Proof readers

One of my pet hates is mistakes in publications such as leaflets and flyers which any proof reader would find easily. I don't think proof readers actually exist any more. The latest glaringly obvious mistake arrived on a card in the post today from Greenflag/Caravan Club. In it is quoted the price quite clearly -  'With prices starting from just £34 a month, it's a small price to pay....'   I think that's  a very large price to pay when it should actually read 'from just £34'.   What a complete waste of money (for printing) and postage.

 I agree.  

Although it's nearly thirty years since my brief foray into the printing industry (before my main career in industrial measuring instrumentation)  my eye still goes straight to any error in printed media, whether it's a typo or poor grammar/spelling.  Kindle e-books that have not been edited properly drive me nuts, sadly they are becoming more prevalent.

I also abhor incorrect uses such as: it's for the possessive form; their, there, they're & your, you're confusion; would of for would have; to, too; of, off; lose, loose and all the other common errors.

(I've just found a page that explains these and more:
   http://www.copyblogger.com/grammar-goofs/    
    although it's American, seems not to have suffered for that) 

Don't get me wrong, I can easily forgive those in postings on forums (fora??) and social media, where a cross-section of different backgrounds is represented and the important thing is the content not the presentation. However, when professionals such as journalists, book publishers, media copy-writers and graphic designers and the like make these mistakes when they should know better, that is unforgivable.

Glad I got that off my chest! I'm just hoping this post does not succumb to Muphry's Law*. 

cheers
Roger 

*That's not a typo, G**gle it if you're not familiar.

If WORD doesn't show a problem then it gets printid

I blaim mikrosopht
.
Grumpea Fred

My own pet hate is "American English"; introduced as an alternative to providing Americans with a decent education in spelling and grammar.   

Best regards,
 

Dutto wrote:My own pet hate is "American English"; introduced as an alternative to providing Americans with a decent education in spelling and grammar.   

Best regards,
 

In the 70s I went to Blythe in California, a sleepy-town ( well it was then ) in the middle of the dessert, to see my aunt, during my stay, I decided to walk to the supermarket, got to the checkout & the young girl at the till had obviously never heard an 'Englishman' before, got all exited & called her fellow workers over, & we exchanged pleasantries, then one of them said, 'gee, you limey's  speak English funny', to which I replied, 'No, I speak English & YOU guys speak it funny'!!
Their eyes glazed over & not one of them 'Got-it'. 

Would you believe my gas bill from npower expresses my gas usage in 'cubic meters'?

It's true!

G

Wow, thats crazy, we all know it should be 'cubic GAS meters' 

Gram wrote:Would you believe my gas bill from npower expresses my gas usage in 'cubic meters'?

It's true!

G

Your lucky to get to that bit as I usually skip straight to the £ sign and then pass out without looking at the spelling and grammar.   

I well believe you though.  I have even had the words "metre" and "metres" given red underlining as mis-spelled words using "American English" on oil company computers.

One time, watching TV in the USA. I would have lost a $50,000 dollar prize on a crossword quiz show when the clue "A five letter word describing the tint or shade of an object." was given.

I couldn't fault the people on the show who didn't manage to find the answer despite already having C _ _ _ R because I was stumped as well; right up until the host screamed "The answer is 'color'!" and the word came up on the screen.  I turned off the TV and went into a very troubled sleep!    

Best regards,
 

Our family live in Canada, it is pretty much our second home, so the locals we know tend to fall into two catagories. The first try to decide where we are from and invariably come up with the fact we are Australian!
The next group realise that we are English and attempt proper English..... "Good morning bloke" l... " Whole damned bloody lot".... "tally ho"... " Old chap"....do you explain or just laugh!
We have the hang of it now though.... "Are you British".... "Cornish my 'Ansome"......normally that is sufficiently confusing to have a sensible conversation.