Writing for Cash - How to make a full time income as a writer. Enter The Contest
Read & Rate Entries
View Past Winners
Get A Book Published
Free Typing Test
Writing Resources
Free Articles
Search This Site

Home | Contest | Write A Book | Write Ebooks For Cash | Be A Travel Writer | Write Children's Books
Write For Newspapers | Write An Ezine | Write A Blog | Writing Skills & Tips | Novel Writing Software

Please take a moment to bookmark this page and join our free hot tips list.

Your Spellchecker Can Catch Punctuation Mistakes

By: Jan Kovarik


Even though you should never only rely on your spellchecker to find mistakes in your document, you can make the most of your spellchecker by changing the settings. It isn't as scary as it sounds and once you learn where these settings are, you can change them as often as you need to for whatever guidelines you have to use for a particular document that you are writing.

These punctuation settings are consistent with the American publishing industry. If you are writing for Great Britain (the United Kingdom) or writing in English for any other country, be sure to learn what punctuation rules are used in that country's publishing industry. You can reset the spellchecker options at any time so that when you run spellcheck, it will automatically check for the right punctuation placement.

Here’s the easy 1-2-3 instructions for changing and checking your spellchecker settings:

1. Open Word.

2. On the toolbar, click on Tools. In the drop-down window, click on Options.

3. Click on the Spelling & Grammar tab, hit the Settings button. A new window will appear. Set the first three requirements:

Comma required before last list item (always)
Punctuation required with quotes (inside)
Spaces required between sentences (1)

Click OK.

Now, close all the windows that are open. Your spellchecker has now been re-set and these option settings will be in place for all Word documents that you create from now on. You only need to go through this procedure again is if you need to change these settings to comply with a specific publishing requirement. If you do change the settings, remember to change them back to these settings once you have finished that document.

Be sure to always run a final spellcheck of your document, after you have made your final corrections!




Jan K., The Proofer is freelance proofreader and copyeditor. Visit http://www.janktheproofer.com for more information. Visit Jan K., the Proofer’s sister sites: Mom’s Break at http://www.MomsBreak.com for free printable projects and crafts. Jan’s Dough at http://www.jansdough.com for free printable recipes for Sourdough Bread and more. For more articles by Jan K., The Proofer, visit http://freecontent.janktheproofer.com. Article © Copyright 2005. All rights reserved.

jkproof@bellsouth.net


Join Our Free Tips Club

The internet and new technology are continuing to change the face of the publishing industry. Will you ride the wave or get pummelled by it? Let us help you make money as a writer by giving you hot tips when new trends arrive.
We will never sell, rent, or give away your email address.

Join today and get 5 FREE EBOOKS! These ebooks are written by some of the hottest online gurus, and uncover many secrets about how you can make money right now by writing from home. Learn how to turn your computer into a cash machine by implementing the online writing techniques revealed by these masters!

5 ways to create PDF ebooks 14-point web copy analysis copywriting and ebooks use simple surveys to create best sellers the secret to winning

A $475.00 Value for FREE when you join today!

Home | Contest | Write A Book | Write Ebooks For Cash | Be A Travel Writer | Write Children's Books
Write For Newspapers | Write An Ezine | Write A Blog | Writing Skills & Tips | Novel Writing Software

© Copyright 2005 WritingCash.com All Rights Reserved | Terms of Use | Privacy | Web Links