For students applying to universities that require personal essays, written supplements and the like, the most powerful proofreading tool is to listen to their writing being read out loud either by themselves or by others.
Students may think that what they “hear” in their heads when reading their writing in silence is the same as when they read them aloud but this is simply not the case.
David W. Berner from the Writer Shed says that writers should “use their ears to hear their stories” and J.S. Wong from the Writing Cooperative suggests that reading aloud allows writers to “engage with their work on a deeper level than when writing in silence“.
Because a writer’s mind concentrates on the complex task of making meaning as they write when they go back and try to proofread later, their brain sees the meaning that they were trying to convey often blocking them from seeing even the most simple errors. Reading aloud forces a writer’s mind to slow down as speech is slower than reading in silence and thus increases their chance of catching hidden problems in written text.
Enlisting one’s ears (in addition to their eyes) can be the single most beneficial method for students to edit as well as develop their writing skills. The simple act of reading aloud either to themselves or to others will help writers to:
Find their mistakes.
What might sound eloquent when read in silence may be awkward when spoken out loud and so by reading out loud, writers are forced to read every word, thus helping them discover missing components, grammatical errors, typos, skipped sentences, unnecessary word choices and above all, embarrassing passages that just don’t work and even where a simple comma may be misplaced.
Be Intentional with their words.
Reading out loud forces writers to slow down, pay attention to every word and ensure that emphasis and inflection are not misguided. Hearing their words out loud helps writers to convey the nuances in their text in ways that seeing them in writing might not.
Find the music in their words.
In a well-written passage, words work together like instruments in an orchestra and reading out loud helps writers hear how well their orchestra is performing as a group. It helps them focus on the rhythm and pace of their writing, the correct tone, and the appropriate formality. Reading aloud helps writers determine what kind of impression their music on paper will make on a reader.
Find their voice.
The more a writer hears their words, the more they will identify how their writing voice is developing and how their speaking voice matches the voice that can be heard in their head when reading.
Adopt the perspective of the audience.
Reading out loud forces writers to consider storytelling from the perspective of their readers. Are they written words evoking what the writer intended? Are the words conveying the desired emotions? Does the narrator’s voice sound consistent throughout the passage?
Even though reading aloud, or hearing one’s writing read by others, might feel a little uncomfortable at first, students may be pleasantly surprised at just how much this underrated proofreading technique can speed up their editing process. Give it a try!
