Proofreading Practice: Exercises with Model Answers and Commentary
Margaret Aherne
First published in the UK 2011; revised and extended 2017
Who's it for?
This book is ideal if you:
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are a new proofreader who’s completed basic training and you want hands-on practice
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are returning to proofreading after a break and want to refresh your skills
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learned proofreading on the job and want to check that your approach is sound.
Whether you’re building confidence or brushing up your skills, this book helps you practise your proofreading techniques in realistic, practical ways.
What’s included?
You’ll find a wide range of exercises designed to reflect the work proofreaders actually do:
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17 core exercises that gradually increase in difficulty — from straightforward narrative text to complex layout, formatting, markup, and later-stage publishing tasks such as proof collation and revised proofs
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4 Zero Tolerance exercises that require complete accuracy
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A Test Your Observation section of short but challenging exercises
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A Coffee Break section of short exercises you can dip into
How the exercises work
The material covers a broad mix of texts and working methods. Some exercises involve proofreading against edited copy; in others you won’t be given the editor’s markup, because the text has been edited electronically or not at all. Most exercises are provided as PDFs, but a few are designed to be proof-edited directly in Microsoft Word.
This variety gives you experience with different publication types, workflows, and proofreading approaches.
Model answers and guidance
Every exercise includes a model answer. Some use British Standards Institution (BSI) proofreading marks, while others demonstrate digital correction techniques for PDFs. The core exercises also include detailed commentaries that explain the key learning points.
These insights help you understand why certain changes are made, how to approach different kinds of text, and the common issues to watch out for.
Proofreading Practice is available as a digital download. Once payment has been received, you’ll get an email from the CIEP office team with a link to download all the files included in the book.
Please note that purchases made over a weekend or UK bank holiday will be processed on the next working day, and your download link will be sent then.
