Proofreading & Editing Proofreading Knowledge 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In the sentence 'Between you and I, the project was a failure,' what error exists?
- Wrong verb tense
- Incorrect preposition
- Wrong pronoun case after a preposition (Correct answer)
- Missing comma
Correct answer: Wrong pronoun case after a preposition
Prepositions require object pronouns; 'between you and me' is correct because 'me' is the objective case, not 'I.'
Question 2: What is the purpose of a style sheet in professional proofreading?
- A template for formatting the final document layout
- A record of editorial decisions and preferred spellings for consistency within a project (Correct answer)
- A checklist of common grammar rules to follow
- A list of words that should be deleted from the document
Correct answer: A record of editorial decisions and preferred spellings for consistency within a project
A proofreading style sheet documents decisions made during editing—such as spelling variants, hyphenation choices, and capitalization preferences—to ensure consistency throughout a project.
Question 3: Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct?
- Neither the manager nor the employees was informed.
- Neither the manager nor the employees were informed. (Correct answer)
- Neither the manager nor the employees is informed.
- Neither the manager nor the employees are been informed.
Correct answer: Neither the manager nor the employees were informed.
With 'neither...nor,' the verb agrees with the subject closest to it; since 'employees' is plural, 'were' is correct.
Question 4: A proofreader sees 'et al.' used in a citation. What does this abbreviation mean?
- And others (Correct answer)
- And the following
- See also
- From the same source
Correct answer: And others
'Et al.' is a Latin abbreviation for 'et alii' meaning 'and others,' used in citations when a source has multiple authors.
Question 5: Which of the following is the correct way to write a possessive for a singular noun ending in 's,' such as 'James,' according to most US style guides?
- James'
- James's (Correct answer)
- Jame's
- James'es
Correct answer: James's
Most major US style guides, including the Chicago Manual of Style, recommend adding 's to singular nouns ending in s, forming 'James's.'
Question 6: What is a 'widow' in the context of typesetting and proofreading?
- A word left alone on the last line of a paragraph
- A single line of a paragraph that appears at the top of a new page (Correct answer)
- An orphaned sentence at the end of a chapter
- A repeated word appearing at the start of consecutive lines
Correct answer: A single line of a paragraph that appears at the top of a new page
A widow is a single line from the end of a paragraph that appears isolated at the top of a new page or column, which proofreaders flag as a typographical issue.
Question 7: When should 'which' be used instead of 'that' to introduce a clause?
- When the clause is essential to the sentence's meaning
- When the clause is nonessential and set off by commas (Correct answer)
- When referring to people rather than things
- When the sentence is in passive voice
Correct answer: When the clause is nonessential and set off by commas
'Which' introduces nonrestrictive (nonessential) clauses set off by commas, while 'that' introduces restrictive (essential) clauses without commas.
Proofreading & Editing Proofreading Knowledge 5
In the sentence 'Between you and I, the project was a failure,' what error exists?