Why you need a human as part of your editorial safeguards. Is it curtesy or courtesy? Waved or waived? Entails or entrails? I know!

πŸ”€ Your spellcheck does not know it. πŸ€‘ Your paid-for grammar software does not know it either. πŸ€“ But I do. Some #proofreading spots from a couple of indie author manuscripts which would have passed unnoticed without #EagleEyedCherry: ❌ It was an appropriate measure and a proper curtesy to my friend. ➑ courtesy βœ” ❌Continue reading “Why you need a human as part of your editorial safeguards. Is it curtesy or courtesy? Waved or waived? Entails or entrails? I know!”

Is it ‘should of’ or ‘should have’? Eggsellent advice contained herein.

❓ Why am I sharing this WhatsApp screenshot with you? 1️⃣ To answer the question: what do proofreaders have for lunch? 2️⃣ To demonstrate that I’m a proofreader with a winning sense of humour? 3️⃣ To give my international followers a taste of a British classic, as good in flavour as it is in onomatopoeia?Continue reading “Is it ‘should of’ or ‘should have’? Eggsellent advice contained herein.”

Today’s top proofreading spots.

πŸ”Ž Top #proofreading spots from an edit I’m working on. 1️⃣ I looked causally at… ❌ ➑ I looked casually at … βœ” 2️⃣ My friend Jaime ❌ My friend Jamie βœ” (The name had been Jamie throughout so this was just a typo/letter switch) 3️⃣ I used to be less social ❌ I usedContinue reading “Today’s top proofreading spots.”

Looking for a proofreader or editor with experience?

Remember when I crossed the one million words milestone? I’m almost at one and a half million. Please picture me saying this in a Dr Evil style. 😁 What I’m not-very-subtly suggesting by posting this in front of you is that I’m experienced. I’ve edited and proofread lots of words. I could edit/proofread your words,Continue reading “Looking for a proofreader or editor with experience?”

Is it dispatch box or despatch box? Should Parliament be capitalised? Back-bencher or backbencher? Proofreading dystopian political fiction.

πŸ”Ž Today’s proofread has a political theme. Dystopian fiction, written in 2017, but weirdly prescient. It’s not a futuristic setting, rather a twisted version of our own, and so the words need to be styled in a recognised way. Part of this involves carefully checking spelling, hyphenation and capitalisation. Dispatch box ❌ has become despatchContinue reading “Is it dispatch box or despatch box? Should Parliament be capitalised? Back-bencher or backbencher? Proofreading dystopian political fiction.”

I’m rolling with it. New editing availability. (And, while we’re on it, is it role or roll? Rollout or roll out?)

πŸŽͺ Role up. ❌ Roll up. βœ” I’m on a role. ❌ Over the last few years, I’ve gone from one day a week of editing, to two, and, from September, I’ll be up to three. πŸ‘ Go me! And a bonus #EagleEyedCherry #writingtip is to remind you of the different spellings and uses ofContinue reading “I’m rolling with it. New editing availability. (And, while we’re on it, is it role or roll? Rollout or roll out?)”

Should I use commas in lists of adjectives? Co-ordinate and cumulative adjectives.

❓ Loud cackling laugh or loud, cackling laugh? Is cackling laugh a noun in itself, or is cackling an adjective describing the noun? If we establish that laugh is the noun, cackling is the adjective. Loud is also an adjective describing the laugh. So, you’re listing adjectives. These are co-ordinate adjectives, each in turn modifyingContinue reading “Should I use commas in lists of adjectives? Co-ordinate and cumulative adjectives.”

What is a dangling modifier?

Today has been dubbed the ‘day of hugs’. πŸ€— And, funnily enough, hugging has come up in my work this morning by way of a dangling modifier! πŸ”Ž Moving back, the hug was planted on her from an unwanted source. ❌ Unless the hug is ‘moving back’, this sentence construction is wrong. ‘Moving back’ modifiesContinue reading “What is a dangling modifier?”

Is it Mother’s Day or Mothers’ Day? Where should the apostrophe go?

πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡² It’s Mother’s Day in the USA. ❓ Did you wake up wondering where to put the apostrophe in your mom’s card? πŸ˜† βœ… Well, it’s your lucky day as I can confirm it should go between the β€˜R’ and the β€˜S’. Mother’s Day. Yes, more than one mum is celebrating her special day today,Continue reading “Is it Mother’s Day or Mothers’ Day? Where should the apostrophe go?”

Is it perspective or prospective?

❓Perspective or prospective? From a teacher’s prospective, encouraging ambitious vocabulary is worthwhile as students are rewarded highly for this in examinations. It will make their answers stand out to perspective examiners. ❌ What’s the problem here? Copywriters – you may be at odds with my sentiment. I’ve had conversations online with copywriting parents frustrated theirContinue reading “Is it perspective or prospective?”