Written Communication – Answer Key to Proofreading
Answer Key to Proofreading
The text is repeated below and the errors are highlighted and numbered. Roll your mouse over the errors for the explanations.
One of the most common serious aflictions (1) in modern society is heart disease. This general label encompasses many different abnormal conditions, including congenital heart defects (many of which can be repaired surgically), diseases of the the (2) pericardium (the tissue surrounding the heart muscle), and diseases affecting the heart muscle itself (the myocardium). Physicians cannot (3) often detect or predict heart problems by measuring (4) rate of (5) heartbeat (called (6)pulse) and by taking (7) patient’s blood pressure. Another important diagnostic tool is the electrokardiogram (8) (EKG), a record of the electrical activity of the heart, which can reveal abnormal cardiac rhythm and myocardial damage. When heart disease is suspected and more detailed information are (9) needed, an angiogram is ordered. This series of X-ray films (taken after the injection of an (10) radiopaque substance) defines the size and shape of various veins and arteries.
The most common cardiovascular disease is atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Atherosclerosisof (11) the coronary arteries may cause the development of a coronary thrombus (blood clot), which block (12) the flow of blood to the heart muscle. If, as a result, part of the heart muscle dies, the condition is called myocardial infraction (13) (a heart attack). Some (14) symptoms and signs of a heart attack are pain in the chest (and sometimes also in the jaws and arms), shortness of breathing (15) , irregular pulse, nausea, and perspiration. Prompt cardiopulmonary resussitation (16) can save victims from sudden death. Among the emergency procedures used is a technique known as percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA). This technique widens coronary arteries that have become dangerously narrow do (17) to deposits (called plack (18) ) on their interior walls. The procedure involves manipulating a cathiter (19) (flexible tube) into the constricted vessel, then inflating a small balloon at it’s (20) tip, thereby compressing the plaque and widening the passage. This procedure can sometimes substitute for a much more traumatic one – bypass surgery.
Note: More than 50% (12/20) of these errors were not “picked up” by spell check on the computer. Proofreading on your own remains an important task!!! Take responsibility for the accuracy of your work..