We Need To Talk About The Importance Of Proofreading
Maybe it is the journalism major in me, maybe it is the fact that I am just so used to having my writing proofread, maybe it is just who I am as a person but grammar, punctuation and everything in-between is sacred to me.
I think it just really comes from the fact that I want to be taken seriously and I know that having things spelled correctly and using proper grammar is a great way to do that.
It is also because the embarrassment and/or pure shame I feel when I forget to proofread only to later find a mistake after too many people have seen it...I'm getting itchy just thinking about it.
We all know someone who can somehow not figure out the difference between they're, their and there or your and you're...if you are that person, it's really irrationally infuriating and we all would like to ask you to do better.
One thing that absolutely drives me bonkers is when people try to use the conjunction of "could have", like when you say "I could have done this", but say "could of" instead. I absolutely understand that is definitely what it sounds like but in what world does "could of" make any sense?
This is where proofreading comes in. I know I am absolutely not the only person who is constantly getting bothered by people's lack of proofreading.
Proofreading helps people better understand the points you are trying to make better, it makes you a whole lot more credible and can even affect professional opportunities.
All in all, on this fine National Proofreading Day, take a second look at the things you write and post today. In general, it just makes you look a hell of a lot smarter.
And if there are any proofreading mistakes in this post, it's been a long day and I will absolutely hate myself for it later.