Trolling on Facebook, I saw an ad for a course that teaches one to proofread for profit. It claims you can do this from home or from anywhere if you take the advertiser’s class. At first I was interested (although as a long-time writer for hire I already know how to proofread) because I wondered if the company provided client information with which to ply this new trade.
It doesn’t. It’s interested only in teaching you basic English, not in helping you find a job that uses it. In addition, today’s world does not value good English. For instance, do you know when to use ‘like’ as opposed to ‘as if’? Do you know the difference between further and farther; or even the difference between ‘between’ and ‘among’?
I would love to find a job where my skills in proofreading and editing are valued, but it’s probably too late. Ours is such a fast-paced world and basic English is changing with the same pace that much of what I’ve learned is probably considered irrelevant.
Still . . . if you want to communicate effectively there are certain things to do with the written (or spoken) word that make your message clearer, even if you don’t know why.
Like Dr. Seuss’s Lorax who spoke for the trees, I speak for really good grammar. And, in case you’re interested, you use between when you’re referring to two items, and three when you’re referring to more than two.
For instance, “The fight in the ring was between two adversaries, but the brawl in the audience was among many attendees.
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