Proofreading at Work

 

Objectives

Programme

Client comments

Open course

In-house course

Learning objectives

By the end of this course you will be able to:

• correct mistakes in your own and colleagues’ documents
• apply the techniques used by professional proofreaders
• understand the difference between editing and proofreading
• identify common errors in the use and spelling of words
• remove ambiguity and redundant words
• use grammar and punctuation with confidence
• ensure consistency and apply a corporate style guide
• interpret the proof-correction symbols used by typesetters.

Morning session

An introduction to proofreading

• The role of the proofreader
• The importance of proofreading
• The difference between proofreading and editing
• The qualities of a proofreader

On screen or on paper?

• How software can help
• Spell checkers and grammar checkers - their benefits and limitations
• The advantages of proofreading on paper

A new way of reading

• Reading carefully and slowly
• Looking at form as well as content
• Checking layout and styling
• Developing an eye for detail

Intervention

• The golden rule
• When to make a change and when to leave alone
• When and how to raise a query

Consistency and corporate style

• Why consistency matters
• British or American spelling?
• Numbers and dates
• Capitals and abbreviations
• Italics and bold
• Hyphenation
• Quotation marks

Afternoon session

Troublesome words

• Commonly confused or misused words
• Commonly misspelt words
• Words with alternative spellings
• Removing unnecessary words

Ambiguity

• The causes of ambiguity
• Picking it up
• Correcting it appropriately

Grammar and punctuation

• Why they matter
• A guide to grammar
• Punctuation - revision of the rules

Dealing with details

• Facts and figures
• Tables, graphs and diagrams
• Cross-references

Professional techniques

• How to increase your accuracy
• Developing awareness of common mistakes
• Using proof-correction symbols

Further development

• Reference sources
• Post-course support

More information

The Proofreading at Work course is available both as an open course and as an in-house course, which we would run at your premises.

For further details about open Proofreading at Work courses, including pricing and a list of venues and dates of upcoming courses, click here. For more information about the in-house Proofreading at Work course, click here.

Top of page...

“It works! I have gained a greater understanding of proofreading techniques and now pick up many more errors.”

Niall Ryan
Head of Internal Communications
Harrods

“I found all aspects really useful, providing a good guide to proofreading.”

Lisa Thompson
Business Unit Administrator
Steer Davies Gleave

“I enjoyed the whole day. The tutor was very clear and the pace of the course was just right.”

Toni Marsh
Marketing Assistant
Hanover Housing Association

Summary

• 1 day
• 9.30am to 4.30pm
• Small groups
• Certificates
• A year of free support
• £395.00 + VAT
• 20% discount for registered charities

Venues and dates

The Proofreading at Work course calendar

To book a course on-line simply click the date that interests you.

January 2018	February 2018	March 2018	April 2018
M T W T F S S	M T W T F S S	M T W T F S S	M T W T F S S
May 2018	June 2018	July 2018	August 2018
M T W T F S S	M T W T F S S	M T W T F S S	M T W T F S S

	Course will be held in London		Course will be held in Manchester		Course is fully booked
	Course will be held in Bristol		Course will be held in Exeter

Running the Proofreading at Work course in-house

The Proofreading at Work course can be run as in-house training anywhere in the world. If you have a group of staff who need the same skills, this option is convenient and cost-effective. It is powerful too, because we can provide a course that is specifically designed to achieve your objectives.

Tailored to your needs

The standard programme is available as in-house training, but you may prefer us to tailor it to match the needs of your staff and your organisation. Tailoring can include:

• adjusting the length of the programme
• adding or removing topics
• using your documents as examples and exercises
• taking full account of your style guide.

Flexibility

An in-house course is fully flexible. Tell us what you want to achieve and we will work with you to design a course to match. Tell us when you would like to run the course and we will find a date that suits you.

Free support

Every course we run comes with a year of free support for each participant. We recognise that people do not think of every question on the day of the training. Our support service gives them the opportunity to ask their tutor an unlimited number of questions in the year following the course. In this way they continue to build their skills and confidence.

Ask us for a quotation

The cost of an in-house course depends on a number of things, including its length, its location and how much preparation we need to do. We can readily give you a quotation, so please contact us to discuss your needs.