As a professional proofreader, most of the errors I pick up are fairly unexciting, but there have been a few high profile ones recently that bring home just how important proofreading really is. I hope the following will bring a smile to your face – and also make you double check your work from now on (or, better still, send it to me!)
This poem proves perfectly why you should never ever rely on a spell checker. A basic one will allow through all these words, even though over half of them are incorrectly used. A more sophisticated spell checker will pick up that words are wrong within the context … but would everyone know what to replace …
Yes, you did read the title right! This video, featuring American poet Taylor Mali, is a great example of why you should never trust the spellchecker!
The Proof Fairy is the alter ego of me, Alison Neale, and I have always been fascinated by the written word. As a child I spent hours locked away in my bedroom, book in hand. English was my favourite subject at school and I often wrote stories and articles, some of which were published in …
