Expert Opinions

 At first glance, this looks like every other proofreading course, covering the usual such as spellings, grammar, etc. However, once you start reading, there is one distinct difference between this and other courses I’ve come across, and that’s the ‘tone’ is completely different. Here you have a friendly, conversational and often funny tone that is in stark contrast to the usual patronising ‘voice’ in most courses.

The material is very informative and interesting as well as covering pretty much everything you would need to know when starting to proofread. There are a lot of tips and ideas for freelancers in general that you can see have been tried and tested and are being passed on in good faith.

Overall, I found the information in this course very useful. It covered all the main areas that anyone interested in working as a proofreader/copy editor would need to know.

Shazia Fardous, Freelance Proofreader and Copyeditor

Educated to degree level, Shazia has been a freelance researcher and writer since January 2003, working with the University of Leeds, Cheshire County Council and Bradford College. She has also been a Freelance proofreader and copyeditor since January 1997, working with Education First, Cambridge Language Consultants and the Ivy Group to name but a few. She is also a polyglot, currently speaking English, Urdu, Arabic and Punjabi. If only we were all taught English grammar at school.

*****

If only, having been taught English grammar at school, I could remember it – which is why courses like this are essential.

I am a regular, though by no means professional, proofreader. I check my own work, books for friends and the annual anthology produced by my writing group. I tend to think I know when to make a correction, but I often don’t know just why I am changing a word, phrase or some punctuation – I just do it.

Reading this course, however, has helped me to understand why these corrections are needed. I hadn’t realised that I had forgotten so much basic grammar.

And as for all those rules about spelling...this module was particularly fascinating as it made me think afresh of just how these rules work.

This is an extremely helpful course both for those starting proofreading and for those who, like me, need to be reminded of everything we have forgotten. Above all, I thoroughly enjoyed the tone of voice of the author – he writes with authority but manages to keep a light touch.

Dorothy Nicolle

Dorothy is the author of several books and a keen self-publisher, which requires keen proofreading and copyediting skills.