Proofreading & Editing Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield Proofreading & Editing facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. Which mark indicates that a hyphen should be deleted and the words should run together? → A dele mark through the hyphen
2. Which sentence uses the semicolon correctly? → She edits manuscripts; she also proofreads novels.
3. What error appears in: 'The number of complaints have increased'? → Subject-verb disagreement — 'number' is singular and takes 'has'
4. Who is responsible for catching any errors in a proof of a text? → The proofreader
5. Which of the following is a run-on sentence? → She proofread the document she found several errors.
6. Which type of error involves presenting accurate facts in a misleading context? → Contextual inaccuracy
7. What is a 'widow' in publishing? → A single line of text at the top of a new page isolated from its paragraph
8. What does 'stet' mean on a proofreading markup? → Let the original text stand (ignore the correction)
9. What is the purpose of a style sheet in professional proofreading? → A record of editorial decisions and preferred spellings for consistency within a project
10. Which symbol is used to indicate that two words should be joined into one (close up space)? → ⌣ (close-up mark)
11. A document states: 'On March 15th, 2024, the company was founded in 2024.' What type of error is this? → Factual inconsistency
12. What is the primary goal of copy editing? → Correcting errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style
13. Which sentence has an error in parallel structure? → She likes hiking, swimming, and to run.
14. Which is an example of a misplaced modifier? → The editor reviewed the carefully draft.
15. Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct? → Neither the manager nor the employees were informed.
16. True or False: Serif fonts should be used for document text (i.e., Times New Roman) → True
17. What does 'sic' mean when used in edited text? → The quoted error appeared in the original source as written
18. Which sentence avoids a comma splice? → The meeting ended early, so everyone left immediately.
19. Which is NOT typically a copy editor's responsibility? → Rewriting entire sections for better narrative flow
20. You could give someone a ___________ to the head with the height of that karate kick! → heel
21. Which style guide is most commonly used in academic psychology and social sciences? → APA Publication Manual
22. Which sentence correctly uses an apostrophe? → The editor's desk was cluttered.
23. Which sentence contains a misplaced modifier? → She almost drove her children to school every day.
24. What is the correct possessive form of 'children'? → children's
25. In APA style, how are numbers below 10 typically written? → As words
26. Identify the error in this sentence: 'The committee have reached their decision.' → No error — collective nouns take plural verbs in American English
27. In the sentence 'She gave the report to John and I,' what is the grammatical error? → Incorrect pronoun case
28. Which is the correct plural of 'criterion'? → Criteria
29. When you have done drafting the document, what is the first step in the proofreading process? → Read it out loud
30. Which sentence is an example of passive voice? → The report was submitted by the intern.