What’s at stake with proofreading? 
​Only your credibility

Your computer has spellchecker, so who needs proofreading, right? What’s so bad about one misspelled word, or one comma out of place, anyway?

For serious writers, a lot more is at stake than you might think. Spelling, word choice, grammar, and punctuation all contribute to the success—or failure—of your work. There are a handful of reasons why a professional should proofread your work, but here are the three of the most important ones:

Meaning: Errors can change the meaning of what you’re trying to communicate. Here’s an example courtesy of the comedian Benny Hill: “What’s that in the road, a head?” Versus, “What’s that in the road ahead?” 

Thoroughness: As a writer, you know your own work. But you also may fill in meaning or understanding that isn’t reflected in your words. You may do this subconsciously. Writers have a tendency to skim their own work and read what they expect to see.

Credibility: If your readers can’t trust you to use a comma correctly, how can they trust you with the more important parts of writing? Errors detract from the reading experience. They degrade the quality of your writing.
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So whether you use our services or the services of someone else, we encourage you to use a proofreader. The feedback will elevate the quality of your work—maybe a little, maybe a lot. Either way you’ll be glad you did.

Take our proofreading test

Want to put your skills to the test? Try our proofreading test. It’s a fun way to assess your knowledge about grammar, punctuation, and word use. Some of the errors are obvious and easy, but others are subtle and tricky. Give it a shot. Even if you don’t catch all the errors, you’ll probably enjoy the test.
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Test Section 1
I awoke still feeling the affects of last night. My head throbbed. I figured it was because of either the bourbon I drunk, all the chalupas I ate, or the smack in the face from my now ex-girlfriend. If I was Amish, I thought I wouldn’t have this problem.

Test Section 2
I felt badly about missing the deadline again. But more often then not my deliverable are on time. When I finally handed in the project, my Boss said “you have a flare for the dramatic.”

Test Section 3
“Pour some listerine on it,” I said, “that should at least stop the bleeding.” I was busy trying to figure out whom was past out in my bathtub. “Hey” someone yelled. “Does everyone have there own clothes on now?”. Then I heard a scream from nextdoor, and I summarized that my lost python had been found.

Test Section 4
“Are those nipple clamps,” she asked enthusiastically? Technically, they weren’t. They were just chip clips that I usualy used to keep my doritos from getting stale. “They are,” I replied, trying not to stair into the cavernous expanse of her pillowy cleavage.

Test Section 5
Neither painful hemmeroids nor a broken down car stop me from seeing the band with the transvestite Venezualan lead singer, whom dedicated a song to you and I.
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Test Section 6
The account executive called the meeting. She wanted to review some revisions from the client. When I heard that, I threw up a little in my mouth. The client was an imbecile. And not just a mediocre imbecile. His capacity for imbecility was seemingly infinite—as deep and powerful as a black hole. But not just any black hole—the one inside galaxy NCG 1277 in the constellation Perseus. It’s considered the largest black hole ever discovered.

Test Section 7
When Frank showed up, he asked Kyle if he could use a saw. Kyle wondered why would Frank would need a saw. Nervously awaiting an answer, the bloodstains on Franks shirt provided clue number 1. “It was a accident,” Frank mumbled. Its not my fault.” ​

Test Section 8
“Your not gonna believe what Donald got caught in the bob wire fence,” Jenny said. “I don’t wanna know,” I replied. I’m not surprised though they gave him free rein in the prison yard. What’d they except?” Jenny giggled. “Does the warden Bryce McFisty know about this”?