Tuesday, 2 October 2007
Known Pleasures
Naturally, misplaced apostrophes and the like do cause anger, but in equal measure errors often engender mirth.
Yesterday, I received an email which contained the words:
"Thank you for your email. I resent the system confirmation, but just in case you don't receive it…"
What, I thought, has the system confirmation ever done to the sender? Was she so affronted by its failings that she began to harbour murderous thoughts? Did she dream of taking a sledge hammer to the main network computer?
Another classic recently sent to me included the line:
"…needles to say that the hired furniture arrived on time and on specification."
This reads as if the author is giving a stage direction for a play about diabetes or heroin in which furnishings-obsessed syringes actually perform part of the dialogue.
At the end of the aforementioned email, someone is thanked for "not loosing his composure". Does this mean he kept a tight rein on his calmness, never letting rigorous pre-stated standards slip?
However, my recent favourite was sent by an old colleague of mine, Steve the Geordie. On being charged with informing local health professionals that a meeting was to be postponed, Steve signed off his email:
"Sorry for any incontinence this may have caused".
Marvellous.
posted by Dan at 10:31 am
5 Comments
Saturday, 29 September 2007
Strike one, Grammar "so-called" Puss.
I added GrammarBlog to the Britblog directory last week. While I was poking around I found a blog by the name of Grammar Puss.
At the time of writing this is the current post, discussing one of those things-everyone-should-do articles. As noble a sentiment as it is to poke fun at lazy hack articles recommending sponsors' products as lifestyle must-haves, I was horrified when I saw Ms Puss's comment on item 23.
23) Own a convertibleNow I hate to nitpick (ahem) and I'm the first to admit that everyone makes mistakes, but that's not a simple typo is it?
Don't let Al Gore here you say that.
To think I was going to add her as a friend. I'll keep an eye on her - one more slip up like that and it's The List for Grammar Puss.
**UPDATE**
After a couple of people pointed it out to her (who, me?), Grammar Puss corrected her error. Don't worry, I made sure I got a screen shot for this eventuality. Can you tell I was a cub scout?
Labels: blogger, errors, vocabulary
posted by Gez at 1:22 am
103 Comments
Wednesday, 1 August 2007
Peruse this post.
Turns out I was wrong.
pe·ruse (p-rz)I feel sick.
tr.v. pe·rused, pe·rus·ing, pe·rus·es
To read or examine, typically with great care.
[Middle English perusen, to use up : Latin per-, per- + Middle English usen, to use; see use.]
pe·rusa·ble adj.
pe·rusal n.
pe·ruser n.
Usage Note: Peruse has long meant "to read thoroughly" and is often used loosely when one could use the word read instead. Sometimes people use it to mean "to glance over, skim," as in I only had a moment to peruse the manual quickly, but this usage is widely considered an error. Sixty-six percent of the Usage Panel finds it unacceptable.
Labels: errors, grammar, vocabulary
posted by Gez at 9:40 am
7 Comments
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