French Proofreading and Editing Tips

Whether you're checking over French homework, proofreading an essay, or verifying a translation, there are certain key problem areas to watch out for. This is not a definitive list by any means, but it indicates areas of confusion and common mistakes caused by differences between French and English and includes links to more detailed explanations and examples. Before you turn anything in, check the following areas of your work.

Vocabulary Watch out for differences in meaning and/or spelling.
Accents	Missing and incorrect accents are spelling mistakes.
Expressions	Double-check your idiomatic expressions.
False Cognates	Many words are similar in spelling but not in meaning.
Spelling Equivalents	Study these differences between English and French spelling.
True Cognates	These words are identical in spelling and meaning.
Grammar An endless topic, but here are some typical areas of difficulty.
Agreement	Make sure your adjectives, pronouns, and other words agree.
Articles	Don't forget - these are more common in French.
Clauses
* Conjunctions	Use the right kind of conjunction.
* Relative Clauses	Be careful with relative pronouns.
* Si Clauses	Check that these are set up correctly.
Gender	Make a real effort to use the correct gender.
Negation	Be sure to use the best negative structure.
Questions	Are you asking them correctly?
Verbs
* Conjugations	Ensure that each conjugation matches its subject.
* Modal Verbs	These are quite different in French.
* Prepositions	Be sure to follow each verb with the right preposition.
* Tense + Mood	Are your tenses consistent? Do you need the subjunctive?
Word Order	Adjectives, adverbs, negation, + pronouns cause positioning problems.
Mechanics Written conventions can be very different in French and English.
Acronyms/Abbreviations	Make sure you write them the French way.
Capitalization	Careful - this is much less common in French.
Contractions	These are optional in English, but required in French.
Punctuation + Numbers	Follow French spacing rules and use the correct symbols.