If you don’t know what a comma splice is, chances are you’ve sullied your copy with at least one. Okay, perhaps you haven’t, but why leave it to chance? Grammatical errors run rampant through so many printed materials that are in the public eye. Don’t let your copy be a statistic!

Copy editing gets down to the nitty-gritty. The copy editor evaluates every sentence for grammatical accuracy; scrutinizes each punctuation mark; and examines any ambiguous or unfamiliar word—tasks most writers loathe. Also at this stage, the copy editor ensures consistency and continuity throughout the work.

Before Mignon Fogarty, Cathy held the title of “Grammar Girl” and, under that name, had more than 50 of her instructional articles about grammar and writing published on the website of one of North America’s largest publishing houses. Cathy still shares her passion for and knowledge about grammar, but now does so primarily in a classroom at the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies.

Not surprisingly, her favourite editing task is copy editing.