8 Essay Proofreading Tips

Whether one is writing an article for a magazine or an essay for the admission committee of a university, one has to be absolutely sure that the essay is completely correct. One often has to do the proof reading exercise. But proof reading is not exactly the easiest of tasks especially when one is reading the article of others. Therefore one has to be extra sure. Here are a few tips that can be helpful for the essay proof reading.

  1. Concentrate Hard while reading the Article

The writer really needs to concentrate hard when reading an essay with the purpose of spotting mistakes. This means there should be no distractions like the cellphones or the social media. No television or radio should be in the vicinity and one should completely focus on the essay at hand.

  1. One should be Careful about the Grammar
  • Watching out for homonyms is important since these are the words that have the same sound but do not have the same meaning.
  • Writer should also look out for differences between verbs and nouns – for example advice and advice.
  1. Punctuation

Punctuation is the key when one is writing the essay. Punctuation has to be spot on in order for the sentence to make the correct sense. The sentence structure should be correct and different phrases should be separated with commas.

  1. Spelling Mistakes

One often becomes blind to the spelling mistakes especially when he is looking for the spellings. Therefore the writershould be using spell check software for this purpose. Otherwise one can also take the services of professional essay services for improving the essay and checking the spelling mistakes.

  1. Looking for One Kind of Mistake at a Time

The mistakes in the essay can be divided into the following types broadly:

  • Grammar
  • Sentence structure including punctuation
  • Spelling mistakes

One should try and look for only one kind of mistake at a time. This would help in quick identification of errors and also more comprehensive correction in the essay.

  1. Reading Backwards

This is a very useful technique for catching hold of the spelling errors. This is because when one is reading backwards then the person focuses on the individual words and not on the complete sentences. This is why the person is able to catch spelling errors in an easier manner.

  1. Double Checking the Facts and Figures

A lot many times people quote numbers and facts in their essays. These facts need to be double checked because if gone wrong they can cause a lot of harm – it can leave a very bad impression about the thoroughness of the writer. The numbers also need to be checked carefully.

  1. Reading the Text Out Aloud

When one is reading under the breath then he definitely is able to read faster thereby glossing over the common grammar and spelling mistakes. The sentence structure is also ignored at times. Reading out aloud is therefore a good technique as it helps much more in catching the commonly occurring errors.

Essay proof reading can be a tough task when one is reading his own essay. The writercan take the help of a professional essay proof reader as the stakes are very high.