Checking for Mismatched Quotation Marks

Checking for Mismatched Quotation Marks
by: Jan Kovarik


—or—

How To Make Sure that Every Opening Quotation Mark Has an Ending Quotation Mark

When writing a term paper, research paper, or post-graduate thesis, one of the most common errors is "mismatched" quotation marks. That is, an opening (beginning) quotation mark will not have a closing (ending) quotation mark, or vice versa. It is a hard error to spot while proofreading, and your computer's spellchecker will not find this type of error.

There is a very simple way to verify that a document has “matching” quotation marks.

After you have completed your document, position the cursor at the very beginning of the text (that is, move the cursor in front of the first word on the first page and click to “position” it).

1. Open Find/Replace (or Search/Replace, whatever is applicable to your Word software).

2. In the “Find” field, key in a double quote mark (shift key and the "/' key).

3. In the “Replace” field, key in the same thing (so that both fields show ").

4. Hit “Replace All” (or whatever selection you have for making a global correction to a document). You should then see the number of replacements that were made.

5. If an odd number shows up after all the replacements are made, then somewhere in the transcript there is an “unmatched” quotation mark.

If you do get an odd number of replacements, then switch to “Find” only, and begin to hit “Find Next” repeatedly so that the computer stops on each opening or closing quote mark. As the computer highlights each quotation mark, verify that it is matched, i.e., that every opening quotation mark has a corresponding closing quotation mark (and vice versa).

You need to pay close attention to this process, otherwise, you are likely to “Find Next” before you realize that the computer found a closing quote mark before it found an opening quote mark.

Eventually, as you review the document, you will either come across an opening quote mark for which there is no closing quote mark (that is, the computer will find an opening quote mark, and then the very next one that it finds will also be an opening quote mark), or vice versa.

Once you have inserted the missing quote mark, you should do the “Find/Replace” steps again, to verify that the computer now shows an even number of replacements.

Please note that this is not a fail-safe procedure because it is possible that you have two unmatched pairs of quote marks, but it is a tool that you can use to help prevent an easy mistake.

About The Author

Jan K., The Proofer is freelance proofreader and copyeditor. Visit http://www.janktheproofer.com/ for more information about Jan’s services; http://work-at-home.janktheproofer.com/ for work at home articles and free printables; and for work at home moms, visit Jan’s sister site http://work-at-home.momsbreak.com/ for articles, free printables, and work at home T-shirts and other fun products.

© Copyright 2005 All rights reserved.

jkproof@bellsouth.net >>Read more...

How To Re-Set Spellchecker to Recheck Document

How To Re-Set Spellchecker to Recheck Document
by: Jan Kovarik


After you have written a text and run spellcheck, you might find it necessary to go back and revise the document. You might also have found that you have been running spellcheck, your brain has gotten a little numb, and you can't remember if you actually fixed the last error or just "Ignore" automatically. You'll need to re-set your spellchecker so that it will recheck the entire document, not just new text that is added. Here’s an easy way to re-run spellcheck:

Block highlight the ENTIRE text (that is, click at the very beginning of the document, before the first word on the first page, and drag to the bottom of the text; or click the cursor before the first word on the first page, and then hold down the Shift key and click behind the last word on the last page).

Go to Tools, Language, Set Language, U.S. English (or other language being used), OK.

Then click at the beginning of the document to remove the highlighting.

The spellchecker has now been re-set. You can run it again, and the entire document will be spellchecked.

You can also do this just for sections of text, by block-highlighting the section you want to re-spellcheck.

You can also recheck your spelling using this alternative method:

With your document open, click Tools, Options, Spelling & Grammar. At the bottom of the window under “Proofing Tools” is a button for “Recheck Document.” Click on the button. When you do, you will get the following window:

This operation resets spell checker and grammar checker. Do you want to continue?

Click Yes. Then, re-run spellcheck on your document.

It is easy to re-check a document that has already been spellchecked. Please be sure to remember to run a final spellcheck when you are completely finished with your document!

About The Author

Jan K., The Proofer is freelance proofreader and copyeditor. Visit http://www.janktheproofer.com for more information. Visit Jan K., the Proofer’s sister sites: Mom’s Break at http://www.MomsBreak.com for free printable projects and crafts. Jan’s Dough at http://www.jansdough.com for free printable recipes for Sourdough Bread and more. For more articles by Jan K., The Proofer, visit http://freecontent.janktheproofer.com. Article © Copyright 2005. All rights reserved.

jkproof@bellsouth.net >>Read more...

Your Spellchecker Can Catch Punctuation Mistakes

Your Spellchecker Can Catch Punctuation Mistakes
by: Jan Kovarik


Even though you should never only rely on your spellchecker to find mistakes in your document, you can make the most of your spellchecker by changing the settings. It isn't as scary as it sounds and once you learn where these settings are, you can change them as often as you need to for whatever guidelines you have to use for a particular document that you are writing.

These punctuation settings are consistent with the American publishing industry. If you are writing for Great Britain (the United Kingdom) or writing in English for any other country, be sure to learn what punctuation rules are used in that country's publishing industry. You can reset the spellchecker options at any time so that when you run spellcheck, it will automatically check for the right punctuation placement.

Here’s the easy 1-2-3 instructions for changing and checking your spellchecker settings:

1. Open Word.

2. On the toolbar, click on Tools. In the drop-down window, click on Options.

3. Click on the Spelling & Grammar tab, hit the Settings button. A new window will appear. Set the first three requirements:

Comma required before last list item (always)
Punctuation required with quotes (inside)
Spaces required between sentences (1)

Click OK.

Now, close all the windows that are open. Your spellchecker has now been re-set and these option settings will be in place for all Word documents that you create from now on. You only need to go through this procedure again is if you need to change these settings to comply with a specific publishing requirement. If you do change the settings, remember to change them back to these settings once you have finished that document.

Be sure to always run a final spellcheck of your document, after you have made your final corrections!

About The Author

Jan K., The Proofer is freelance proofreader and copyeditor. Visit http://www.janktheproofer.com for more information. Visit Jan K., the Proofer’s sister sites: Mom’s Break at http://www.MomsBreak.com for free printable projects and crafts. Jan’s Dough at http://www.jansdough.com for free printable recipes for Sourdough Bread and more. For more articles by Jan K., The Proofer, visit http://freecontent.janktheproofer.com. Article © Copyright 2005. All rights reserved.

jkproof@bellsouth.net >>Read more...

In Spellchecker We Trust... Right?

In Spellchecker We Trust... Right?
by: Jan Kovarik


This article could have easily been titled "We Don't Need a Proofreader...right?" Businesses today are transforming printed text into computer-based documents and, well, all you have to do is run the computer's spellchecker to make sure there aren't any mistakes...right?

Spellcheckers are wonderful things, but the truth is that if the document that you just received and/or are about to send out to your client was checked only by a computer spellchecker, then it could contain some very embarrassing errors. The English language (especially Americanized English) is a multi-layered honeycomb of word usages and nuances that can confound a computerized spellchecker’s ability to produce a document that is 100% error-free. Although spellcheckers will stop at and highlight “sound alikes” (homonyms) such as their and there, will it know that the word you actually need is the contraction they’re. Most spellcheckers will point out you’re and your, but what if you really want yore? What spellchecker will alert you to the possible misuse of boost for boast? And what about horror words like lose and loose, allude and elude, and those favorites pique, peak, and peek? A spellchecker can blithely sail over typographical faux pas such as this (or possibly worse) without so much as a beep.

Today, the world is becoming increasingly more dependent on the written word. Texts of every length and topic and produced in the shortest amount of time possible are being sped along the Information Highway as email attachments, FTP files, and as pages posted to a website. Often, you are merely an intermediary; you receive a document, possibly to massage it to suit some end-purpose, and then send on to the next stop. Maybe you don’t even stop to read it; maybe you just attach your name to it and send it to its final destination. When you do so, you’ve made the presumption (or worse, the assumption) that when the document was originated, someone made sure it was right.

Proofreading, a word that may connote a skill whose time is past, is still a vital part of the preparation of text that is meant for broad dissemination, whether in hard copy or electronic form. A proofreader checks for word misspellings and incorrect word form usages. A copyeditor, on the other hand, reads not only for content, but also for context and provides corrections as needed. Combining these two skills creates a “Quality Assurance Editor” who can do all those things in one combined process. Performing quality assurance editing (QA) for a document means that unusual terms and terminologies have been reviewed for accuracy (spelling, usage, and topic relevancy) and that there is overall consistency within a single document or across several related documents. This process provides the end-user with a document that is as error-free as the combined talents of the human brain and the computer chip can achieve.

Proofreading, copyediting, or QA…don’t let the document go without it! If you produce or utilize documents of any type for your personal end-use or for that of your clients or customers, then those documents need to be reviewed by someone whose sole purpose is to read that document for accuracy, grammar, word usage, and otherwise. For documents that come to you from an outside source, you should ask about the level of proofreading or QA that was provided. For documents that you produce in-house, QA can be provided by knowledgeable staff or by an outsourced service. Either way, don’t send that document along its way on the Information Highway until someone has made sure it is right!

Three Questions to Ask to That Ensure Quality Controls Are In Place

1. Do you regularly do Quality Assurance reviews (proofreading and/or copyediting) of texts before you finalize them?

2. Is the QA Editor/Proofreader someone other than the author of the text or transcript and is that person knowledgeable about the topic of the text?

3. Does the QA Editor/Proofreader have access to the original manuscript and/or audio, as well as any resources necessary, to verify text-specific terms and terminologies?

The services of a reliable QA Editor/Proofreader/Copyeditor is a value-added investment. All it takes is one error to slip through in a document to create a cascade-failure-type debacle. Next time you think you've produced an error-free document that is going to be used for an important business project or as a presentation to a client, and that document hasn't been subjected to QA proofreading...think again.

About The Author

Jan K., The Proofer is freelance copyeditor and proofreader and provides QA editing/proofreading for a variety of clients. Visit http://www.janktheproofer.com for more information. Written in conjunction with Domenichelli Business Services---Transcription with the Power of E. Nancy Domenichelli: http://www.ModernDayScribe.com. For more articles by Jan K., The Proofer, visit http://freecontent.janktheproofer.com Article © Copyright 2005. All rights reserved.

jkproof@bellsouth.net >>Read more...