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Give Us Examples of Bad Grammar or Writing in Publications

Posted by Phil Jamieson on Tue, Dec 07, 2010 @ 04:30
  
  
  
  

Thanks for reading our GrammarPhile blog.

Because you do read our blog, I bet you are someone who cares about the quality of English grammar, punctuation, and word usage today. That's good. The world needs more people like you (and so do we!).

So why do you care? What does good writing mean to you? Does it really matter to you that a Wall Street Journal writer doesn't seem to know the difference between premier and premiere? Do you really even blink when you hear a prominent senator use I when he meant to use me? (As in "The president spoke with Senator Boxer and I about the matter earlier today.")

If these things mean much to you, you're a kindred spirit. Welcome to ProofreadNOW.com. Help fill our folders with examples of needy writing this week. We're looking for tangible examples of prominent misuse of the language:

  • Bad grammar
  • Misspellings
  • Wrong words

All in high places. (Your local Chinese restaurant's menu doesn't count but a citation in a prominent newspaper does.) Or from a brand-name website. Or a full-page ad in any newspaper or magazine.

Post your citation here with your comment no later than midnight ET on Monday, December 20, 2010. Let us know. We're looking.

We'll put your name into a hat and draw a winner for an Amazon gift certificate, just in time for the holidays!

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Comments

It didn't take long, did it? 
 
The Doonesbury of December 7th. 
 
http://news.yahoo.com/comics/doonesbury 
 
Posted @ Tuesday, December 07, 2010 1:42 PM by Paula Mochel
I hesitate to criticize an obituary, but this is one of my biggest pet peeves...really, when it's my time to go, I can't think of anything worse than having my obituary contain bad grammar or misused words. (Clearly, this indicates that this is my kind of blog!)  
 
 
 
While I believe it's possible that Mr. Temkin read in a truthful manner (?), I think it more likely that he was a voracious reader.  
 
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/providence/obituary.aspx?n=martin-temkin&pid=146977028 
 
Posted @ Tuesday, December 07, 2010 2:38 PM by Pam Souza
From a CBS News online article on the death of Elizabeth Edwards. 
 
 
 
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/12/09/earlyshow/main7133571.shtml 
 
 
 
 
 
"During her six year battle with cancer at the age of 61, Edwards did her best to prepare her family for her own death..." 
 
 
 
 
 
This unfortunate wording makes it sound as though Mrs. Edwards was 61 years old for 6 years.
Posted @ Thursday, December 09, 2010 10:42 by Kathy Meister
http://www.king5.com/video/featured-videos/Man-recovers-from-OCD-that-nearly-killed-him-111637029.html 
 
 
 
"Since then, Ed has co-authored a book, got married and had a family." Since then, Ed has...got married - should be gotten married.  
 
 
 
Posted @ Friday, December 10, 2010 9:35 by Pam Souza
These are easy to come by. 
 
Headline in today's San Francisco Chronicle: Man suffer fatal gunshot wounds in Bernal Heights
Posted @ Friday, December 10, 2010 1:27 PM by Paula Mochel
Just out of curiosity, did someone win a gift card?
Posted @ Tuesday, January 18, 2011 8:11 by Pam
Yes, I did. I knew paying attention in 6th grade would pay off.
Posted @ Tuesday, January 18, 2011 2:02 PM by Paula Mochel
Now that it is prom season again, does anyone else have a problem with the phrase, "going to prom"? 
 
The prom is an event, not a place or destination. You go to the prom, you go to New York. 
 
Thanks for letting me get that off my chest. 
 
Posted @ Monday, May 16, 2011 9:15 PM by E F
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