65 BEYOND SPELL AND GRAMMAR CHECKS When proofreading, use the professional tricks in the box below, and consider the follow-
ing list. If you have any questions about possible grammar, punctuation, or spelling errors,
look them up. Consult the resources at the end of this book for great ideas for online help
and books that can answer your questions.
■
Did you use any words incorrectly (check the lists of commonly confused and
misused words on pages 22–26)?
■
When using quotation marks, did you place all sentence-ending punctuation
inside them?
■
Did you use exclamation points only in dialogue?
■
Is there a good balance of contractions (not too few or too many)?
■
Do all subjects and verbs agree?
■
Are there any double negatives? (see page 47)
■
Are all apostrophes used correctly, especially when forming possessives?
■
Do any lists of items contain mistakes in parallel structure?
■
Have all hyphenated and compound words been used correctly?
