Home
>
Writing
>
Proof Positive: the importance of proofreading

Proof Positive: the importance of proofreading

Last week I was having a quick browse on eBay when something caught my eye. "Black patient shoes!" screamed the headline. "Must see!"

"Wow!" I thought. "Patient shoes! What are they when they're at home?" I clicked on the link. The shoes appeared. Black they certainly were. But 'patient'? No. Or not as far as I could see, anyway. These, you see, were patent shoes ? as in 'patent leather'. And very nice they were too ? just what I was looking for, and in my size. Did I buy them though? Not on your life. I didn't buy the "gorgeous sequence dress" I found a few minutes later, either. (Answers on a postcard if you can guess what a "sequence" dress is?)

My reasoning was simple. If the sellers of these items couldn't be bothered to take the time and care to make sure they'd got the name of the product right, and spelt it correctly, then how on earth could I trust them with the more complex matter of accepting my payment and sending out my patient shoes? The answer: I couldn't. The sloppy spelling had created the impression of a sloppy seller. It had also lost them a customer.

So it is with business. You may think that a couple of spelling mistakes in an email or report don't matter. They do. Just ask all of the prospective job candidates whose applications didn't make it out of the slush pile because their covering letter was littered with typos. They don't get an interview because they've already made themselves look careless; if your website is a mess of bad grammar and spelling, then it doesn't matter how great your product or service is - you already look unprofessional. And if your marketing literature is littered with mistakes? forget it!

Whether you're a large-scale business or a small-time seller, proofreading is something you really can't afford to skimp on. It's also something you shouldn't try to do yourself. As any professional writer will tell you, when you work on a piece of writing you become blind to its faults. No matter how carefully you re-read it, you see what you think is there. That's probably why last year a well known news website confidently predicted that John Kerry would "knot" win the US election. And why my accountant keeps writing to me about "teh business."

If you're serious about your professional image, get someone else to proofread your brochures, website, letters and adverts. And steer clear of patient shoes?

Amber McNaught runs writing world, a new agency for freelance writers. Writing World provides a free agency service which helps writers find work, and helps employers find the best writer for their project.

Writing World also offers a range of service such as proofreading, edting and manuscript appraisal services to new and aspiring writers.

Visit the Writing World website at writing world

house cleaning company Morton Grove ...

In The News:

Apple's first touchscreen MacBook Pro starts at $2,899 with a PROLED XDR OLED display, but the non-touch M6 model costs $900 less at $1,999.

Black Friday deals are already drawing scammers who use fake delivery notices and gift card payment requests to steal your personal financial information.

Apple's iPhone Duo reportedly outlasted the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 by over three hours in battery tests, but its weight and repair costs raise concerns.

Florida Polytechnic University's Jetson ONE eVTOL police vehicle named Astro still awaits FAA authorization before officers can fly operational patrols.

OpenAI's new locked chats feature lets you protect ChatGPT conversations with a PIN, Face ID or Touch ID, but there are key privacy limitations.

A phishing email disguised as an Evite fooled a man even after he emailed his friend to verify it, revealing how compromised Gmail accounts aid scams.

Microsoft's AI diagnostic system identified 83% of complex medical cases in a study, more than doubling the 36% accuracy of generalist doctors.

Account takeover threats go beyond stolen passwords as criminals exploit session cookies, SIM swaps and MFA fatigue to bypass your login security.

SpaceX is reportedly pursuing access to 80,000 cell sites to turn Starlink into a major wireless carrier rivaling Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile.

Tech advocacy groups warn that foreign nationals at AI companies like OpenAI and Google pose a national security threat amid a lack of federal oversight.

Singapore researchers built the world's first touchscreen woven into clothing, surviving 50 machine washes while displaying images and responding to touch.

The Fox News AI Newsletter covers the latest artificial intelligence technology advancements, including the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

A startup founder woke to $449 in unexpected OpenAI and Anthropic charges after stolen API keys were exploited during the "Black October" cyber wave.

Educational Testing Service hackers stole millions of California student records, but families who moved out of state years ago may also be affected.

Apple's iPhone Duo screens are cracking near the hinge just days after its $1,999 launch, and iFixit's CT scans may reveal what's going wrong.

Travel expert Katy Nastro says 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles vanished from her account after someone redeemed them without permission.

Google AI Overviews can't be permanently turned off, but adding -AI to your searches and using the built-in Web filter can help bypass AI summaries.

Attaxion researchers found 30 fake Texas campaign merchandise stores traced to just two sellers hawking gear for competing Republicans and Democrats.

GM plans to debut eyes-off driving in the Cadillac Escalade IQ by 2028, but safety testing reveals how long distracted drivers take to regain control.

Data brokers assign labels predicting your health, finances and religion based on browsing and purchases, then sell those profiles to businesses.

Elon Musk says he'll give one SpaceX share to every kid in America in 2027, but key details about eligibility and distribution remain unclear.

ClearSpace UK's robotic spacecraft with giant claws will chase down dead satellites at 17,000 mph, with a 2029 launch from Scotland planned.

A fake Social Security statement phishing email uses the SSA logo and a convincing layout, but the sender's domain instantly exposes the scam.

A clean credit report doesn't mean your identity is safe. Six ways criminals can steal from you without triggering a credit monitoring alert.

Carolyn Marvin, a 78-year-old retired professor, was arrested after blocking an Uber Eats delivery robot on a Philadelphia sidewalk for months.