Proofreading: Your Honor on the Line!

Not all typographical errors are equal.

If you misuse “too” (“John went too the cafeteria and loaded up on free food”), your instructor/reader will chalk up your mistake to a silly error. They’ll think less of you, and you’ll hurt your credibility. But one or two of these probably won’t kill you.

If you misspell your instructor’s name? Or get “Allende” wrong in an essay on  The House of the Spirits (she wrote the book)? Ouch.

Spellcheck. Install the excellent & free Grammarly. Give your writing to a friend to read. Read your paper out loud and record your voice – your ear is a great editor, and will discover more subtle grammatical issues.

But don’t insult your instructor and readers with typographical errors. Would you show up to a job interview in rags, smelling of beer?

If you need any more motivation, check out the following clip.