Although many people may come across as natural writers, the truth is that everybody edits their work. Without editing, most work would culminate in a mess where nobody really knows exactly what anybody else is trying to say. Proofreading is crucial for the writing process, especially because it allows you to look over your work and ensure that everything makes sense. Want to build some proofreading skills? Keep reading.
Pay Attention to Wordy Sentences
Wordy sentences are those that include filler words. If you can rephrase a sentence to remove phrases like "that" or "this," you can often remove these words. Read each sentence carefully to see if you can eliminate any words.
Be Action Oriented When Possible
One of the best things you can do for your writing is to take action. When you read over your work, look for times that you can exchange a phrase for a more action-packed verb. Make your action the forefront of the sentence.
Amp up the Adjectives
Next, take a look at the adjectives, or descriptive words, you use. Do you use the words "very" and "really" a lot? If so, change them for stronger adjectives. For example, something is not "really big." It's enormous, gigantic, or huge.
Learn About the Comma
Commas are perhaps one of the most confusing aspects of grammar. Most people will misuse a comma at some point, and a general rule of thumb according to some is to use commas when you are in doubt. Failing to use a comma when one is necessary can confuse your reader. Read over each sentence to ensure that the message is clear based on your use of punctuation.
Read Aloud
Not only should you read each sentence in your head, but you should also express it out loud as if you were telling somebody else what you were reading. This reading helps you catch pesky errors that creep up on anybody.
Hire an Editor
Editors will look over any document you need to ensure that your writing is clear and concise. You can hire an editor to perform a variety of tasks, including reading over legal documents, blog posts, news articles, and other writings.
The good news about writing is that everybody has room for improvement. We all benefit from proofreading too. If you are not confident in your skills just yet, an editing service is happy to take a look at your work. Click here to learn more about how an online document editing company may be able to help you.
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