Proofreading Checklist

Aspects to Explanation Example

consider
Check that spelling mistakes are identified.
Spelling

1
Use a spellchecker and then double-check proper nouns such as: names, places, people and
job titles.
Check that homophones are used correctly.

Homophones are words that sound the same when we pronounce them, but have a different
Homophones

2 spelling when we write them.

Common homophone confusions:

Affect/effect know/no than/then their/there/they’re to/too/two accept/except
your/you’re practise/practice.

as: names, places, people, and job titles. ❌ palmerston north boys’ high school
A capital letter is used for proper nouns such

names, suburbs, towns and cities when ✔️Palmerston North Boys’ High School
Capital letters should also be used for street
3
writing addresses.
Capital letters

A capital letter is used for the first word in a

sentence and the pronoun I

❌ on Friday, i tidied my room.

✔️On Friday, I tidied my room.

 ❌ After she had spoken to the student, a
Commas are used to separate the elements in
a list of three or more items.
meeting between the parents students and a
dean was arranged.

✔️ After she had spoken to the student, a

meeting between the parents, students and a
dean was arranged.

A comma is used to separate certain

4 introductory elements in a sentence.
✔️Most of the evidence seemed convincing.
Still, the credibility of some witnesses was in
question.
Commas

✔️Inside, the gym was brightly lighted and

clean.

A comma can be used before a coordinating ✔️At midnight, we all crept downstairs to see
(FANBOYS) conjunctions when they are being what was in the fridge.
use to join two independent clauses.

❌ Some of the boys in the team had forgotten

their boots and, they had to be sent home to
collect them.

✔️Some of the boys in the team had forgotten

their boots, and they had to be sent home to
collect them.

English apostrophe rules are not difficult to

master. Just remember that all possessives Amy's ballet class, Lisa's car, Robert's car,
(showing ownership) need an apostrophe and Ross's room, Ross's sports teams
5 an "s" at the end. If the word already has an
"s," it only needs an apostrophe. If the word
does not already have an "s," it needs the ✔️The parents' bedroom, the Smiths' pets
Apostrophes

apostrophe followed by "s."

When you combine two words to make a ✔️The children's rooms

contraction, you will always take out some
letters. In their place, use an apostrophe.

✔️they + have = they've; are + not = aren't;

they + will = they'll
 ❌He said that he "hoped I would be there."
Use double quotation marks to show the
exact words that were said.

Quotation marks always come in pairs. ✔️"I hope you will be here," he said.

Capitalize the first letter of a direct quote

when the quoted material is a complete ✔️Mr. Johnson, who was working in his field
sentence. that morning, said, "The alien spaceship
Quotation marks / Speech marks / Inverted commas

appeared right before my own two eyes."

Do not use a capital letter when the quoted
6 material is a fragment of a complete
sentence. ✔️Although Mr. Johnson has seen odd
happenings on the farm, he stated that the
spaceship "certainly takes the cake" when it
If a direct quotation is interrupted mid- comes to unexplainable activity.
sentence, do not capitalize the second part of
the quotation.
✔️"I didn't see an actual alien being," Mr.
Notice how the fullstop, question mark, or Johnson said, "but I sure wish I had."
comma punctuation always comes before the
final quotation mark if the punctuation
applies to the quotation itself.
✔️The detective said, "I am sure who the
Use a comma to introduce a quotation after murder is!"
introducing the speaker.

Use single quotation marks to enclose quotes

within another quotation.

✔️The reporter told me, "When I interviewed

the quarterback, he said they simply 'played a
better game.'"

Colons (:) are used to introduce a list, a

quotation, questions or an explanation.
✔️The gang had four members: Zelda, a
7 Semi-colons (;) are different to colons and can specialist in guns, explosives and welding
be used in lists with internal commas. equipment; Colin, the getaway driver; Steven,
Semi-colon and colon

the strong man; and Bob Smith, who could

They can also be used instead of a FANBOYS talk himself out of any awkward situation.
conjunction in a compound sentence.

✔️The gang sat under a tree to eat lunch ate;

they shared good food and even better
conversation.
 ❌ I was under supervision for the first two
Countable nouns are those that refer to
something that can be counted. They have
both singular and plural forms (e.g. cat/cats; week.
woman/women; country/countries). They
8 refer to people, places, things and ideas. ✔️ I was under supervision for the first two
You can add an ‘s’ to show more than one. weeks.
Nouns

Uncountable nouns (or mass nouns) cannot

be counted eg. rain, flour, earth, wine, or

by a or an. Many abstract nouns are typically ❌ I have received advices and informations
wood. Uncountable nouns can't be preceded

uncountable, e.g. happiness, truth, darkness, from my friends.

humour.
✔️ I have received advice and information
from my friends.

Every time a noun is mentioned, the writer is

referring to:
- All of them everywhere (a/an, the)
- One of many (a/an)
- This one exactly (the)
9

consonants and an before words that sound ❌ a apple, a honour, an giraffe, an desk
Use a before words that start with
Articles

like they begin with a vowel

✔️a apple, a honour, an giraffe, an desk
You should never use a or an with an

❌ a milk, an information, a air

uncountable noun.

✔️the milk, the information, the air

 Check that prepositions such as ‘about, at,
for, in, of, on to & with’ are used correctly.

On is used with days

At is used with the time of day ✔️I’ll meet you in the park on the first
In is used with other parts of the day, with Wednesday in May, at noon.
months, with years, and with seasons:

Use into for motion toward and in or at to ❌ I dived in the water.

10

show location
✔️I dived into the water.
Prepositions

Use different from, not different than

❌You're different than I am.

The preposition of should never be used in
place of the helping verb have. ✔️You're different from me.

❌I should of done it.

Don’t use extra, unnecessary prepositions

✔️I should have done it.

❌Where did you get this at?

✔️Where did you get this?

Have you checked for missing words?
Missing words

11 Use Microsoft Word and get it to read your work aloud to check for missing words (and
fluency issues).
Alternatively, read the sentences of your work in reverse order. Begin with the last sentence,
followed by the second-to-last and so on.

You need to use the right version of the verb ❌ Sorting mail (s) in the correct pigeonholes
Check for subject-verb agreement.
Subject-verb
agreement

12 (v) to agree with the subject (s). were (v) quite difficult.

If the subject (s) is singular, the singular form ✔️Sorting mail (s) in the correct pigeonholes
of the verb (v) should be used. was (v) quite difficult.
 ❌Running down the lane and into the forest.
Check that your sentences are complete.
They should contain a subject

✔️The moose was running down the lane and

and a verb into the forest.
13

❌Clothes and shoes scattered around the

Sentence fragments

room.

and a complete thought or idea. ✔️Clothes and shoes were scattered around
the room.

❌ I understand that if any of my patients

refuse treatment. I should respect their
decision.

✔️ I understand that if any of my patients

refuse treatment, I should respect their
decision.

independent clauses (also known as complete ❌I love to write essays I would write one every
A run-on sentence is when two or more

sentences) are not connected properly. day if I had the time.

A run-on sentence can be fixed by connecting

14 or separating its parts correctly using a ✔️I love to write essays. I would write one
Run-on sentences

fullstop, a semi-colon, a comma & every day if I had the time.

coordinating conjunction, or a subordinating
conjunction. ✔️ I love to write essays; I would write one
every day if I had the time.

✔️I love to write essays, and I would write one

every day if I had the time.

✔️ Because I love to write essays, I would

write one every day if I had the time.

Linking words help the reader progress from First / firstly, second / secondly, third / thirdly
one idea to another. They can help to join on etc.
detail, show causation, and help to structure Next, last, finally.
Linking words and phrases

an argument. In addition, moreover.

Further / furthermore.
15 Another.
Also.
In conclusion.
To summarise.
Conjunctions, such as and, but and because,

sentence because they create a sentence ❌And then we went to the movies.
are often avoided at the beginning of a

fragment, but they can sometimes be used

effectively for emphasis. ✔️The popcorn and the movie were pretty
average. But the company was great!