PROOFREADING - LEVEL 4 COURSE

The course includes the following units:-

Unit 1 - Introduction

The following topics are covered: Why the proofreader is needed; Proofreading versus copy-editing; Proofreading symbols; Electronic proofreading; Reference works; Exercise 1.1 Checking understanding of key points in chapter; and Exercise 1.2 Correcting errors involving grammatical words.

Unit 2 - Grammar review I: Nouns and pronouns

The following topics are covered: Nouns and noun phrases; Genitive case marking of nouns; Common versus proper nouns; Capitalisation rules: Practical issues; Compound nouns; Pronouns; Central pronouns; Other pronouns; Case study I: Lack of a gender neutral pronoun; Case study II: Coordinated subject/object pronouns; Exercise 2.1 Identifying subject and object noun phrases; Exercise 2.2 Genitive case marking; Exercise 2.3 Capitalising proper nouns; Exercise 2.4 First versus later mentions of a proper noun; Exercise 2.5 Identifying central pronouns; and Exercise 2.6 Evaluating coordinated pronouns.

Unit 3 - Grammar review II: Verbs, adjectives, adverbs & prepositions

The following topics are covered: Verbs; The verb in the basic sentence; Non-actional versus actional verbs; Direct versus indirect objects; Subject-verb agreement; Other grammatical properties of the verb; Verb phrases; More complex verb phrases; The modal auxiliary verb; Adjectives; Adverbs; Prepositions; Exercise 3.1 Identifying verbs and their objects; Exercise 3.2 The grammatical properties of the finite verb; Exercise 3.3 Distinguishing auxiliary and main verbs; Exercise 3.4 Distinguishing adjectives and adverbs; and Exercise 3.5 Identifying prepositions.

Unit 4 - Grammar review III: Clauses and sentences

The following topics are covered: Dependent versus independent clauses; Restrictive versus non-restrictive relative clauses; Exercise 4.1 Distinguishing conjunctions, conjunctive adverbs and relative pronouns; and Exercise 4.2 Identifying clause types.

Unit 5 - Punctuation

The following topics are covered: Apostrophe; The greengrocer's apostrophe; Its versus it's and your versus you're; Comma; Use of the comma in lists; Use of the comma in coordinate sentences; Use of the comma with dependent clauses; Use of the comma with parenthetic material; Use of the comma in apposition; Use of the comma in dates; Use of the comma to separate the same word when it appears in succession; Semicolon; Colon; Punctuation of quoted material; Exercise 5.1 Use of it's versus its and your versus you're; Exercise 5.2 Use of the comma; Exercise 5.3 Using the apostrophe, comma, semicolon and colon; Exercise 5.4 Punctuating clauses and sentences; and Exercise 5.5 General exercise in proofreading.

Unit 6 - Common problems at the word level

The following topics are covered: Use of Latin abbreviations; Other foreign terms; Who, whom, that, which; Fewer versus less; Homophones; British versus American vocabulary; Exercise 6.1 Latin abbreviations; Exercise 6.2 Choice of relative pronoun; and Exercise 6.3 Fewer versus less.

Unit 7 - Common problems at the phrase or clause level

The following topics are covered: Split infinitives; Stranding a preposition; Beginning a sentence with a conjunction; Sentence adverbs; Misuse of dash and ellipsis; British versus American grammar; Exercise 7.1 Prepositional pied-piping in a relative clause; Exercise 7.2 Replacing the sentence adverb; and Exercise 7.3 Use of dash and ellipsis.

Unit 8 - Working to or preparing a style sheet

The following topics are covered: Exercise 8.1 Working to a style sheet; and Exercise 8.2 Preparing a style sheet.