Practice 1
Proofread the following paragraph for grammatical mistakes. Make changes to improve the clarity and structure
of the sentences as well.
Comic relief is important in tragedies, readers need a little relief from all of the sadness in the story. For example, Ham-
let. Ophelia had just died. The next seen is with the gravedigger. Who is a very funny character. They dug up a skull
and makes along speech about who the skull might have belonged to. Even though its about death. The scene is funny,
it lets readers forget about the tragedy for a moment and laugh.
Proofreading for Mechanics
Mechanics refers to the standard practices for the presentation of words and sentences, including capitalization,
punctuation, and spelling. As with grammar, there are many rules for mechanics, but here we will cover the ones
that cause essay writers the most problems. See the Appendix for more thorough grammar and mechanics
resources.
Capitalization
Capitalization is necessary both for specific words and to start sentences and quotes. However, many writers over-
use it. Only six occasions require capitalization:
1. the first word of a sentence
2. proper nouns (names of people, places, and things)
3. the first word of a complete quotation, but not a partial quotation
4. the first, last, and any other important words of a title
5. languages
6. the pronoun I, and any contractions made with it
Punctuation
There are dozens of punctuation marks in the English language. They’re used to separate ideas, form words, and
make the meanings of sentence clear. Poor punctuation can confuse your readers and change your intended mean-
ing. For example, one comma completely changes the meaning of this short sentence:
Don’t call me, stupid!
Don’t call me stupid!
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Here’s a quick punctuation review:
IF YOUR PURPOSE IS TO USE THIS PUNCTUATION EXAMPLE
end a sentence period[.] Use a period to end a sentence.
connect complete sentences semicolon[;] or a comma [,] and A semicolon can connect two
a conjunction [and, or, nor, for, sentences; it is an excellent way
so, but, yet] to show that two ideas are related.
connect items ina list comma [,] but if one or more items The table was overturned, the
in that list already has a comma, mattress was torn apart, and the
use a semicolon [;] dresser drawers were strewn all
over the floor.
The castaways included a profes-
sor, who was the group’s leader;
an actress; and a housewife.
introduce a quotation or colon [:] or comma [,] Colons have three functions:
explanation introducing long lists, introducing
quotations, and introducing expla-
nations.
He said, “This simply won’t do.”
indicate a quotation quotation marks [“ ”] “To be or not to be?” is one of the
most famous lines from Hamlet.
indicate a question question mark [?] Why are so many engineering
students obsessed with Star Trek?
connect two words that work hyphen [-] brother-in-law, well-known author
together
separate a word or phrase for dash [—] I never lie—never.
emphasis
separate a word or phrase that is parenthesis [( )] There is an exception to every rule
relevant but not essential (including this one).
information
show possession or contraction apostrophe [’] That’s Jane’s car.
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Spelling
Proofreading for spelling errors after you’ve run a spell-check program means looking carefully for real-word errors.
If you typed tow instead of two, that mistake is still in your essay, waiting for you to find it. Use the professional
proofreading tricks on page 133 (especially numbers 2, 4, and 6) to scan for mistakes.
Practice 2
Proofread the following paragraph for mechanical errors:
Compact discs (CDs), which may be found in over 25 million american homes not to mention backpacks and auto-
mobiles first entered popular culture in the 1980’s. But there history goes back to the 1960’s, when an Inventor named
James Russell decided to create and alternative to his scratched and warped phonograph records, a system that could
record, store, and replay music without ever whereing out.
In Short
Proofreading is the final step in the writing process. Begin by running spell- and grammar-check programs, being
mindful of their shortcomings. Then, using the professional proofreaders’ tips, study your essay for errors in gram-
mar. In particular, look out for confused words, agreement mistakes, and run-on sentences and fragments.
Finally, check your mechanics. Have you used capital letters and punctuation marks correctly? Are there real-word
or other spelling errors that spell check missed?
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Get a good grammar handbook that includes practice exercises (see the Additional Resources for sug-
gestions) and review the rules of grammar and mechanics. Do you remember the pretest at the begin-
ning of the book? Note the areas that give you trouble. Work through the appropriate sections of the
book to address your weak points. If you tend to write sentence fragments, for example, spend extra
time working through the exercises on complete sentences.
Skill Building until Next Time
. than 25 states, including California, Alaska, North Carolina, and Texas, require a passing grade on an exit
exam to be eligible for high school graduation
in that list already has a comma, mattress was torn apart, and the
use a semicolon [;] dresser drawers were strewn all
over the floor.
The castaways included