Why I'm using the “read aloud” trick to catch errors

[Simona]

I thought I was a good proofreader. I'd read my paper silently, slowly, carefully. Then I'd submit it, and my professor would find typos. Every time.

A writing coach told me: “Read your paper aloud. Your ears catch things your eyes miss.” I tried it. It felt ridiculous. But it worked.

When I read aloud, I noticed:

• Sentences that ran on too long (I'd run out of breath)
• Words I'd repeated without realizing it
• Clunky phrases that sounded wrong when spoken
• Missing words my brain had filled in silently

Now I do this before every submission. I read to my roommate, my cat, myself. It catches mistakes I'd never see otherwise.

For other writers, what's your proofreading process? I'm still not perfect, but I'm getting better.

 

[Cooper]

I've been using this trick for years and I'll add something that took me too long to figure out: change the environment when you read aloud. If you read in the same spot you wrote the paper, your brain is still in writing mode and you'll skip over things. I print it out, go to a coffee shop or a different room, and read it there.

Something about the change in context makes the errors jump out. Also reading to another person is humbling but effective because when you stumble over a sentence, they notice. My roommate now knows my writing style better than I do lol. The breathing thing you mentioned is genuinely how I fix run-on sentences now. If I can't get through it without gasping, it gets split. One more thing: do it a day after you finish writing if you can. Fresh eyes plus reading aloud is the combo. You're on the right track.