State of the art proof reading tools/methods?

Question

While my skills of expression are okay, being able to observe errors within my own writing is truly lacking. The only methods I've found to be of real use are long-time periods in between reviews, if I find one error I restart the review from the beginning per error found, and using text to voice played at the same rate as my rate of reading.Are there any "modern" methods or state of the art tools for proofing copy? Given how much I write, and enjoy writing, I'm willing to invest in any application if the return on the quality of error detection is high.Also, while outsourcing copy checks might be an option for some, it's not a good fit for my needs as large amounts of material I author are for use only by the parties who commissioned the work.

Answer 1

One of the best and most popular methods is to read your writing slowly aloud. Read the entire document first to pick up obvious errors. Then, read each sentence slowly as if they are separate entities. Another good method is to read a hard copy of your writing with a pen in hand. I would NOT use a proofreading program as those programs will highlight errors without correcting them. They often will mark an error with a technical term, such as "fragment," without explaining what a fragment is or suggesting a correction. If you are a native English speaker, you should have a good sense of whether your grammar is correct when you read aloud (i.e., if you see a comma, pause; if the pause doesn't feel right, delete it). I hope that helps.