9. Are the margins correct, is the paper clean (or the E-mail
intact), is the envelope of good quality, and are all aspects of
the communication designed to achieve its objectives?
10. Have you looked at the document page by page to be certain
that there are no awkward page breaks (for example, a section
heading beginning at the bottom of a page)?
WHAT DO YOU KNOW? IT’S QUIZ TIME
Now that you know how to determine which level of editing is appropriate
for your projects, it’s time to discover whether you are able to identify
common errors. The following quiz will help you assess your own
level of knowledge about common grammar, punctuation, capitalization,
and spelling issues.
It’s important that you acknowledge your abilities—and inabilities—
as a writer and proofreader. Until you know what errors you don’t catch,
and learn strategies to find problems and fix them, you won’t be able to
proofread effectively.
EXERCISE 19: Assess Your Knowledge
The following quiz is a test of your knowledge of grammar, word usage,
punctuation, capitalization, and spelling, and of your proofreading abilities.
Select the best answer for each of the questions. After the quiz, you’ll
find brief explanations of the correct answers. The next chapter goes into
more detail and provides you with additional opportunities to practice.
1. The disinterested/uninterested student neglected to report that
the vending machine continually/continuously ran out of juice.
a. disinterested/continually
b. disinterested/continuously
c. uninterested/continually
d. uninterested/continuously
2. The telecommunications manager investigated the complaint, he
had questioned the explanation he’d heard.
a. fragment—add conjunction