Are You Making These Mistakes in Your Writing?
I’m beyond excited to share a special resource with you today! Some of my clients have requested a tool like this for quite some time, and it is finally available. Yay!
As a professional proofreader, I see many wording errors on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. Too many to count, really. Interestingly, I’ve noticed that many of my clients make the same errors over and over again. Some are common errors such as confusing its/it’s or affect/effect, but others are unique and sometimes downright humorous.
I decided to start cataloging the errors I find and put them into a format that I can share with my clients to help them improve their writing. My goal is to save them time and frustration. And now I’m making this resource available to everyone—not just my clients!
Before we go any further, I need to tell you that by no means is this a comprehensive list of English language errors. Quite the contrary.
Since the majority of the proofreading I do is for court reporters who cannot alter the witness testimony during legal proceedings (they must type it verbatim), the spreadsheet does not include errors such as subject/verb agreement or awkward sentence constructions. Neither does it include punctuation errors (although I see plenty of them in my work). Rather, the majority of the spreadsheet entries are confusing word pairs such as insure/ensure or homophones/homonyms encountered while typing at high speeds.
I used Airtable (my favorite online spreadsheet tool) to create this resource, and I think you’ll find the format helpful and easy to use. The spreadsheet has 4 columns: (1) What I Caught, (2) How I Corrected, (3) Explanation, and (4) Helpful Website.
Here’s an example entry from the “Good Catch” spreadsheet:
What I Caught: breath
How I Corrected: breathe
Explanation:
Use "breath" when the word acts as a noun.
Example: She took a deep breath before jumping off the diving board.
Use "breathe" (long "e" sound in the middle of the word) when the word acts as a verb.
Example: You should breathe deeply before jumping off the diving board.Helpful Website: https://www.grammarly.com/blog/breath/
3 ways to use the “good catch” spreadsheet
1. Search the spreadsheet for words or phrases that you struggle with.
One of my favorite features of the spreadsheet is that it is searchable (when viewing on a desktop computer). If you struggle with a particular word or phrase, you can use the search function in the upper right corner of the spreadsheet to find the word and a helpful explanation. Can’t seem to remember when to use affect or effect? Just type either word in the search tool, and a highlight will appear over the word. Read the wording in the Explanation column and/or visit the Helpful Website link for additional examples and tips.
2. Encourage your clients to sign up for this free resource and direct them to particular entries that they struggle with.
If your clients have access to the spreadsheet, you can direct them to certain words or phrases that they miss most frequently.
3. Help me improve the spreadsheet by submitting errors that you’ve found.
If you see a recurring error in the files you proofread (and it is missing from the spreadsheet), please send the information to me via my contact form. I’d like to add entries to the spreadsheet to make it as helpful as possible.
Whether you are a court reporter, a fellow proofreader, or a writer who wants to improve his skills, this resource was designed with you in mind. Use the form below to sign up to receive the spreadsheet today!
About Julie Corbett
A veteran proofreader of 25 years, Julie is passionate about the English language and teaching others to use it correctly. When she’s not proofreading court transcripts, she’s writing blog content, reading about productivity, or spending time with her family. Contact Julie here.