How to Check Reports for Punctuation Errors
You just finished typing a report for a school assignment. Because this report is so important and could have an important effect on your final grade, you want to make sure everything is correct--even the punctuation you used. You know your teacher won't like it if you used a semicolon incorrectly, or if you used serial commas when he doesn't allow them, so you want to know how to proofread your report so you can catch any mistakes and correct them. You want him to assign you the highest grade you could possibly earn.
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Things You'll Need
- Manuscript to be edited
- Red pencil
- Ruler
- Page of proofreader's marks
- Grammar book
Instructions
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Give yourself some space from your report. Do something else to let your mind refresh itself. Print out your report from your computer. Double-space the lines so you have space to make written notes on punctuation errors.
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Find a quiet space with good natural light and room to spread out your materials. Have your report, a red pencil, ruler and a grammar book close by. Circle every punctuation mark with your pencil--you're working on a draft of your report, not the final copy.
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Read each sentence of your report out loud and make sure the punctuation mark you used when typing your report is correct. Use your ruler to stay on the correct line. If you find an error, cross it out with a diagonal line and insert the correct punctuation with a circle around it. These are standard proofreader's marks.
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Re-read your report one more time to make sure you didn't miss any punctuation mistakes. Return to your computer and make your punctuation editing changes. If you're not sure about a particular punctuation mark, consult a grammar book like Strunk and White's "The Elements of Style."
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Print out another draft of your report--not the final--and check against your marked copy. Did you change every punctuation error you marked? If so, print out the final copy.
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Tips & Warnings
If it helps you, read your report backwards. This will slow you down and help catch each error.
Learning how to proofread is just that--a learning process. You'll start to recognize areas where you need additional practice.
