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How to Signify Spelling Correction

Writers often submit manuscripts with hundreds of pages of text. Within those pages are spelling errors. When the editor reads the manuscript she will commonly mark up the pages with editing marks. These marks indicate the type of problem the editor is encountering. Among those problems are spelling errors. When a spelling error is detected, the editor usually notes the word. Actual spelling changes are the responsibility of the writer since sometimes writers intentionally misspell words as an effect. The mark tells the writer that the editor believes the word is spelled wrong.

Things You'll Need

  • Red pencil
  • Word processing program
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Instructions

    • 1

      Move the editing pencil or pen directly across the manuscript to reach the word in question.

    • 2

      Draw two level underline marks under the area of the word that appears to be misspelled.

    • 3

      Move the cursor directly across the manuscript to reach the word in question when using a word-processing program.

    • 4

      Press down on the mouse button and drag to highlight the word in a document file on a word processor. Click on "Track Changes" and " New Comment." This creates red marks around the suspect word and opens a comment box to the side. If you type the corrected word, the comment box will say (deletion) of the original word and your corrected word will appear in red.

    • 5

      Open a document that has been edited by another person. The document should display with the comment boxes and red lines. At each point in the document where changes have been made, a vertical line will appear on the left side of the text to indicate there is a change in that area.

    • 6

      Accept or reject the changes made by the editor by reviewing the marks, changes, insertions or deletions. If you accept the change, click on the check mark in the top right corner of the comment box. If you decline the change, click on the "X" mark in the top right corner of the comment box. The comment box will vanish if you accept or decline the changes.

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