher (Check meaning) when out in the field
  engaging in participatory processes.
  Participatory Action Researchers should not
  conduct research on others as if they are
  objects, but should engage others as subjects
  where they themselves also learn for themselves
  what is required to achieve improvement and
  transformation (Gaventa, 2004).

19
Proofreading Your Own Word-Processed Text -
Exercise

• It is a two way process where both sides should
  be giver and taker, within a given participatory
  setting. It is the responsibility of the
  researcher to create such environment and
  constantly bear in mind this principal because it
  is easy to fall back to conventional research and
  became objective and extractive, and more
  importantly exploit and raise hopes of
  participants.