Resources

One of the beauties of being a proofreader is that you never stop learning. The flip side is that you quickly realise you can never know it all, and searching for answers can be a slippery slope.

As a child, my dad used to spend hours engrossed in the dictionary because one definition would lead to another, which would then lead to another, and so on. I do the same online (my job involves a lot of research to validate or justify corrections and suggestions) and my collection of bookmarks is ever growing as a result.

Since I’m not a natural blogger, I thought I’d share some resources instead, which I hope you will find as helpful and interesting as I do. Be warned, it’s a bit of a random collection! And, because life can’t be all about work, I’ve included a few fun bits as well.

Happy browsing!

Accessibility

The World Wide Web Consortium sets the standards for the internet and provides a variety of tools to help improve websites and their accessibility. This includes the W3docs Color Contrast Analyzer, which evaluates how colours comply with the WCAG 2 text color contrast requirements. I found it really helpful when trying to pick my brand colours (it took hours, but I got there in the end).

AI

In my line of work, there is a lot of debate about whether (and how quickly) AI will replace editors and proofreaders – and we are not the only ones pondering how it will impact our livelihood.

Whether you think it’s the best thing since sliced bread and should be embraced with enthusiasm or you think development should be halted until adequate safeguards are in place, AI is here to stay. It’s a vast subject and few of us have the time (or necessary background) to become experts and grasp its intricacies, but here are a few links to mull over.

What is AI and how does it work?

What is AI? A simple guide to help you understand AI

The A-Z of AI: 30 terms you need to understand artificial intelligence

What Kind of Mind Does ChatGPT Have? Large language models seem startlingly intelligent. But what’s really happening under the hood?

AI implications:

ChatGPT Has a Sexual Harassment Problem

AI chatbots making it harder to spot phishing emails, say experts

A robot wrote this entire article. Are you scared yet, human?

Artificial intelligence in the literary landscape with Amara Motala

A creative sea of troubles: Generative AI and the legal battle for creativity

Digital writing tools:

The University of Auckland has put together a list of spelling, grammar and style checkers.

Comic relief:

If you’ve ever watched the Burnistoun sketch ‘Scottish Elevator’, that’s me trying to input phone numbers into my car’s phone application – there comes a point when you just have to accept that resistance is futile. Go on, watch it – I dare you not to laugh!

Having said that, it does raise a serious question: every one sounds different, so what if you rely on dictation for emails, documents or filling out online forms and AI does not understand you?

English language

J. L. Borges on English

Why it’s time to stop worrying about the decline of the English language

UK vs US English:

Separated by a Common Language – Professor Lynne Murphy’s blog of her observations on British and American English

Guide to UK and US English

Comic relief:

English viewed from the outside by Finnish comic Ismo Leikola …

The English Language is so Confusing!

To B or not to B

The Silent Struggle (with English)

French resources

Le Corrigeur, les Français et l’orthographe – baisse du nombre d’heures d’enseignement du français à l’école et apprentissage de la lecture par la méthode semi-globale.

Grammar

We all have bugbears and gremlins when it comes to grammar. Rather than reinvent the wheel and try to blog about apostrophes or the use of ‘that’ vs ‘which’, I’d rather point you to reliable sources who explain these things far better than I ever could.

That vs. which

Towards or toward? – Merriam Webster’s explanation, The Cambridge Dictionary’s explanation

The correct use of the apostrophe in the English language

Literacy

It’s easy to take literacy for granted, but did you know that it’s estimated that 16.6% of the UK’s adults aged 16-65 have very poor literacy skills, which severely impacts their everyday life and work prospects?

Read Easy is one of many organisations aiming to remedy the situation (with a website geared towards the people they are trying to help).

Macros

Macros can make a big difference to productivity when working with Word files and, at the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP), we are lucky to have on board a leading expert, Paul Beverley, whose website Word macro tools is a treasure trove.

Plain English

How to write in plain English

The power of words

‘The Power of Words’, a poignant 2-minute YouTube clip created by Scottish marketing agency Purple Feather, shows the power of good communication.

Types of editing

Imagine … an editor – David Crystal’s makes a powerful case for using human editors in this focus paper written for the CIEP (please note you will be asked to download the PDF file in order to read it).

Definite articles: Developmental editing is a CIEP blog post that points to a number of resources on developmental editing for both fiction and non-fiction.

What is line editing and how can it help you?

What is the Difference Between Copyediting and Line Editing?

Client feedback

‘Agnès has proved her ability to be particular and thorough in her proofreading for our projects on more than one occasion. Depending on the level of complexity, she offers the right number of reviews, comments, and queries where the content is unclear.

She is our ‘go-to’ proofreader for any project, large or small. We cannot recommend her work highly enough!’

Karin Carruthers, Scream Blue Murder

‘Working with Agnès was an absolute pleasure and the service I received was excellent. Great levels of communication throughout, exceeded the deadline set and the standard of work was exceptional. Highly recommend.’

Rebecca Davies, HR Ready

Agnès worked for us on a difficult book project where the subject matter related to a historical murder during the early days of Northern Ireland’s Troubles. As such, it required excellent proofreading skills and attention to detail as content needed to be factually correct and well edited.

Agnès’ finished work was exemplary and demonstrated an ability to handle a technically difficult text in a highly professional and polished manner.

John Monaghan, Shanway Press

‘The best word to describe the proofread/appraisal that Agnès carried out on my website is ‘forensic’. Her eye for detail is mind-blowing. She not only proofread the content – picking up details that I had missed – but also made helpful suggestions to improve some of the more technical aspects.

Agnès produced a professional five-page report in which she detailed things I needed to put right – from extra spacing between words and incorrect punctuation to inconsistencies in formatting and the absence of title tabs. And it was all done in a friendly, respectful manner.

I have implemented every suggestion in the report and my website is better for it. I would thoroughly recommend Agnès of Precision Proof for all proofreading projects, both online and in print.’

Anne Gillion, ASG Editorial

‘I am really pleased with the format of the feedback you have given. It’s taken me just 20 mins to work through it all and update the slide deck. The level of detail is really helpful, and I plan to share this with the facilitator.’

Angela Andrews, Head of Client Success, OnTrack

Why not say hello? I’m sure you’ve got lots of questions about proofreading and I’d be delighted to answer them. My email is agnes@precisionproof.co.uk, or you can use the Contact form if you have a project you’d like to discuss.

So what are you waiting for? Don’t be bashful (even if I am)!

Connect with me on LinkedIn.

A big ’thank you’ to my friend Mary Doggett of ETT Photography for taking and supplying the pictures for this website. You can find out about her and see more of her work on her website.