Writing & Grammar
Hello everyone:
Today’s blog posting is about a great way to proofread your work: read it out loud.
My son recently published a book that was over 120,000 words. He read each of them aloud before posting the book. I had a 400 page dissertation that I sent to a proofreader BUT did not read out loud before signing off on it. I caught 12 errors in the published version. Oops! (I figured that the paid proofreader, at $800, would have caught everything. She didn’t.)
You will be amazed at the grammatical and punctuation errors you can catch by taking the time to read the document before posting it. Don’t skimp here, folks. The extra few minutes you spend will pay off in a better grade, which could affect your eventually getting into graduate school!
Have you had any embarrassing mistakes in a document, that you would have found otherwise? Oops, gotta run. I have to read my 90,000 word novel out loud, so I can prepare to send it to my agent.
Best,
Dr. Sheri
Sheri Dean Parmelee
Sheri Dean Parmelee has a Ph.D. in Communication Studies from Regent University. She writes books on practical tips for people who become unexpectedly unmarried and is working on her second novel in a series of contemporary romance/suspense novels. She teaches at three colleges, working with students from freshmen to graduate students. Her hobbies include running 8 miles a day and reading biographies and fiction.
