David Fanthorpe – Minding Your Language

Business writer, copy-editor, proofreader

In the world of email, SMS and social media, all forms of instant communication, is there still a need for carefully crafted prose? Who cares about the odd misprint, a bit of sloppy spelling or some wonky grammar? It’s all about immediacy, isn’t it?

In fact, almost every day someone gets into trouble because of a carelessly worded tweet or an email that they would have done well to think twice about sending.

What gives the game away in those scam emails purporting to be from your internet service provider or your bank? They usually have grammatical errors or spelling mistakes.

It’s true that the greengrocer’s “apple’s” are still apples and “potatos” are still potatoes, but it’s also true that we notice when things aren’t correct, even if only subliminally.

Organisations in the corporate, public or third sectors spend a lot of time and resources to ensure that the messages they put across to their target audiences are exactly right, in both content and tone. Surely it makes sense, therefore, whether it’s a press release, an email to members or an annual report, that it is well-written, clear and concise, and free of errors?

My job is to ensure that your written material, whether designed for paper publication or your website, is accurate, concise, consistent and well-written.

If you would like to discuss how I could work with you, please contact me for an initial discussion.

  • ‘I highly recommend David for his meticulous, professional proofreading services. David proofread my dissertation for my MSc at the University of Oxford. He was incredibly diligent and thorough with my essay to ensure its integrity. He also gave me confidence in my work and I cannot thank him enough for his truly excellent work.’

    Louise Jennings
    Early Years Standards Lead, London Borough of Barnet

  • “David Fanthorpe proofread my 60,000-word doctoral thesis with forensic thoroughness. It was a horrible job: since I had been unable to access the citation programme, the references had all been done by hand, often badly, and David was assiduous (and kind) in his efforts to get me sorted out.  It is something of a niche subject (psychoanalytic psychotherapy), but the professional language did not impede David’s ability to pick up errors.  I would recommend him highly.”

    Jan McGregor Hepburn
    Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist

  • “David Fanthorpe has written a number of articles, op-eds and other professional documents for me. I am always impressed by the quality of his work, the speed with which he turns writing projects around and his ability to perfectly understand the brief I give him. I would certainly recommend David’s writing services to anyone in the public affairs and communications industry.”

    Alexandra Bigland
    Deputy Managing Director, APCO UK

  • “David is an excellent, trusted pair of eyes for your documents who spots everything and gives you extra confidence that your work will be right, with no annoying errors or typos.  I cannot recommend David highly enough, his service is a must for any important document that needs to impress.”

    Andrew Geldard
    Head of Communications, Willmott Dixon Ltd

  • “David edits all of our highly complex and voluminous pieces of work – clinical reports, court reports, academic work and lectures.  He is an excellent editor who approaches his work with thoughtfulness and exceptional thoroughness. We are always confident that our mistakes and omissions in the text will be attended to and corrected. His comments are always greatly appreciated. His work is without exception delivered on time, even when he is under great time pressure. We would not be able to deliver our work without David.”

    Dr Tanya Nesic
    Director, Inspiring Childhood