Which statement best defines proofreading?

Which statement best defines proofreading?

• A. The process of reading copy and marking errors to indicate corrections.
• B. The process of writing a new draft from scratch.
• C. The process of translating text into another language.
• D. The process of designing a layout.

Answer: (A)

Proofreading focuses on catching and marking errors so they can be corrected before publication. It’s the final check where you read the copy carefully for typos, misspellings, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, numbers, and formatting, and you indicate changes with standard marks or comments. This stage is about accuracy and surface-level correctness after edits, not about creating new content or restructuring the text. It’s also not about translating to another language or designing a layout, which are separate tasks. So the best definition is the process of reading copy and marking errors to indicate corrections because it directly targets identifying mistakes and signaling edits for a clean final version.

Proofreading focuses on catching and marking errors so they can be corrected before publication. It’s the final check where you read the copy carefully for typos, misspellings, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, numbers, and formatting, and you indicate changes with standard marks or comments. This stage is about accuracy and surface-level correctness after edits, not about creating new content or restructuring the text. It’s also not about translating to another language or designing a layout, which are separate tasks. So the best definition is the process of reading copy and marking errors to indicate corrections because it directly targets identifying mistakes and signaling edits for a clean final version.