How to Spot an Inexperienced Proofreader

People use proofreading services because they understand the importance of polishing their writing and ensuring they present their ideas in the clearest possible way. For this reason, when an inexperienced or poorly trained proofreader provides a proofreading service, the damage this causes is often catastrophic. 

If you find the types of common errors shown in this article within your own documents after receiving a proofreading service, then it is likely that your proofreader is inexperienced. As a result of this, they may have provided a low-quality service that is not fit for purpose, and you should act to correct the errors remaining in your document.

Most service providers who specialise in proofreading services will be willing to correct the errors in your document that remain after the completion of the service. However, it is always best to vet your chosen proofreader or service provider before you assign them to work on your documents; ultimately, this will save significant time and money.

 

1. Passive voice

The use of passive voice in a sentence is not necessarily wrong, but writing sentences in the active voice often leads to stronger and more impactful writing.

For this reason, it is usually expected that a proofreader – whether they are working in a freelance capacity or under the direction of a dedicated proofreading service provider – will correct any instances of passive voice usage in your writing to the active voice.

For example, as shown below, an experienced proofreader will immediately spot the value of correcting the first sentence (written in the passive voice) to either the second sentence or third sentence (both of which are written in the active voice):

1.    The findings X, Y, and Z are suggested by this research.

2.    This research found X, Y, and Z.

3.    The findings of this research indicate X, Y, and Z.

If your proofreader fails to spot opportunities to improve your writing like this, it may be an indication that they are inexperienced. As a result, you will likely benefit from working with another professional.

 

2. Confusion of common words

Good proofreaders know the difference between all of the following commonly confused words:

·         Its and it’s

·         Their, there, and they’re

·         Your and you’re

·         Too, two, and to

·         Bear and bare

For this reason, to see whether your proofreader is experienced, consider creating a sample test containing some of these commonly confused words and submit the work as a free sample. This will help you to determine whether the proofreader is goodto work with.

 

3. Confusing who and whom

One of the clearest signs of an inexperienced proofreading service professional is a person who is unsure about the different usages of the words who and whom. In short, who is interchangeable with he or she, whereas whom is interchangeable with him or her.

As before, consider watching out for this mistake – as well as other similar basic errors – to determine whether your proofreader is a good match for your project.