{"id":286,"date":"2019-12-07T11:40:37","date_gmt":"2019-12-07T11:40:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/coreqenglish1\/chapter\/text-approaching-precision\/"},"modified":"2025-02-12T22:14:58","modified_gmt":"2025-02-12T22:14:58","slug":"approaching-precision-proofreading","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/chapter\/approaching-precision-proofreading\/","title":{"raw":"Approaching Precision\u2014Proofreading","rendered":"Approaching Precision\u2014Proofreading"},"content":{"raw":"<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\r\n<h3>Learning Objectives<\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Describe proofreading and how to do it<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<h2>What is Proofreading?<\/h2>\r\nProofreading is often seen as a tedious chore that writers tend to rush through or skip altogether. However, i<span class=\"s1\">f the other writing process steps have been performed adequately, then much of the proofreading stage will be routine and limited to the few mistakes that have escaped the writer\u2019s attention during the multiple drafting, revising, and editing stages.<\/span>\r\n\r\nCareful proofreading is like checking your outfit in the mirror before heading out\u2014you smooth out wrinkles, fix a loose button, and make sure everything is in place. You <em data-start=\"431\" data-end=\"438\">could<\/em> walk out the door without doing this, but you might not make the impression you intended. If you've already put in the effort during drafting, revising, and editing, proofreading should be a relatively simple step\u2014just a final polish to catch any lingering errors.\r\n<div class=\"textbox key-takeaways\">\r\n<h3>Key Takeaway: Proofreading<\/h3>\r\n<span class=\"s1\">Proofreading involves checking for grammatical, spelling, and mechanical errors, which may include problems with verb tense, subject-verb agreement, parallel structure, sentence completion, alternate spellings, capitalization, and punctuation. Proofreading is often made easier by the use of colored ink, bracketed or parenthetical notations, or proofreading symbols for identification and correction.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"textbox examples\">\r\n<h3>Example: Proofreading<\/h3>\r\n<h4 class=\"p5\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>The Strange Life of Death<\/b><\/span><\/h4>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p class=\"p6\"><span class=\"s1\">Death in literature has experienced a strange life throughout the years. In some cases, death <\/span><del><span class=\"s3\">have<\/span><\/del><span class=\"s1\"> <b>has<\/b> been portrayed as a welcome\u00a0<\/span><del><span class=\"s3\">visitor<\/span><\/del><span class=\"s1\"> <b>guest<\/b> whose presence is unwittingly included among family and friends (e.g., \"The Ambitious Guest,\" a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne). On other occasions, death has been ostracized as an enemy whose unwelcome morbid presence is forbidden or unsuccessfully avoided (e.g., Oedipus). The only consistent certainty about death <\/span><del><span class=\"s3\">have<\/span><\/del><span class=\"s1\"> <b>has<\/b> been <\/span><del><span class=\"s3\">their<\/span><\/del><span class=\"s1\"> <b>the<\/b> controlling inevitability with which death has been portrayed.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<p class=\"p7\"><span class=\"s1\">Subject-verb agreement errors should be checked in every independent and dependent clause. So too should parallel structure of words, phrases, and ideas. Detection of spelling or grammatical and mechanical errors should not be left to the electronic red or green colors of spell and grammar checks: Electronic spell checks notoriously overlook homonyms\u2014or erroneously insert them in place of other misspelled words. Such errors can only be found by the human eye.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"p7\"><span class=\"s1\">Similar mistakes can occur with computer recommendations in grammar. Humans should not hand over the task of reasoning and applying knowledge to a computer program or artificial intelligence.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_759\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]<img class=\"wp-image-759 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/106\/2016\/06\/02143433\/9243814710_96d8766eec_z-300x108.jpg\" alt=\"Close up of a person's eyes.\" width=\"300\" height=\"108\" \/> <strong>Figure 2<\/strong>. Every essay you write should be proofread by a set of fresh eyes-whether that be another person entirely, or yourself after stepping away for a short time.[\/caption]\r\n<h2 class=\"p8\"><span class=\"s1\">Fresh Eyes<\/span><\/h2>\r\nMany writers benefit from stepping away from their draft before proofreading, as a fresh perspective makes it easier to catch mistakes. If time isn\u2019t an option, having someone else review the document can help\u2014just be mindful not to ask the same person too often!\r\n\r\n<span class=\"s1\">No matter how proofreading is accomplished, it <\/span>should be thorough and methodical. Reading the text both forward and backward can slow you down, making it easier to spot small errors.\r\n<h2>What to Look for When Proofreading<\/h2>\r\nIn addition to all of the other stylistic and grammatical concerns already mentioned, when you proofread you want to look for things you might have missed in previous revisions such as incorrect or missing words, capitalization concerns, and citation issues.\r\n<h3>Wrong Words<\/h3>\r\nWrong word errors are really common and are number one on the list. Sometimes, we make a wrong word error when we are using the thesaurus and trying to find the biggest word we can find in order to make ourselves sound really smart. This isn\u2019t the greatest strategy. Sometimes, it\u2019s better just to be simple, and it\u2019s always better just to be clear.\r\n\r\nWe also have to be careful of the spell checker. Sometimes, we misspell words, and then the spell checker makes a change to a word we don\u2019t want. Of course, we may be in a hurry and never even notice.\r\n<div class=\"textbox examples\">\r\n<h3>Example: wrong word<\/h3>\r\nTake a look at this sentence to see the problems wrong word errors can create:\r\n<div class=\"bad-example \">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li class=\"example\">Sometimes, I will just sit and watch strangers in the crowd, but it is\u00a0<strong>defiantly<\/strong>\u00a0awful when I accidentally make eye contact with one of them.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\nIn this sentence, writing\u00a0<strong>defiantly<\/strong>\u00a0when we mean\u00a0<strong>definitely<\/strong>,\u00a0<em>definitely<\/em> changes the meaning of the sentence.\r\n\r\nHere is the sentence again with the correct word:\r\n<div class=\"good-example \">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li class=\"example\">Sometimes, I will just sit and watch strangers in the crowd, but it is\u00a0<strong>definitely\u00a0<\/strong>awful when I accidentally make eye contact with one of them.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"good-example \">\r\n<h3>Missing Words<\/h3>\r\nWe are too often in a hurry when we edit. Our brains are great. We can read right through sentences and put in the words that need to be there even if words are missing. Of course, others might quickly notice the error, so we have to find ways to slow ourselves down and edit carefully.\r\n<div class=\"textbox examples\">\r\n<h3>Example: Missing words<\/h3>\r\nYou don\u2019t want to write a sentence like the following example that is missing a small word with big meaning:\r\n<div class=\"bad-example shorten\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li class=\"example\">I enjoy walking alone in the woods at night because I never what I will meet while I am out there in the dark.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\nDid you see the error? Look at the revised sentence below:\r\n<div class=\"good-example \">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li class=\"example\">I enjoy walking alone in the woods at night because I never know what I will meet while I am out there in the dark.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<h3>Spelling<\/h3>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\nEven with spell checkers, spelling mistakes are still common. Running a spell check is a good first step, but it won\u2019t catch everything\u2014like names, proper nouns, or words that are spelled correctly but used incorrectly.\r\n<div class=\"textbox examples\">\r\n<h3>Examples: Spellcheck errors<\/h3>\r\nHere are some examples of errors that a spellcheck tool may miss:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li data-start=\"146\" data-end=\"331\"><em data-start=\"175\" data-end=\"246\">\"The principle of the school gave an inspiring speech at graduation.\"<\/em>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li data-start=\"146\" data-end=\"331\">\u201cPrinciple\u201d is correctly spelled, but the correct word here is <em data-start=\"317\" data-end=\"329\">principal.<\/em><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li data-start=\"146\" data-end=\"331\"><em style=\"font-size: 1rem; orphans: 1; text-align: initial;\" data-start=\"366\" data-end=\"417\">\"I visited the Eifel Tower on my trip to France.\"<\/em>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li data-start=\"146\" data-end=\"331\">\u201cEifel\u201d is a real word, but the correct spelling is <em style=\"font-size: 1rem; orphans: 1; text-align: initial;\" data-start=\"477\" data-end=\"492\">Eiffel Tower.<\/em><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<span style=\"font-size: 1rem; text-align: initial;\">So, be sure to run your spell checker, but, then, don\u2019t forget to double and triple-check your writing. Spell checkers do not catch everything.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<h3>Capitalization<\/h3>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\nBe careful to capitalize words that should be capitalized, such as\u00a0proper nouns, and not capitalize\u00a0words that should not be capitalized. But, how can you know what should and shouldn\u2019t be capitalized? If you are unsure, review the differences between\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/owl.excelsior.edu\/grammar-essentials\/parts-of-speech\/nouns\/proper-nouns\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">proper nouns<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/owl.excelsior.edu\/grammar-essentials\/parts-of-speech\/nouns\/common-nouns\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">common nouns<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0in the\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/owl.excelsior.edu\/grammar-essentials\/parts-of-speech\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Parts of Speech<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0area of the Excelsior OWL.\r\n\r\nCapitalization errors can really have a negative impact on the impressions your readers have of your writing. It\u2019s important to edit carefully and review the rules if necessary!\r\n<div class=\"textbox examples\">\r\n<h3>Example: Capitalization<\/h3>\r\nTake a look at the following sentence:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><span style=\"font-size: 1em;\">i took a walk in central park and saw a Mime, who was pretending to be a Policeman, get sprayed with mace by an elderly\u00a0woman because she\u00a0thought he was trying to steal her purse.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nNow, take a look at the sentence with correct capitalization:\r\n<div class=\"good-example \">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li class=\"example\">I took a walk in Central Park and saw a mime, who was pretending to be a policeman, get sprayed with mace by an elderly\u00a0woman because she\u00a0thought he was trying to steal her purse.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<span style=\"color: #6c64ad; font-size: 1em; font-weight: 600;\">Citations<\/span>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\nIt\u2019s so important to remember to cite all borrowed information. No matter your documentation style, whether it is\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/owl.excelsior.edu\/citation-and-documentation\/apa-style\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">APA format<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/owl.excelsior.edu\/citation-and-documentation\/mla-style\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">MLA format<\/a><\/strong>, or\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/owl.excelsior.edu\/citation-and-documentation\/chicago-style\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chicago Style<\/a><\/strong>, all require some kind of citation for quoted, paraphrased, and summarized material.\r\n<div class=\"teal-example \">\r\n<div class=\"example\">\r\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\">\r\n<div>\r\n<div class=\"teal-example \">\r\n<div class=\"example\"><strong>REMEMBER:<\/strong> You must not only cite people\u2019s words, but you must also cite their ideas. Errors of this nature can get you into a lot of trouble because incomplete or missing documentation is plagiarism.<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<h3>Quotations<\/h3>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\nUsing quotation marks correctly can be a little tricky, especially when you need to use other types of punctuation with them. Mechanical errors related to quotation marks makes the most-common error list because beginning writers often forget that commas and periods go inside the quotation marks.\r\n<div class=\"textbox examples\">\r\n<h3>Examples: Quotations<\/h3>\r\nHere is an example:\r\n<div class=\"bad-example shorten\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li class=\"example\">\u201cWhen you are courting\u00a0a nice girl, an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder, a second seems like an hour. That\u2019s relativity\u201d, said Einstein.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\nIn this case, the comma placed outside the quotation marks is incorrect. The comma should be placed inside the quotation marks like this:\r\n<div class=\"good-example \">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li class=\"example\">\u201cWhen you are courting a nice girl, an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder, a second seems like an hour. That\u2019s relativity,\u201d\u00a0said Einstein.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nAlso, beginning writers often forget that titles of shorter works, like essays and short stories, should be placed inside quotation marks. Longer works, like books and magazines, should be placed in italics:\r\n<div class=\"good-example \">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li class=\"example\">I read the essay \u201cThe Marginal World\u201d by Rachel Carson in the book\u00a0<em>Best American Essays of the Century<\/em>.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\nIt\u2019s important to note, however, that not all punctuation automatically goes inside the quotation marks. Question marks are a little trickier. If the only part in quotations is a question, then the question mark should go inside the quotation marks; otherwise, the question mark actually goes outside of the quotation marks. Tricky for sure!\r\n<div class=\"good-example \">\r\n<div class=\"textbox tryit\">\r\n<h3>Try It<\/h3>\r\nhttps:\/\/assess.lumenlearning.com\/practice\/14aee3cc-07de-42d0-a68e-4eb11fd8f915\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\n<h3>Learning Objectives<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Describe proofreading and how to do it<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h2>What is Proofreading?<\/h2>\n<p>Proofreading is often seen as a tedious chore that writers tend to rush through or skip altogether. However, i<span class=\"s1\">f the other writing process steps have been performed adequately, then much of the proofreading stage will be routine and limited to the few mistakes that have escaped the writer\u2019s attention during the multiple drafting, revising, and editing stages.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Careful proofreading is like checking your outfit in the mirror before heading out\u2014you smooth out wrinkles, fix a loose button, and make sure everything is in place. You <em data-start=\"431\" data-end=\"438\">could<\/em> walk out the door without doing this, but you might not make the impression you intended. If you&#8217;ve already put in the effort during drafting, revising, and editing, proofreading should be a relatively simple step\u2014just a final polish to catch any lingering errors.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox key-takeaways\">\n<h3>Key Takeaway: Proofreading<\/h3>\n<p><span class=\"s1\">Proofreading involves checking for grammatical, spelling, and mechanical errors, which may include problems with verb tense, subject-verb agreement, parallel structure, sentence completion, alternate spellings, capitalization, and punctuation. Proofreading is often made easier by the use of colored ink, bracketed or parenthetical notations, or proofreading symbols for identification and correction.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"textbox examples\">\n<h3>Example: Proofreading<\/h3>\n<h4 class=\"p5\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>The Strange Life of Death<\/b><\/span><\/h4>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p6\"><span class=\"s1\">Death in literature has experienced a strange life throughout the years. In some cases, death <\/span><del><span class=\"s3\">have<\/span><\/del><span class=\"s1\"> <b>has<\/b> been portrayed as a welcome\u00a0<\/span><del><span class=\"s3\">visitor<\/span><\/del><span class=\"s1\"> <b>guest<\/b> whose presence is unwittingly included among family and friends (e.g., &#8220;The Ambitious Guest,&#8221; a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne). On other occasions, death has been ostracized as an enemy whose unwelcome morbid presence is forbidden or unsuccessfully avoided (e.g., Oedipus). The only consistent certainty about death <\/span><del><span class=\"s3\">have<\/span><\/del><span class=\"s1\"> <b>has<\/b> been <\/span><del><span class=\"s3\">their<\/span><\/del><span class=\"s1\"> <b>the<\/b> controlling inevitability with which death has been portrayed.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p7\"><span class=\"s1\">Subject-verb agreement errors should be checked in every independent and dependent clause. So too should parallel structure of words, phrases, and ideas. Detection of spelling or grammatical and mechanical errors should not be left to the electronic red or green colors of spell and grammar checks: Electronic spell checks notoriously overlook homonyms\u2014or erroneously insert them in place of other misspelled words. Such errors can only be found by the human eye.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p7\"><span class=\"s1\">Similar mistakes can occur with computer recommendations in grammar. Humans should not hand over the task of reasoning and applying knowledge to a computer program or artificial intelligence.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_759\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-759\" class=\"wp-image-759 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/106\/2016\/06\/02143433\/9243814710_96d8766eec_z-300x108.jpg\" alt=\"Close up of a person's eyes.\" width=\"300\" height=\"108\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-759\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>Figure 2<\/strong>. Every essay you write should be proofread by a set of fresh eyes-whether that be another person entirely, or yourself after stepping away for a short time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"p8\"><span class=\"s1\">Fresh Eyes<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Many writers benefit from stepping away from their draft before proofreading, as a fresh perspective makes it easier to catch mistakes. If time isn\u2019t an option, having someone else review the document can help\u2014just be mindful not to ask the same person too often!<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"s1\">No matter how proofreading is accomplished, it <\/span>should be thorough and methodical. Reading the text both forward and backward can slow you down, making it easier to spot small errors.<\/p>\n<h2>What to Look for When Proofreading<\/h2>\n<p>In addition to all of the other stylistic and grammatical concerns already mentioned, when you proofread you want to look for things you might have missed in previous revisions such as incorrect or missing words, capitalization concerns, and citation issues.<\/p>\n<h3>Wrong Words<\/h3>\n<p>Wrong word errors are really common and are number one on the list. Sometimes, we make a wrong word error when we are using the thesaurus and trying to find the biggest word we can find in order to make ourselves sound really smart. This isn\u2019t the greatest strategy. Sometimes, it\u2019s better just to be simple, and it\u2019s always better just to be clear.<\/p>\n<p>We also have to be careful of the spell checker. Sometimes, we misspell words, and then the spell checker makes a change to a word we don\u2019t want. Of course, we may be in a hurry and never even notice.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox examples\">\n<h3>Example: wrong word<\/h3>\n<p>Take a look at this sentence to see the problems wrong word errors can create:<\/p>\n<div class=\"bad-example\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"example\">Sometimes, I will just sit and watch strangers in the crowd, but it is\u00a0<strong>defiantly<\/strong>\u00a0awful when I accidentally make eye contact with one of them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>In this sentence, writing\u00a0<strong>defiantly<\/strong>\u00a0when we mean\u00a0<strong>definitely<\/strong>,\u00a0<em>definitely<\/em> changes the meaning of the sentence.<\/p>\n<p>Here is the sentence again with the correct word:<\/p>\n<div class=\"good-example\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"example\">Sometimes, I will just sit and watch strangers in the crowd, but it is\u00a0<strong>definitely\u00a0<\/strong>awful when I accidentally make eye contact with one of them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"good-example\">\n<h3>Missing Words<\/h3>\n<p>We are too often in a hurry when we edit. Our brains are great. We can read right through sentences and put in the words that need to be there even if words are missing. Of course, others might quickly notice the error, so we have to find ways to slow ourselves down and edit carefully.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox examples\">\n<h3>Example: Missing words<\/h3>\n<p>You don\u2019t want to write a sentence like the following example that is missing a small word with big meaning:<\/p>\n<div class=\"bad-example shorten\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"example\">I enjoy walking alone in the woods at night because I never what I will meet while I am out there in the dark.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>Did you see the error? Look at the revised sentence below:<\/p>\n<div class=\"good-example\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"example\">I enjoy walking alone in the woods at night because I never know what I will meet while I am out there in the dark.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3>Spelling<\/h3>\n<div>\n<p>Even with spell checkers, spelling mistakes are still common. Running a spell check is a good first step, but it won\u2019t catch everything\u2014like names, proper nouns, or words that are spelled correctly but used incorrectly.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox examples\">\n<h3>Examples: Spellcheck errors<\/h3>\n<p>Here are some examples of errors that a spellcheck tool may miss:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-start=\"146\" data-end=\"331\"><em data-start=\"175\" data-end=\"246\">&#8220;The principle of the school gave an inspiring speech at graduation.&#8221;<\/em>\n<ul>\n<li data-start=\"146\" data-end=\"331\">\u201cPrinciple\u201d is correctly spelled, but the correct word here is <em data-start=\"317\" data-end=\"329\">principal.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"146\" data-end=\"331\"><em style=\"font-size: 1rem; orphans: 1; text-align: initial;\" data-start=\"366\" data-end=\"417\">&#8220;I visited the Eifel Tower on my trip to France.&#8221;<\/em>\n<ul>\n<li data-start=\"146\" data-end=\"331\">\u201cEifel\u201d is a real word, but the correct spelling is <em style=\"font-size: 1rem; orphans: 1; text-align: initial;\" data-start=\"477\" data-end=\"492\">Eiffel Tower.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 1rem; text-align: initial;\">So, be sure to run your spell checker, but, then, don\u2019t forget to double and triple-check your writing. Spell checkers do not catch everything.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h3>Capitalization<\/h3>\n<div>\n<p>Be careful to capitalize words that should be capitalized, such as\u00a0proper nouns, and not capitalize\u00a0words that should not be capitalized. But, how can you know what should and shouldn\u2019t be capitalized? If you are unsure, review the differences between\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/owl.excelsior.edu\/grammar-essentials\/parts-of-speech\/nouns\/proper-nouns\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">proper nouns<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/owl.excelsior.edu\/grammar-essentials\/parts-of-speech\/nouns\/common-nouns\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">common nouns<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0in the\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/owl.excelsior.edu\/grammar-essentials\/parts-of-speech\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Parts of Speech<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0area of the Excelsior OWL.<\/p>\n<p>Capitalization errors can really have a negative impact on the impressions your readers have of your writing. It\u2019s important to edit carefully and review the rules if necessary!<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox examples\">\n<h3>Example: Capitalization<\/h3>\n<p>Take a look at the following sentence:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 1em;\">i took a walk in central park and saw a Mime, who was pretending to be a Policeman, get sprayed with mace by an elderly\u00a0woman because she\u00a0thought he was trying to steal her purse.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Now, take a look at the sentence with correct capitalization:<\/p>\n<div class=\"good-example\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"example\">I took a walk in Central Park and saw a mime, who was pretending to be a policeman, get sprayed with mace by an elderly\u00a0woman because she\u00a0thought he was trying to steal her purse.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #6c64ad; font-size: 1em; font-weight: 600;\">Citations<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>It\u2019s so important to remember to cite all borrowed information. No matter your documentation style, whether it is\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/owl.excelsior.edu\/citation-and-documentation\/apa-style\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">APA format<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/owl.excelsior.edu\/citation-and-documentation\/mla-style\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">MLA format<\/a><\/strong>, or\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/owl.excelsior.edu\/citation-and-documentation\/chicago-style\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chicago Style<\/a><\/strong>, all require some kind of citation for quoted, paraphrased, and summarized material.<\/p>\n<div class=\"teal-example\">\n<div class=\"example\">\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"teal-example\">\n<div class=\"example\"><strong>REMEMBER:<\/strong> You must not only cite people\u2019s words, but you must also cite their ideas. Errors of this nature can get you into a lot of trouble because incomplete or missing documentation is plagiarism.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3>Quotations<\/h3>\n<div>\n<p>Using quotation marks correctly can be a little tricky, especially when you need to use other types of punctuation with them. Mechanical errors related to quotation marks makes the most-common error list because beginning writers often forget that commas and periods go inside the quotation marks.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox examples\">\n<h3>Examples: Quotations<\/h3>\n<p>Here is an example:<\/p>\n<div class=\"bad-example shorten\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"example\">\u201cWhen you are courting\u00a0a nice girl, an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder, a second seems like an hour. That\u2019s relativity\u201d, said Einstein.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>In this case, the comma placed outside the quotation marks is incorrect. The comma should be placed inside the quotation marks like this:<\/p>\n<div class=\"good-example\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"example\">\u201cWhen you are courting a nice girl, an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder, a second seems like an hour. That\u2019s relativity,\u201d\u00a0said Einstein.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Also, beginning writers often forget that titles of shorter works, like essays and short stories, should be placed inside quotation marks. Longer works, like books and magazines, should be placed in italics:<\/p>\n<div class=\"good-example\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"example\">I read the essay \u201cThe Marginal World\u201d by Rachel Carson in the book\u00a0<em>Best American Essays of the Century<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>It\u2019s important to note, however, that not all punctuation automatically goes inside the quotation marks. Question marks are a little trickier. If the only part in quotations is a question, then the question mark should go inside the quotation marks; otherwise, the question mark actually goes outside of the quotation marks. Tricky for sure!<\/p>\n<div class=\"good-example\">\n<div class=\"textbox tryit\">\n<h3>Try It<\/h3>\n<p>\t<iframe id=\"assessment_practice_14aee3cc-07de-42d0-a68e-4eb11fd8f915\" class=\"resizable\" src=\"https:\/\/assess.lumenlearning.com\/practice\/14aee3cc-07de-42d0-a68e-4eb11fd8f915?iframe_resize_id=assessment_practice_id_14aee3cc-07de-42d0-a68e-4eb11fd8f915\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border:none;width:100%;height:100%;min-height:300px;\"><br \/>\n\t<\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t <section class=\"citations-section\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t <h3>Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t <div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <div id=\"citation-list-286\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <div class=\"licensing\"><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Original<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Modification, adaptation, and original content. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike<\/a><\/em><\/li><li>20 Most Common Grammar Errors. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Excelsior OWL. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/owl.excelsior.edu\/grammar-essentials\/common-errors\/\">https:\/\/owl.excelsior.edu\/grammar-essentials\/common-errors\/<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Shared previously<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Image of Marilyn Monroe. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Ky. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/9cPSm3\">https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/9cPSm3<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><li>Proofreading. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Vinetta Bell. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Learn NC. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.learnnc.org\/lp\/editions\/writing-process\/5813\">http:\/\/www.learnnc.org\/lp\/editions\/writing-process\/5813<\/a>. <strong>Project<\/strong>: A Writing Process. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike<\/a><\/em><\/li><li>Image of eyes. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Demietrich Baker. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/f5QY4G\">https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/f5QY4G<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t <\/section>","protected":false},"author":29,"menu_order":15,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Image of Marilyn Monroe\",\"author\":\"Ky\",\"organization\":\"\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/9cPSm3\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Proofreading\",\"author\":\"Vinetta Bell\",\"organization\":\"Learn NC\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.learnnc.org\/lp\/editions\/writing-process\/5813\",\"project\":\"A Writing Process\",\"license\":\"cc-by-nc-sa\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Image of eyes\",\"author\":\"Demietrich Baker\",\"organization\":\"\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/f5QY4G\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"original\",\"description\":\"Modification, adaptation, and original content\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"Lumen Learning\",\"url\":\"\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by-nc-sa\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"original\",\"description\":\"20 Most Common Grammar Errors\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"Excelsior OWL\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/owl.excelsior.edu\/grammar-essentials\/common-errors\/\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"}]","CANDELA_OUTCOMES_GUID":"1abc21cb-2b8b-45a0-bcc7-ee6c93ccb19a, 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