Author: MargaretAshworth

#614

Times, February 1, 2025

‘Continual’ and ‘continuous’ are often confused but they are not synonyms. ‘Continual’ means to recur at frequent intervals, as in ‘he was driven to violence by the continual barking of the dog next door’; continuous means prolonged without interruption, as in ‘he was driven to distraction by the continuous hum from the factory next door’ or ‘The Grove is Miami’s oldest continuously inhabited neighbourhood’.

While here, I would say this paragraph is a bit overloaded with adjectives : ‘boho backwater’, ‘yesteryear charm’, ‘refreshing number, ‘sturdy oaks’, ‘notable high’. You don’t need one for every noun.

 

 

#613

The i Paper, January 29, 2025

You really cannot repeat a quote in this way. You need to delete it from the main quote and start at ‘He’s done brilliantly  . . .’

Thus:

 . . . with Rodgers (left) calling him ‘a real iconic player for the club.’

‘He’s done brilliantly during his time,’ he said . . .

#612

The i Paper, January 29, 2025

There are divided views on whether groups should be singular or plural. By and large I favour plural, particularly for smaller groups. ‘A family  is travelling’ or ‘a couple has decided’ looks  silly to me. The crucial thing is to be consistent, unlike this example. This really does look silly.

#611

The i Paper (as it now styles itself) January 25, 2025

If you are doing a story about an individual’s possible retirement, what is the most important fact to include? It took me ten seconds max to confirm that Princess Anne is 74. Whoever subbed this is taking money under false pretences.

#610

Sunday Times, January 19, 2025

‘Pled’ is an ugly and irrational American word. Here we say ‘pleaded’. That is not to mention the clumsy repetition of ‘trial’. This is how I would have phrased it:  ‘. . . with the trial slated for May of  . . .’

 

 

 

#609

Two gems from the same sports page of the Times.

The Times, January 15, 2025

To dissect is to cut open a body or a plant in order to study its internal structure, as in school biology classes. I hope the writer meant ‘bisect’, which is to divide into two separate parts, usually equal in size.

The Times, January 15, 2025

The late footballer was called Tony Book, not Brook, and he was the second-most  decorated Manchester City captain. For a sports article to get his name wrong is unforgivable. I bet someone ‘corrected’ Book to Brook without bothering to check.

#607

Daily Express, January 2, 2025

Tip: if you mis-spell a word, do not put the correct version a few lines later. Stick to your guns and claim that ‘installment’ is right.  I cannot understand how someone who calls him/herself (I resist ‘their’ as lazy) a ‘sub-editor’ cannot see that there are two spellings of the same word in two sentences. This is pathetic.