Thoughts on the English Language and
How We Review Your Work

What a mess!

Welcome to the English language, where an extraordinary conglomeration of rules and conventions must be learnt and perfected to speak and write it well.  All at the same time, English grammar, spelling and vocabulary can be old-fashioned and modern; logical and hopelessly illogical; helpful and mind-numbingly hindering; applicable in one context yet not in another; rigid sometimes and flexible at other times.

But it’s ours and we love it… with all its inconsistencies, outdated traditions, jargon, solecisms, dialects, theft of foreign words, multiplicity of accents and idioms, subtly different vocabulary, complex grammar, slang, illogical spelling and its plethora of other little “peculiarities” and eccentricities. 

Is it any wonder that non-native speakers characterise English as a difficult language to master!    

So why do we love it?  Because no other language has the beauty, the facility or the abundance of words that English has to express the thoughts and feelings of human beings and describe and record their day-to-day lives.

And whether or not you agree with that, let’s face it, “the people have voted with their feet”.  It’s certainly one of the most popular first languages in the world and no other language comes even close to English for the number of people who  learn it as a second language or use it in the burgeoning international environments of diplomacy and commerce.

“So what”, you say.  “What’s that got to do with my proofreading job.”

Well, funnily enough, quite a lot.  Time and experience dictates that we’ve had to set guidelines on how we approach our work for you to achieve consistency and acceptability.  Here’s the three key principles we’ve adopted:

1. Usage

Language is probably the most democratic institution we have, which means that the people determine what’s acceptable to them and their respective environments.  It’s important to remember that language is simply a form of communication, and that effective communication is achieved when a listener (or reader) understands a message the way a speaker (or writer) intends it.

To put that in context:  “colour”, “organise” and “cheque” are strictly correct English spellings that have been superseded in the U.S. and Canada by “color”, “organize” and “check”. 

Are the North Americans wrong and should their spelling be corrected?  Of course not, because the local English language has evolved to suit that environment.  American English is, quite properly, correct for Americans.

Equally, is the famous Star Trek mission “to boldly go where no man has gone before”   grammatically incorrect?  Technically yes (as a split infinitive), but in terms of widely accepted usage, patently no.  The fact that it’s not possible to split an infinitive in Latin… the ancient root of English… is irrelevant to modern communication.

And anyway, who would want to argue with Captain Kirk?

Which introduces other grammatical conundrums like… should we start a sentence with a preposition?        

Again, grammatically no, but in the 21st Century, who’s going to argue?  Effective marketing, for example, attempts to present written buying propositions the way they would be spoken by one individual to another one (or group).  We speak sentences beginning with “and” and “but” and other prepositions, so why not write them that way?

If that’s not confusing enough, let’s take a look at local idiom.  An Australian offering to “shout his mate a forex down the pub” would be a popular man at home, but would leave his American “buddy” pondering the wisdom of yelling at a condom in some unfathomable place!

But let’s not go there… it’s far too complicated! 

The point for us as proofreaders and copy editors is that we should be guided in determining “correct” spoken and written English by accepted usage and the comfort of writer (or speaker) and reader (or listener), rather than by a hard and fast set of rules.

2. Relevance and Context

Shakespeare’s character Polonius, in his tragic play, Hamlet, uttered to his son “This above all to thine own self be true and it must follow, as night the day, thou shalt not make foul of any man.”

Good advice for a young man venturing into the world for the first time.   The language used was relevant and meaningful for both Laertes (the son) and the Bard’s 17th Century audience. 

The same advice might be relevant today, but the same words would obviously be a little confusing for a 21st Century teenager!  “Be honest with yourself and other people if you want to stay out of trouble” conveys roughly the same message and is more likely to be understood.

Context is equally important in writing and proofreading.  For example, a marketing piece promoting a new supermarket could be written with the same style and words as an academic or other formal dissertation….  

 “Aggressive diminution of required remuneration and the panoply of abundance displayed in our comparatively voluminous premises evidences our multifarious credentials as the quintessential local purveyor of comestibles” says much the same as “We’re bigger and cheaper than other supermarkets, with more choice” but might lose a little impact as a television ad. during “Big Brother”! 

You get the point.  Equally, the language and style of a children’s story would be very different to a scientific paper.

3. Consistency

The final, but no less important guideline we apply to our proofreading and editing, is consistency. 

Simply stated, if American spelling is preferred and relevant, it must be used throughout your document.  Another example: ‘single’ or “double” inverted commas are equally acceptable but not both (unless of course there is a need for both in the same phrase or sentence, as in…. “The best book I ever read was ‘Think and Grow Rich’ by Napoleon Hill”).

Readers also appreciate a consistent and “readable” style in any document; we’ll be careful to ensure that your written work flows and is easy for the reader to absorb and understand.

In summary, with those three provisos, we proofread (or proof read!) and write copy in the style and format you want, that is most appropriate for the intended reader.

Please feel free to discuss further with us as you submit your projects.