Amanda Anstee Editing and Proofreading

22/04/2022

Amanda Anstee Editing and Proofreading is celebrating five years in business! 🥳

The practice has built up a steady client base of global publishers in that time, specialising in law and social science academic texts, as well as helping individuals and businesses with a variety of written products. Projects have ranged from checking monthly client reports for a dyslexic self-employed case manager, to editing the website of a Jordanian law firm, to proofreading a report on how to reduce London’s food footprint, launched at COP26.

Key moments have included achieving the highest level of membership with the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (meeting stringent standards of training, experience, and customer satisfaction) and gaining accreditation from the Good Business Charter. This year started with success in public tender exercises to provide copyediting and proofreading services to a national charity and an international NGO.

Amanda Anstee said: “I am delighted to have reached this 5-year milestone. I took a leap of faith into freelance work after a steady career in the civil service, and I have not looked back. I am still enjoying the challenges of running a small business, the thrill of taking on new clients, and the flexibility that freelancing provides, not to mention the satisfaction of knowing that a text is better for my involvement – be it a substantial legal tome or a short blog piece.”

If you would like help making sure your written output is clear and accurate, or would like advice on creating a style guide or implementing editing efficiencies, please get in touch.

07/10/2021

Quick comma tip on when NOT to use a comma.

Commas are really helpful bits of punctuation and there is some scope for choosing whether to use them or not at certain points in a sentence. However, there are some fixed rules about when not to use them and this particular rule is the reason that I most often have to remove a comma when editing.

🚩 Do not separate a subject from its verb with a comma.

This is straightforward if the verb immediately follows the subject such as ‘we organise’ or ‘they posted’ (not 'we, organise' or 'they, posted'). But what if the subject is followed by a lengthy restrictive (aka defining) phrase?

It can be tempting to stick in a comma where you might naturally want to take a breath or pause (especially if you were taught that this is when you should use a comma!). But resist that temptation.

See if you can spot the errant comma in these examples:

❌ Our goals for the project that relates to this important issue, are very similar to yours.
✅ Our goals for the project that relates to this important issue are very similar to yours.

❌ A business with strong guiding principles and ethical working practices, will command greater respect.
❌ A business with strong guiding principles, and ethical working practices will command greater respect.
✅ A business with strong guiding principles and ethical working practices will command greater respect.

Exceptions to the rule? Always, when it comes to grammar!

Commas separating list items do not count, so you can have this:
✅ Our goals for the project that relates to this important, topical issue are very similar to yours.
✅ A business with strong guiding principles and ethical, safe working practices will command greater respect.

Pairs of parenthetical commas are also ok:
✅ Our goals for the project, which relates to this important issue, are very similar to yours.
✅ A business with strong guiding principles, supported by ethical working practices, will command greater respect.

Were you taught that you should place a comma where you naturally pause or take a breath?



If you would like your writing checked for this and more, please get in touch.

26/02/2021

Wordfest Crawleyfestivalofwords are hosting this interesting and inspiring selection of online sessions in March. Book club with crime writers? Learn how to draw with Nick Sharratt? Tips from Eve Ainseworth on writing young adult fiction? It's all here!
Visit their page to book tickets.

THE FINAL PROGRAMME!
Here is the final list of events for online WORDfest 2021. Please share, share, share amongst your friends, family, community groups, school groups, reading groups... All details of events are on our page. Get your tickets soon, once they're gone they're gone...