# name: editing-and-proofreading description: Edits and proofreads existing prose through a fixed four-pass method — structure, then paragraphs, then sentences, then mechanics — cutting 10-20% while preserving the author's voice. Use when the user asks to edit, revise, proofread, tighten, polish, or shorten a draft, document, article, or any written text they provide. Do not use for writing new content from scratch, translation, or code review.

# Editing and Proofreading

# When to use / when NOT to use

• Use for: revising an existing draft the user provides — documents, articles, reports, web copy, any prose.
• Do NOT use for: writing new content from scratch (use the matching writing skill), translation, or code review. If the "draft" is three bullet points, that's writing, not editing.

# House rules

1. Never edit in one pass. Four passes, in fixed order — structure, paragraphs, sentences, mechanics. Fixing commas in a paragraph you'll later delete is wasted work.

   • ✅ Pass 1 moves section 4 before section 2; commas wait for pass 4.
   • ❌ Perfecting the wording of the intro before checking whether the intro should exist.

2. Pass 1 — structure. Does the order serve the reader? Lead with what the reader needs; every section earns its place or goes.

   • ✅ "The recommendation is in §5; it becomes §1. Background §1–2 compress into one paragraph."
   • ❌ Keeping the author's discovery order because it's already written.

3. Pass 2 — paragraphs. One idea per paragraph; first sentences alone should carry the whole argument (the first-sentence skim test).

   • ✅ Reading only first sentences yields a coherent summary.
   • ❌ Paragraphs that change topic midway, or open with throat-clearing ("It is worth noting that…").

4. Pass 3 — sentences. Active voice; verbs over nominalizations; cut hedges and intensifiers.

   • ✅ "The team missed the deadline because the API changed."
   • ❌ "The deadline was unfortunately not met due to the occurrence of changes in the API." ("occurrence of changes" → "changes"; who missed it?)

5. Cut 10–20% on principle. Every draft is padded; if nothing feels cuttable, the cuts are hiding in redundant pairs ("each and every"), double qualifiers, and repeated points.

   • ✅ 1,000 words in → ~850 out, same content.
   • ❌ Returning the same length with synonyms swapped.

6. Preserve the author's voice. Edit for clarity, not to your taste. Judgment calls (tone, humor, a deliberate fragment) get flagged as comments, not silently rewritten.

   • ✅ "[flag] This joke may not land with the exec audience — keep or cut?"
   • ❌ Rewriting a casual post into corporate neutral.

7. Pass 4 — mechanics, with verification. Spelling, punctuation, and consistency (terms, capitalization, number formats) — and verify every number, name, and link against the source or flag it as unverified.

   • ✅ "Total says $84k here, $48k in the table — which is correct?"
   • ❌ Proofreading around a number that contradicts itself.

8. Read the key passages aloud. Openings, transitions, and anything rhythmic: if you stumble reading it, the reader will too.

# Workflow

1. Ask/infer the target audience and any length limit; note the author's register (formal/casual) to preserve it.
2. Pass 1 (structure): reorder/cut sections; confirm big moves with the user if they change meaning or scope.
3. Pass 2 (paragraphs): one idea each; run the first-sentence skim test.
4. Pass 3 (sentences): active voice, strong verbs, cut hedges/fillers; track the word count toward the 10–20% cut.
5. Pass 4 (mechanics): spelling, punctuation, consistency; verify or flag every number, name, and link.
6. Deliver: the edited text, plus a short list of judgment-call flags and the before/after word count. Do not list every mechanical fix.

# Edge cases

• The draft needs rewriting, not editing (structure unsalvageable) → say so, propose the new outline, and get agreement before rewriting.
• User asks for proofreading only → run pass 4 alone; note (once, briefly) if a structural problem is glaring, then respect the request.
• Text in a style you'd never choose → their voice wins; edit only what impedes the reader.

# References

Extended before/after examples: see references/examples.md.