Usually, I can easily understand the source of a common error: Some people say “irregardless” because they fail to realize the suffix “-less” does the work of the here-inappropriate prefix “ir-”; others confuse “affect” and “effect” due to the relative similarity of their meanings and usage. In the case of Read More…
I solved a very strange mystery recently, but intrigue remains. The other day, I captioned a photo that we published with an article on Daniel Dewitt’s postponed trial in print. It read, “At the court proceedings, which took place at the Wiley W. Manuel Courthouse, the trial was delayed for Read More…
… and awful misspellings. It’s true: No one is infallible. According to the Washington Post, a release was published stating Joe Biden’s campaigning plans for this week, including a trip to Rhode Island, which the White House mistakenly spelled “R-O-A-D.” The White House corrected the gaffe in a later version. Read More…
Style rules dictate that an Oxford comma be omitted in a serial list. Off the job, my personal preferences dictate otherwise. This is a hilarious example of why:
One can only hope that our friends to the south intend to include a significant copy editing session in their maintenance. To begin, Presidents Day comprises only a single day of this weekend — perhaps the curious duplication above represents every student’s wish for another day of relaxation, but more Read More…
It looks like even the usually excellent daily hailed as the Newspaper of Record could benefit from greater care in copy editing on occasion: And again: Note: I have to commend the New York Times’ copy staff — prior to my finishing this post, both errors were already corrected.
For future reference: Everyday is an adjective used to describe something that is common or ordinary. For example, a casual outfit is an everyday outfit. Every day is an adjective and a noun, meaning “each day.” For example, Berkeley students should use proper grammar every day.
Here is a sign from Target showing the common mistake of “10 items or less” signs. Why? The number of items is countable, which we are given as 10; thus, the sign should read “10 items or fewer.”
While some chicken sounds really tasty, there’s definitely something wrong with this ad…
My biggest pet peeve is, without a doubt, when people fail to use “your” and “you’re” correctly. So this weekend, as I was aimlessly scrolling through my Tumblr dashboard, I came across this supposedly-contemplative picture, but I could not take it seriously because I was too astounded at how such Read More…
