1. Reduce clutter in a newsletter:

   Original copy:
   In the article entitled Weatherproof Your Investments from the March issue, the magazine reported its search results for all-weather funds.

   Edited copy:
   In the March issue, an article entitled Weatherproof Your Investments examined all-weather funds.

2. Add a verb to a series for parallel sentence structure in a newsletter:

   Original copy:
   Unexpected events, such as losing a job, wrecking a car in an accident, or the death of a loved one, can put a strain on your emotional and financial well-being, as well as the people who depend on you.

   Edited copy:
   Unexpected events, such as losing a job, wrecking a car in an accident, or losing a loved one, can put a strain on your emotional and financial well-being, as well as the people who depend on you.

3. Improve clarity in a high-tech magazine article:

   Original copy:
   This November, the foundation mailed a $1 million surprise grant to the nonprofit Portland homeless agency, Outside In.

   Edited copy:
   This November, the foundation mailed a $1 million surprise grant to Portland’s Outside In, a nonprofit agency that helps homeless people.

4. Repair subject/verb agreement in a special report:

   Original copy:
   One factor in the growth, according to Ayre, were efforts by the state and industry to keep the high-tech sector an engine of job growth and economic stimulus.

   Edited copy:
   One factor in the growth, according to Ayre, was efforts by the state and industry to keep the high-tech sector an engine of job growth and economic stimulus.

What else can a copyeditor do for you?

A copyeditor knows when you need “it’s” or “its,” knows the rules for collective nouns (nouns like committee, team, and group that take singular verbs and pronouns), knows what words to capitalize, where apostrophes, quotation marks and commas go…and much, much more.