Unit 8: Proofreading

Unit 8: Proofreading

Spelling errors make a poor impression! Learn about some common mistakes to avoid.

Proofreading

When you write quickly, it is easy to make mistakes. Always check your email carefully before you send it. It is a good idea to keep a list of words you have spelled wrongly in the past. Use this list to check that you have spelled them correctly. Also, use your computer's spell checker if you can. This will automatically correct spellings for you. Finally, here are a few other things to check for.

Words with similar sounds

Some words sound the same in English but have different spelling:

*Their not *hear yet. > They're not here yet.
*Wear do you want to *meat? > Where do you want to meet?

Short words

These are easy to spell, but they are also easy to spell incorrectly. Short words are the ones we type most quickly. It's easy to type some of the letters in the wrong order.

a lot *fo mistakes > of
Thank you *fro your letter > for
at *hte meeting > the

Silent letters

Many words that are common in emails have silent letters. Here are some examples (the silent letters are underlined):

know    write    wrong    forward    thought    right    interesting    Wednesday    Bye

Grammar: subject/verb agreement

You should always check that you have used the right verb in the right form. A common mistake is to forget the -s in the 3rd person singular (he/she/it).

The training *start at 9 a.m. > starts
My plane *leave at 4.35. > leaves
How long *do it take? > does
How many times *have he been here? > has

Punctuation

Remember to start every sentence with a capital letter, and to use a capital letter for place names, days, months, names, etc.

We will be in Newcastle with Mrs Hamilton on March the 4th, in Manchester with Dr Kassu on Tuesday the 5th, and Birmingham with Andrea Este on the Thursday.

We usually use commas when opening and closing emails, use a full stop at the end of a sentence and a capital letter at the start of a sentence. An exclamation mark (!) is OK in a friendly email, but it's better not to use them in formal emails.

Hi Mark,
Thank you very much for all your help this week. You must be glad it's the weekend!
With best regards,
Pattie

Task 1

Exercise

 

 

Here are the correctly spelt words: Hello, I look forward to, at the meeting, English lesson, let me know, next week, Dear John, With best regards, in the morning

Task 2

Task 3

Task 4

Download

Language level

Average: 4.2 (5 votes)

Hello xeesid,

I think I see what you mean now, though am I right in thinking you already knew the answer to your question? 

What you learned is correct in most situations -- when each part of a plural subject possesses something individually, the thing possessed is also usually plural. This is clearly the case when talking about body parts.

'heart' can be a body part or could have a more abstract meaning of the kind I suggested in my first reply, which is why I think that either 'heart' or 'hearts' can be correct. If 'hearts' (which even in the plural can also have the more abstract meaning), then I'd encourage you to use that form. I had understood that you were trying to understand why someone might say 'heart'.

Hope this helps.

All the best,

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

Dear sir, I asked my first question because of the confusion I developed reading it [i.e. their heart...] somewhere, which was weird to me; I thought I should take an expert's opinion on this. Thanking you for both of your replies sir.
Profile picture for user OlaIELTS

Submitted by OlaIELTS on Sat, 13/06/2020 - 00:16

Permalink
It's really fantastic.

Submitted by Dilnoza Sulaymonova on Fri, 12/06/2020 - 13:31

Permalink
very easy ways of learning I think
Profile picture for user Aniyanmon

Submitted by Aniyanmon on Wed, 31/07/2019 - 16:43

Permalink
Dear Sir, Please see the following sentences. I would like to know which of the following sentences is correct. After "videos" "gives" or "give" is apt. In English this type of doubts always confusing me. Kindly enlighten me on this. I know the rules regarding noun and verb but yet sometimes I am confused. Kindly tell me which is the subject here. 1) Watching your videos gives me lots of confidence. 2) Watching your videos give me lots of confidence. Thank you.
Profile picture for user Kirk Moore

Submitted by Kirk Moore on Thu, 01/08/2019 - 08:18

In reply to by Aniyanmon

Permalink

Hello Aniyanmon

The gerund 'watching' in 'watching your videos' is singular, so 1 is correct here.

All the best

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

Profile picture for user Mihalev

Submitted by Mihalev on Mon, 31/12/2018 - 16:43

Permalink
Hello, I live in the UK and am currently employed in the insurance sector. I am not a native speaker, and today, one of my British colleagues in the office suggested that a sentence I had written as a part of an email to a customer was wrong. Luckily, I asked her to proofread it before sending it. The sentence in question was 'We note that you have no objections to the removal of the implicated in the current damage trees.' My colleague said that the sentence did not make any sense. I am confused as to what exactly is wrong with the sentence, so I was hoping that you might be able to help. Kind regards, Mariyan
Profile picture for user Kirk Moore

Submitted by Kirk Moore on Tue, 01/01/2019 - 07:25

In reply to by Mihalev

Permalink

Hello Mariyan

I'm afraid I don't understand what the sentence means, either, but I put this down more to not knowing enough about the insurance industry. For example, is a 'damage tree' a kind of insurance term? Or are you speaking about some trees that were damaged? If it's the latter, then it should be 'damaged trees'. I might also say 'implicated parties' if that's referring to people. In short, if you could explain what you want this sentence to communicate in other words, we'll be happy to help you understand it.

All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team

Profile picture for user Martou_1234

Submitted by Martou_1234 on Thu, 07/06/2018 - 17:48

Permalink
But now, i know it's very important to take attention when you write an email before you send it. And verify if something is bad.
Profile picture for user Martou_1234

Submitted by Martou_1234 on Thu, 07/06/2018 - 17:43

Permalink
That was very important for me,and i am so happy to make exercises. Because, i usually make mistakes about spelling , punctuation...