gallery

Why Should You Use GPES?

Content is important. And, like it or not, the way a paper looks and reads affects the way others judge it. When you’ve worked hard to develop and present your ideas, you don’t want careless errors distracting your reader from what you have to say. It’s worth paying attention to the details that help you to make a good impression.

We've all had the experience of missing errors in our own work because we've just worked for too long on it, are too invested in it and even time-constrained. Having someone else cast their eyes over your work can make a big difference. Someone who is reading your work for the first time comes to it with completely fresh eyes.

Every day, I read articles in the paper, magazines, brochures, books and the like, only to find very obvious errors, and sometimes these are really embarrassing and can be detrimental. Some of them are so funny that they even get spread around the internet like wildfire.

I can help you to communicate your message in the clearest possible way because I really care about the written word and I want you to deliver the best document you can.

I am trained to locate and correct errors in your written work and to enhance the quality of the documents I review.

I will do the work you require and within the time frame that you want it.

The value of retaining my service is that after I have reviewed and revised your document, you can be sure it is ready for your intended audience.

Is copy editing different to proofreading?

Very much so. Briefly, you need to decide if you are looking for someone to improve the style and flow of your writing (copy editor), or someone to ensure you have the correct spelling and that your commas are in the right places (proofreader). Or, do you want both? A proofreader will review for spelling errors, punctuation errors, typos or incorrect use of regional English. A copy editor can help you rewrite sentences and paragraphs to create a better flow and make the text clearer using their specialised knowledge.
Can't I just rely on the spelling and grammar checks on my computer?

The simple answer is no, you can't. These are very useful tools, but they are far from accurate. Spell checkers have a limited dictionary, so some words that show up as misspelled may really just not be in their memory. Also, spell checkers will not catch misspellings that form another valid word. For example, if you type 'there' instead of 'their', 'affect' instead of 'effect' or 'fare' instead of 'fair', the spell checker won’t catch these errors. Your grammar check program works with a limited number of rules, so it's incapable of identifying every error and often misses mistakes. It can fail to give thorough explanations to help you understand why a sentence should be revised and you need to be able to evaluate the feedback you get.
Do you need to read through my document more than once?

Yes, I will, especially if you want proofreading AND copy editing. These jobs need to be done separately. I generally do a spelling and grammar check in my first word-for-word read through and this is where I also may suggest the rewrite of sentences or make suggestions about paragraphs. This generally takes the longest time. During proofreading, I note down any elements of formatting, numbering, etc. that are obviously incorrect to me, and place comments and questions for you to review and answer. Then I have another read through your document, picking up anything that may have been missed or introduced. This read through takes a bit less time. I then return the document to you with all the 'track changes' for your review.