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.
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.
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 . . .’
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.
Times, January 11, 2025
Q: What is the definition of ‘audible’?
A: Something that can be heard.
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.
Times, December 12, 2024
I do suggest using a spellchecker, but it is also useful to have some knowledge of the language. This would prevent the stupidity of using ‘queue’ instead of ‘cue’.
Times, November 6, 2024
If there is one occasion when copy must be impeccable, it is when the story is mocking mistakes in another publication. You have to laugh.
The Fifth Republic was created to concentrate power in the hands of Charles de Gaulle at a time of national crisis. And ever since De Gaulle, presidents have tried – and generally failed – to emulate his stature.
BBC News Online, December 5, 2024
This is a perfect example of the ‘couldn’t give a damn’ school of subbing – two versions of the same name in one line. Anyone who can turn in sloppy work like this is plainly in the wrong job. Incidentally it is ‘de Gaulle’.
Times, November 25, 2024
One of the most commonly misused words is ‘but’. It is not an alternative to ‘and’, as many seem to think. It means that what follows is contrary to expectations. There is nothing surprising or contrary to expectations about the third in a sequence of bad weather pictures. I would have left it at a semi-colon, which is quite sufficient.
A bonus error: ‘bail’ is a judicial term meaning a prisoner is granted his or her freedom in return for a guarantee that a sum of money will be forfeit if he or she fails to turn up at an appointed date. The word wanted here is ‘bale’.