How does the editing process work?

We will make a full and thorough review of your writing through a line-by-line scrutiny of the text, giving close attention to all matters of style. This includes sentence and paragraph structures, transitions, word choices and tone, spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalisation and vocabulary.

We will also review the ordering of your text so that it reads clearly and logically. We can offer suggestions for improvement of the clarity, style and flow of the writing so that it presents the best possible image of you and your writing skills.

We reread the text several times. This is necessary to give a fair and thorough assessment of your work. We can shape and reorder the writing into an effective document for persuading, instructing, and/or informing your potential readers.

Put us to the test. Don't believe we can do all that? Email us a 200 - 300 word sample of your writing and ask us for a free demonstration. We will do a thorough editing job on it and return it to you promptly. We are confident that you will be satisfied we can be entrusted to deliver a quality, professional and efficient service for you.

Editing covers four principal areas:

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  Spelling
  We use standard English forms of words, unless you specify differently. American word forms like 'check', 'center' and 'program' would be changed to 'cheque', 'centre' and 'programme', for example (depending on context). Common errors like 'there / their' or 'too / to' are corrected. Hard-to-spell words will be corrected as they are found.

  
  
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  Grammar
  We will check for sentence fragments, run-on sentences, inappropriate or inconsistent verb forms, consistency of subject/verb agreement, active/passive formations, and awkward or possibly ambiguous phrasings. Sentences will be reshaped to fit what we judge to be your intended meaning.

  
  
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  Usage
  We will alter inappropriate word choices to more generally accepted standard forms. Slang and colloquial expressions will be revised. We will recast words or phrases using more exact or appropriate synonyms. We will identify and eliminate any clichés, verbosity, redundancy, and vagueness.

  
  
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  Punctuation
  We will amend all problems with punctuation, especially commas, semicolons, full stops, apostrophes and quotation marks.
  
  

Always, though, if a client has a special request for any of these (or other) aspects of their writing to be left unamended, such requests will of course be complied with. All alterations should be treated as suggestions which clients may accept or reject as they wish.