English for personal assistants - part 17 potx

The Proofreading process
Experiment with different tactics until you find a system that works well for you. The
important thing is to make the process systematic and focused so that you eliminate as
many errors as possible in the least amount of time.
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1. Don’t rely entirely on spellcheckers. These can be useful tools but they are far
from foolproof. Spellcheckers have a limited dictionary, so some words that show
up as misspelled may just not be in their memory. In addition spellcheckers will not
catch misspellings that from another valid word. For example, if you type “moor”
instead of “more”, “to” instead of “too”, or “there” instead of “their”, the
spellchecker won’t pick up the error.
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2. Grammar checkers can be even more problematic. These programs works with
a limited number of rules, so they can’t identify every error and often make
mistakes. They also fail to give thorough explanations to help you understand why a
sentence should be revised. You need to be able to evaluate the feedback it
provides.
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3. Proofread for only one kind of error at a time. If you try to identify and revise to
many things at once you risk losing focus and your proofreading will be less
effective. It’s easier to catch grammar errors if you aren’t checking punctuation and
spelling at the same time. In addition, some of the techniques that work well for
spotting one kind of mistake won’t work for others.
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4. Read slowly and read every word. Try reading out loud which forces you to say
each word and also let’s you hear how the words sound together. When you read
silently or too quickly, you may skip over errors or make unconscious corrections.
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5. Separate the text into individual sentences. This is another technique to help
you to read every sentence carefully. Simply press the return key after every full
stop so that every line begins a new sentence. Then read each sentence separately,

looking for grammer, punctuation, or spelling errors. If you’re working with a
printed copy, try use an opaque object like a ruler or a piece of paper to isolate the
line you’re working on.
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6. Circle every punctuation mark. This forces you look at each one. As you circle,
ask yourself if the punctuation are correct.
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7. Read the paper backwards. This technique is helpful for checking spelling.
Start with the last word on the last page and work your way back to the begining,
reading each word separately. Because content, punctuation, and grammar wont
make any sense, your focus will be entirely on the spelling of each word.
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8. Proofreading is a learning process. Your not just looking for errors that you
recognize; you’re also learning to recognize and correct new errors. This is where
handbooks and dictionnaries come in. Keep the ones you find helpful close at hand
as you proofread.
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9. Look it up. You’ll often find things that don’t seem quite right to you, but you’re
not quite sure what’s wrong neither. A word looks like it might be misspelled, but
the spellchecker didn’t catch it. You think you need a comma between two words,
but you’re not sure why. Should you use “that” instead of “which”. If you’re not
sure about something, look it up.
80 Writing promotional copy
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10. The proofreading process becomes more efficient as you develope and
practice a systematic strategy. You’ll learn to identify the specific areas of your own
writing that need carefull attention and knowing that you have a sound method for
finding errors will help you to focus more on developing your ideas while drafting
the text.
If you get copy back with editor’s symbols and you’d like to check what they mean,

look at Appendix C, page 161.
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Task 8
Now put all your copywriting skills together and improve this text. It’s a company’s
vision statement which will appear on their home page on their website.
The principles of writing promotional copy 81
Group Overview.
VISION
We aim to be the leader in formulation science. We have,
and want to build even more a portfolio of businesses,
that are big players in their respective big industries
bringing together a knowledge of customer wants with
recent technology platforms to provide products for our
customers. With this attributes we want to make
superior value for our customs and shareholders but not
compromising our commitment to safety health and the
environment and the communities where we work.
9 Apologising
There is a saying in English which goes Sorry is the hardest word to say. This is strange
because many non-native speakers of English believe the opposite – that it’s the
easiest word to say because English speakers seem to say it so often in so many
different situations! How you use your voice is crucial, as is your choice of language.
Saying sorry
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Task 1
What does I’m sorry mean, a. – c. in sentences1–3?
a. I regret
b. Excuse me,
c. I beg your pardon.
1. Sorry, I think that’s my seat.

2. It’s too hot in here now. I’m sorry I asked the building manager to increase the
temperature in the offices.
3. Sorry, what did you say?
Sorry or I’m sorry can also be used to signal politeness. What is I’m sorry used to
signal in sentences4–9?
d. disagree
e. refuse permission
f. make a request
g. refuse a request
h. refuse an invitation
i. give bad news
4. Sorry, could you move your car? You’re blocking me in.
5. I’m sorry, the repairs are going to be rather expensive.
6. I’m sorry, but I can’t go along with you there.
7. I’m sorry, I can’t let you have Friday off as we have to
8. I’m sorry, you can’t take drinks into the laboratory.
9. I’m sorry I won’t be able to make it because
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Task 2
What would say in the following situations? Use appropriate phrases from Task 1, a, b
or c.
1. A colleague is using a meeting room that you had booked.
2. You’re having difficulty finding a venue for the staff Christmas party. You wish you
had booked something earlier.
3. You need to point out to a junior that the book he wants cannot be taken out of the
library.
4. You won’t be able to go to the pub with the rest of the staff tonight because you’ve
got visitors at home.
5. You did not catch what a colleague said.
Accepting apologies

When we accept an apology we can accept graciously using phrases such as:
᭤ That’s OK. No problem. Don’t mention it.
᭤ It’s quite all right. It’s not important. Don’t worry about it.
When we decide not to accept an apology we can say:
᭤ I’m afraid that’s not good enough, I’d rather you didn’t let it happen again.
A more subtle way of not accepting an apology is to pretend it hasn’t been made, for
example:
A: I’m sorry I’m late. B: Well, let’s get started, shall we?
A: I’m sorry I lost it. B: I’ll go and get another one.
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Task 3
Respond to the following prompts.
1. I’m really sorry the refreshments weren’t ready in time for the morning coffee break
for your meeting with Richard.
2. Gosh, I seem to be late again, sorry.
3. I’m sorry, they didn’t have a chicken sandwich so I’ve brought you a salad one
instead. Hope that’s all right?
Accepting apologies 83
Your voice
The key, tone, and pace of our voice are important ways by which we communicate
the seriousness or otherwise of our message. They can also make the hearer/listener
sympathetic or irritated. Of course, these aspects of speech, and our reactions to them,
depend on our culture.
Key
What is key? It is when we raise or drop our voice to a higher or lower level.
What is the effect of key?
Low key
Changing to low key means the information is low key.
᭤ It is what the audience would expect. (It confirms their expectations.)
᭤ It is an aside. (something you would find in brackets or in inverted commas)

N.B. Low key is also used to show we have come to the end of a ‘verbal paragraph’,
after which we would begin again in high key.
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Task 4
Rewrite the following sentences to indicate in which part of the sentence the voice
would drop to confirm the audience’s expectations. See the three examples above.
1. There are several methods, as outlined before, a company can use when looking to
fill staff vacancies.
2. Headhunting is a cost-effective way of hiring staff, and it works.
3. Six applicants were short listed, out of 24.
4. Companies can justify the expense, and we know just how expensive it can be, of
going to a headhunter.
84 Apologising
Example
1. It will take a long time to put right,
and cost a great deal.
2. an increase of one hundred million dollars,
three per cent of the total.
3. I’m sorry to say, growth is,
in the main,
slowing down owing to