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English: editing and proofreading

Editing questions ask you to spot and fix an error in a sentence or short passage. Good proofreaders read slowly and check each sentence for one type of error at a time.

What is tested

  • Spotting errors in agreement, tense and word choice
  • Fixing punctuation and homophone mistakes
  • Correcting a sentence without introducing a new error

Worked example

Which sentence has an error? (1) I should have asked sooner. (2) I should of asked sooner. (3) They're leaving now. (4) It's raining again.

  1. Check each sentence in turn.
  2. 'Should of' is wrong: the contraction is 'should've' (should have).
  3. The other three are correct.

Answer: Sentence 2

Exam-day checklist

  • Read one sentence at a time, aloud in your head.
  • Check for each error type: agreement, tense, apostrophes, homophones.
  • After fixing, reread the whole sentence for new errors.
  • Do not change what is already correct.

Common mistakes

  • Fixing one word and creating a new error.
  • Missing errors because the sentence 'sounds right'.
  • Over-editing correct sentences.

Try it yourself

1. Fix: 'Their going to the cinema after lunch.'

Show answer

They're going to the cinema after lunch.

'They're' is the contraction of 'they are'.

2. Fix: 'The team were disappointed when they loses the final.'

Show answer

...when they lost the final.

The sentence is in the past tense ('were disappointed'), so the verb must be 'lost'. In British English a collective noun such as 'team' can take a plural verb and 'they' (the team were ... they lost); 'The team was disappointed when it lost' is also correct. Just be consistent within the sentence.

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