Proofread text for grammar, clarity and small meaning changes
Proofreading is more than catching typos. A useful proofread improves grammar, punctuation and clarity while leaving the writer’s meaning intact. It should make the text easier to read without changing facts, promises, deadlines or tone in ways the author did not intend.
Use Proofread for emails, short articles, product copy, support replies and other text where the content is already mostly right. If you want the message rewritten in a different style, use Rewrite instead.
What proofreading should fix
Proofreading can correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, repeated words and awkward sentence structure. It can also make unclear references easier to follow when the meaning is obvious from the sentence.
For example:
Before: “The report are attached and it include the revised numbers.”
After: “The report is attached and includes the revised numbers.”
The correction fixes agreement and removes an unnecessary pronoun. It does not change which report is attached or what it includes.
What proofreading should not change
A proofread should not quietly rewrite the substance. It should not make a cautious sentence stronger, add a reason, remove a caveat or change a deadline.
Risky changes include:
- “may” becoming “will”
- “by Friday” becoming “on Friday”
- “not required” becoming “required”
- “if approved” disappearing from the sentence
- A polite question becoming a command
These changes can happen when a sentence is made smoother without enough attention to meaning.
How to review a proofread result
Read the output once for fluency, then compare it against the original for meaning. Look at the small words that carry important information: not, only, unless, may, before, after and by.
Check numbers, dates and names. If the text mentions a contract amount, meeting time or deadline, those details should match exactly. Product names and people’s names should not be “corrected” into a more common spelling.
Proofread or rewrite?
Choose Proofread when you want the same text corrected. Choose Paraphrase when the wording itself should change. Choose Shorten when the text is correct but too long.
Proofreading is the right final pass before sending a message that already says what you mean. It is not a substitute for checking the underlying facts.