During proofreading I frequently come across some words that have been confused time and again. This is the first part of an occasional series looking at a few examples and I will start alphabetically with words beginning A to C. Affect / effect “Affect” as a verb means to alter or influence, while “effect” as … Continue reading Confused words: A to C
In praise of whisky / whiskey I am rather partial to a drop of whisky now and again (whiskey if you are Irish or American) and I am not alone in enjoying some “liquid sunshine”. Some kindred spirits offer their thoughts. “I should never have switched from Scotch to Martinis.” (Last words of Humphrey Bogart, … Continue reading Celebrity quotations on whisky
You might think that it is a relatively easy matter of adding an ‘s’ to a noun in order to pluralize it, for example adding s to cat to form cats. However, in some cases this is not so. Here are a few examples. These apply to British English and terms in the Oxford Dictionary … Continue reading Plurals of nouns: Some exceptional cases
The following tips for getting the most out of your freelance proofreader are based on those suggested on the website of the Society for Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP), with a few my suggestions included. The tips are presented from the viewpoint of the freelance proofreader to make the proofread as smooth and efficient as possible. … Continue reading Ten tips for getting the most out of your proofreader
Looking at the spread of rhyming slang to other English-speaking countries, especially those that had strong maritime links with the UK historically, such as Australia and USA.
Slang where words are replaced by a words or phrases with which they rhyme.
Publishers are not the only ones that require and benefit from proofreading services. Below are a few instances of other people or bodies who can benefit from the attention and skill of an experienced proofreader, together with relevant links to my website for further information.
Proofreading is the last stage of the editing process for a document and should only be carried out once all other revisions by the author / contributors and amendments by the copy-editor have taken place. Proofreading therefore has an important role in publishing and business as it is the last chance to correct any errors before the book or document is published.
Oxford Dictionary of English defines this as “the production of a sense impression relating to one sense or part of the body by stimulation of another sense or part of the body”. For instance, sights or sounds might evoke sensations of taste or colour.
A pen name, also known as a nom de plume, is an assumed name used by a writer instead of their own real name. It can also be a variant form of their real name and might be known only to the publisher or might be widely known.
