Some Editing Pet Peeves of Ours. What Grinds Your Gears?

Look, we know no one is perfect. Our clients and writers are extremely intelligent people, but that doesn’t mean they don’t make mistakes. Some of which, for some reason, seem to really get on the nerves of our quality control team.  

So, to start the new year, we thought it would be fun to ask our editors and fact checkers what some of their biggest pet peeves are — even when it comes from professional content writers like us. 

For your amusement, here is the rundown of our “favorite” editing pet peeves. Surprisingly, there weren’t that many – we all enjoy what we do, and even the messiest of pieces are just a fun opportunity to rework something.  

Our Short List of Editing Pet Peeves 

1. Asking if we can “take a quick look.” Proofing doesn’t have to be time-consuming, but of course our editing team takes the appropriate amount of time to get the job done right.  

1. Two spaces after periods. This is a habit a lot of people pick up in school, but in the worlds of business and social media, those extra spaces just take up too much real estate. 

1. The word “whom.” We think we should take a worldwide vote to just eliminate this word. I’m sure we’ve all wasted too much time thinking about what the appropriate form is, and still get it wrong. 

1. Not explaining obscure terms. Every industry has its own language, but even technical pieces to technical audiences need to be clear. If a term isn’t widely understood by everyone, why not clear it up for the reader? It only serves to help them trust you more.  

1. Finally, the big one… the one we see ALL of the time… using an apostrophe to indicate a plural. This one happens so frequently we’ve begun training ourselves to not get riled up.  

What are some of your editing pet peeves in content — either as a writer, editor, or even a reader? We can’t wait to read over and have a good laugh at your responses while sipping on a nice beverage. 

Cheers! 

KP