Proofreading Under Time Pressure · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Catching your own errors in minutes

English · Spelling & Word Study · ages 14-16
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Which reading method exposes hidden slips?

    • Silent smooth reading from the top
    • Skimming only the long words
    • Backwards by sentence, or aloud

  2. Two minutes remain. What should you check first?

    • Your own most repeated errors
    • A fancier opening line
    • A brand new final paragraph

  3. A spelling checker catches every kind of error, including wrong-word slips.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. In a timed piece you write cant for cannot. What is missing?

    • A capital letter
    • An apostrophe for the missing letter
    • A comma after the verb

  5. A sentence leaves you unable to say who is doing what. What should you do?

    • Delete the whole paragraph
    • Split or reshape that sentence
    • Add three commas at random

  6. A general checklist works better than your own short error list.

    Circle one:   True   False

  7. You find a missing word, a wrong ending and a comma fault with seconds left. What is the right response?

    • Rewrite the whole paragraph fresh
    • Fix each small slip and move on
    • Delete the sentences holding slips

  8. A sentence reads: The dogs bark loudly at night it echoes. What is the fault?

    • A missing sentence boundary
    • A missing capital letter
    • A missing apostrophe
LightMySky · lightmysky.comW1-mt_F3XNYambhL-s1

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Catching your own errors in minutes W1-mt_F3XNYambhL-s1

  1. Backwards by sentence, or aloud · Broken flow shows the real page instead of the intended one.
  2. Your own most repeated errors · Minutes are short. Your personal greatest hits deserve the first look.
  3. False · Checkers catch many slips but miss wrong-word errors. You still read it yourself.
  4. An apostrophe for the missing letter · Cannot to can't drops a letter, and the apostrophe marks the gap.
  5. Split or reshape that sentence · A sentence that hides its actor is tangled. Splitting untangles it fast.
  6. False · Your own list beats any general one. General lists check everyone else's slips too.
  7. Fix each small slip and move on · Small slips need small fixes. Rewriting burns seconds you lack.
  8. A missing sentence boundary · Two full thoughts are glued together. Only a boundary splits them.
Worksheet · LightMySky