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Proofreading Is Indispensable - But So Are Some Misprints by Raymond King
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Proofreading Is Indispensable - But So Are Some Misprints |
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Education
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Yes, we all know that every piece of writing should be carefully proofread before it's presented to the eyes of the public. But let's take a brief holiday from proofreading, accuracy, precision, cautiousness, spelling, grammar, syntax... sometimes we can be grateful that the proofreader fell asleep on the job. Let's see what happens when the wrong letter sneaks into a piece of writing. Holy brothels Even though the 'r' and the 'l' on the keyboard are far apart, someone once managed to write an obituary about a Catholic archbishop who "left behind two sisters and three brothels." Or what about the local English newspaper that couldn't quite manage the word 'battle-scarred' and ended up publishing the following 'apology': "Last week we inadvertently referred to Major X as 'a bottle-scarred hero.' We apologize for the error. We did of course mean to describe him as a battle-scared hero." A greasy honeymoon A reporter in another local newspaper (presumably an investigative reporter) gave a nice, colorful account of a wedding and then announced that the couple (who meanwhile had arrived at their destination in a hot Mediterranean country) were "honeymooning in grease." Omitting a letter also leads to rather problematic expressions. More than one newspaper has left out the crucial letter 'l' when referring to a politician doing something or other "in the public interest." Adding a letter can also conjure up interesting images, as when the letter 'h' is added in a report about the politicians who "sit" in the Senate. Dangerous granny Another consequence of failing to check our writing is that a phrase may not mean quite what we intended it to say. This is particularly unfortunate if our phrase is a newspaper headline, because it is so prominent. The Buffalo Courier-Express once reported: "Greeks Fine Hookers." According to another newspaper, a drunk was punished in a somewhat peculiar way: "Drunk Gets Nine Months in Violin Case." We wouldn't want to meet the following lady brandishing a club: "Grandmother of Eight Makes Hole in One." Nor the belligerent bovine suggested in: "Enraged Cow Injures Farmer With Axe." Appealing prostitutes Meanwhile, we can assume that the Vatican came out with a strong statement in response to the headline: "Prostitutes Appeal to Pope." Would you have much faith in a cookery expert who advises you to "Include Your Children When Baking Cookies" - or agree to be interviewed by the reporter referred to in the blurb: "Yoko Ono will talk about her husband, John Lennon, who was killed in an interview with Barbara Walters"? Back to your duties So, a lack of proofreading can certainly add to the amusement of the world. But, in case you're thinking that's a good excuse for you to avoid your proofreading duties, don't forget that the resulting amusement is likely to be at your expense. For example, if you sell herbal medicines, we'll be amused if your newly published advert says: "Try our herbal remedies. You can't get better." But you'll need an effective herbal remedy for your ensuing stress. cheap research papers
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