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How to Make Your Writing Look Proofread


Photo by Patrick Tomasso / Unsplash

As a published author, I came to understand what makes text that has been proofread different from what you and I would naturally write. Of course, spelling and grammar have to be correct but there is more to it than that.

It's about consistency and style. In the rest of this article, I am going to cover the style used by proofreaders when they change:

Notice that I said 'change' rather than 'correct'. Proofreaders change what you have written even though it's correct.

Spelling

Because many people learn English through American media and courses, publishers prefer to use American spelling. In many cases, what is considered American spelling, is also correct in British English.

I have recently changed my writing style to use spelling which is correct in both American and British English. I will use the British version if it is correct in American English but incorrect in British English.

Four common differences between American and British spelling are:

  1. The use of 's' or 'z' in words such as 'organisation' and 'organization'.
  2. Using or not using 'u' e.g. 'colour' or 'color'.
  3. Using a single or double consonant as in 'traveling' or 'travelling'.
  4. The spelling of "center" (American); "centre" (British).

Interestingly, in the Oxford English Dictionary, the American spelling of a word is often listed as a valid alternative.

'S' or 'Z'?

Whether a verb should end in 'ize' or 'ise' is a difficult question for British writers. Both versions have always been correct in British English.

Americans prefer 'ize' which causes many Brits to think that 'ize' is an Americanism and object to its use in British English.

Leading British dictionaries show 'ize' as the main spelling form for these verbs - and 'ization' and 'izer' as the preferred forms of their derivatives. It's correct to use 'ise', 'isation' and 'iser'. The most important thing is to be consistent and stick to one style.

However, if you want your writing to look like it has been proofread, always use the 'ize' form.

Exceptions
Some words are always spelled with 'ise':

Some other words are always spelled 'ize':

Punctuation

Commas ( , )

Commas have many uses. One of the most common is to separate three or more items in a list:

I need to buy flour, milk, and nuts.

I leave out the comma before the 'and' because punctuation should only be used where necessary.

Quotation marks (' ') or (" ")

Speech

Double quotation marks (" ") are more commonly used in American English, while single quotation marks (' ') are more common in British English. Both styles are correct and widely used.

Whichever you use for your main quotation marks, always use the other when you are using quotation marks within quotation marks. For example:

Mary said, "I was walking home when I heard someone say 'Hi, Mary,' but I didn't know who it was."

Notice that the period is placed before the final quotation mark.

I prefer to use double quotation marks as my main quotation marks to reduce confusion with apostrophes.

Other uses

Single quotation marks can be used to: - to draw attention to a word - to indicate an unusual use of a word - to suggest that the writer does not want to be associated with a word

Commas and periods come after the quotation marks in these cases.

If publishers use double quotation marks for speech, they also use double quotation marks for the above single-quotation functions. Here, you need to make a choice between using the correct punctuation and your writing looking as if it has been proofread.

Possessive Apostrophe

The possessive apostrophe is used to show ownership or association. For example: 'Mary's book' or 'Tom's dance club'. Its use is the same in American and British English.

However, the rules are complicated. My article, 'The Possessive Apostrophe', covers the rules in detail.

In the meantime, here's a quick guide, which although not always grammatically correct, does provide the reader with a smooth reading experience:

Here are some examples:

Of the four examples given above, only 'Mike Wills' article' is incorrect, but it reads better than the correct version which is 'Mike Wills's article'.

Square brackets [ ]

Square brackets are used to provide additional information to make a statement clearer even though it wasn't included in the original:

The music critic said, "[Johann Sebastian] Bach was the best composer of baroque music."

Grammar

There aren't many grammar differences between British and American English. The most common are past participles:

In these cases, I recommend using the American version which most British readers wouldn't notice. On the other hand, most Americans would find the British version distracting.

Dates

Never write a date like this: 03/04/25. Depending on your reader's location, it could be interpreted as the fourth day of March 2025 or the third day of April 2025.

Publishers use either '4 March 2025' or 'March 4 2025'. Again, be consistent with the format you choose. Notice that publishers don't use '4th March 2025'.

The month can also be shortened by only using its first three letters e.g. '4 Mar 2022'.

Numbers

There are several number formats used around the world, but the two most common are:

Decimal point system

In this system, the decimal point separates the whole number from the decimal portion, and commas are used to separate groups of three digits in the whole number. For example, in the United States and the United Kingdom, the number 'one thousand, two hundred and thirty-four point five six' is written as '1,234.56', where the comma separates the thousands and the decimal point separates the whole number from the decimal portion.

Decimal comma system

In this system, the comma separates the whole number from the decimal portion, and periods are used to separate groups of three digits in the whole number. For example, in Germany, the same number is written as "1.234,56", where the period separates the thousands and the comma separates the whole number from the decimal portion.

If you are writing in English, I recommend using the Decimal Point System.

One approach used in book publishing is to use spaces instead of commas as in "100 000".

Percentages

Unless it is part of a chart or diagram, proofreaders always replace '%' with 'per cent'. If you choose to do this, please be aware that spelling and grammar checkers will keep on nagging you to use '%'.

Conclusion

This article is not meant to be a complete guide to spelling - it would be much longer if it were. It is intended to give your writing a more 'professional' look. You never know but it might get you a job as a writer, reporter or journalist.


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