This is a brief summary of proofreading tips and guidelines for both creative and critical writing to make your work sharper. Examples are also included to help understanding of associated points. This summary can be used to bolster your understanding of the English language, and improve your own r...
A really helpful guide for proofreading and improving both essays and creative writing pieces. Lots of useful tips fully explained with clear examples to aid use.
Has enabled me to significantly improve my work and will keep using for all of my writing.
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Here are some examples of things you might want to look for (some of these examples might
be more/less relevant for different types of writing):
• Accidental double spaces.
• The word ‘that’ can often be removed without changing the sentence’s meaning, e.g.:
‘I have heard that the girl’s predictions are accurate’ → ‘I have heard the girl’s
predictions are accurate’.
• Phrases such as ‘of the’ or ‘in the’ can often be removed by inverting some elements of
the sentence, e.g.: ‘Consider how the values of the institution affect students’ →
‘Consider how the institution’s values affect students’; ‘The response in the United
Kingdom was similar’ → ‘The United Kingdom’s response was similar’.
• The word ‘also’ is often used to help introduce additional points, but consider whether
it is necessary, e.g.: ‘The response was also similar in the United Kingdom’ → ‘The
response was similar in the United Kingdom’.
• The word ‘then’ is often used to move a piece of writing on, but consider whether it is
necessary, e.g.: ‘Then they struck their tents and left’ → ‘They struck their tents and
left’.
• Phrases such as ‘the fact that’ are often redundant, and do not add anything to a piece
of writing, e.g.: ‘This argument is supported by the fact that Smith & Weston (2020)
conducted additional research’ → ‘This argument is supported by Smith & Weston’s
(2020) additional research’.
• Phrases such as ‘decided to’ or ‘managed to’ can generally be avoided because, purely
by doing the action in question, you show the decision was made, or success was
managed, e.g.: ‘Football has managed to establish itself as a universal language’ →
‘Football has established itself as a universal language’.
• Passive verbs (ending in ‘ing’) often slow the pace of a piece of writing, e.g.: ‘Sue is
changing the flat tyre’ → ‘Sue changes the flat tyre’.
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