Find the Error!

[needle]

Originally Posted by Beloit Fencer of Old

Thank you. I remember a newscaster, years ago, saying that an individual "literally turned the world upside down." WHAT?????????? If it's your profession to use language to convey information to the public, learn how to use the language!

Turning the world upside down is a concept relative to an observer. Could he/she have meant that the individual simply took the observer from the northern hemisphere to the southern?

[Beloit Fencer of Old]

From MSNBC / Associated Press

Vick, meanwhile, has even more things to worry about as he ponders the reality of prison life. He faces a possible April 2 trial on similar charges brought in state court against he and his co-defendants, and his financial future is in the hands of another federal judge as he tries to hold onto nearly $20 million in bonuses that the Atlanta Falcons are trying to get back.

[pokey]

That was headache inducing.

Originally Posted by Beloit Fencer of Old

against he and his co-defendants

against he? That just sounds wrong to me.

Originally Posted by Beloit Fencer of Old

and his financial future is in the hands of another federal judge as he tries to hold...

I think that the underlined "he" would be considered ambiguous as it is unclear whether it modifies Vick or the federal judge.

[matt9476]

Originally Posted by Beloit Fencer of Old

From MSNBC / Associated Press

Vick, meanwhile, has even more things to worry about as he ponders the reality of prison life. He faces a possible April 2 trial on similar charges brought in state court against he and his co-defendants, and his financial future is in the hands of another federal judge as he tries to hold onto nearly $20 million in bonuses that the Atlanta Falcons are trying to get back.

Wow! Where do I begin? There should be a comma between about and as in the first sentence, but that's minor compared to the other mistakes. The second sentence is WAY too long; it should be broken into two or three. The he/him debate is moot, since you don't even need that clause. You could just say "He faces a possible April 2 trial on similar charges in state court." The rest is just a mess.
This would make a copy editor scream and, just maybe, start drinking.

[Beloit Fencer of Old]

Ah, you both did a great job. And yes, Matt, not only is "he" in place of "him" a sign that the writer has a double-digit IQ, but the whole phrase is simply unnecessary.

As to the more subtle errors, well, I generally only post major, embarrassing errors here.

Who else can find some errors to post?

[TBean]

The fact that there are only two sentances is frightening. The second sentance should be broken into the several thoughts it encompasses. I find "ponders the reality of life in prison" a poor choice of phrase as it gives the inital impression that Vick is not already in prison. I also think that pondering is a process beyond Vick - reflection and thought do not seem to be his strong points.

[TangMan]

Originally Posted by Beloit Fencer of Old

Find the Error!

Found one:
Error

[Beloit Fencer of Old]

Originally Posted by TangMan

Found one:
Error

Wow. Graphics right out of the Atari age!

[Philistine]

Originally Posted by Beloit Fencer of Old

Thank you. I remember a newscaster, years ago, saying that an individual "literally turned the world upside down." WHAT?????????? If it's your profession to use language to convey information to the public, learn how to use the language!

(Old post I know--but it's new to me...)

This doesn't bother me. Saying someone "literally turned the world upside down" is "literally" equivalent to saying someone "really turned the world upside down" or even merely saying "someone turned the world upside down." All 3 are (at least grammatically) asserting something as true that is impossible--and widely recognized as being impossible and generally a figure of speech.

The meaning is clear that literally in this case means "figuratively" but is used for additional emphasis.

This has a rather long history--Article.

--Philistine

[jBirch]

Originally Posted by Philistine

(Old post I know--but it's new to me...)

This doesn't bother me. Saying someone "literally turned the world upside down" is "literally" equivalent to saying someone "really turned the world upside down" or even merely saying "someone turned the world upside down." All 3 are (at least grammatically) asserting something as true that is impossible--and widely recognized as being impossible and generally a figure of speech.

The meaning is clear that literally in this case means "figuratively" but is used for additional emphasis.

This has a rather long history--Article.

--Philistine

I've always had a bit of a problem with the metaphor...which side is rightside up for the world to be? It is a sphere, isn't it?

[Timo]

I think inside out would be more appropriate. And whose to say that what we think of as the top (north) isn't actually the bottom to begin with?

[Lemonaide]

Originally Posted by Beloit Fencer of Old

Hey, It's annoying when I run across grammatical errors. It's grievous, however, when the error is committed by a "professional," such as a writer, talk show host or sign maker. Well, I think I'll post them here. If you run across any, please feel free to follow suit. I just ran across an error under Forbes Travel ( MSNBC.COM)...who can spot it? INQ????

The best double black diamond ski runs *** This is the title ***
The continent's top 10 cool and tricky slopes

***Here is the body with the error...hint: it's not a/an***
This unending bump run, Mak-M-Stairs-Plunge, in Telluride, Colo., is actually a combination of three different runs that drop from a 11,890-foot peak. By linking the runs Kant-Mak-M, Spiral Stairs and Lower Plunge, the Mak-M-Stairs-Plunge trifecta is a penultimate leg-burner, with giant moguls and a consistently unforgiving pitch.

PENTULTIMATE

[Beloit Fencer of Old]

Photo caption from the Boston Herald Online:

New England Patriots linebacker Junior Seau answer’s reporter’s questions while standing in front of his locker during a media availability at the NFL football team’s facility in Foxboro yesterday.

[matt9476]

Originally Posted by Beloit Fencer of Old

Photo caption from the Boston Herald Online:

New England Patriots linebacker Junior Seau answer’s reporter’s questions while standing in front of his locker during a media availability at the NFL football team’s facility in Foxboro yesterday.

Beloit, you're finding some good ones.
You don't need an apostrophe on "answers." I assume there were several reporters asking Seau questions, so it should be "reporters' questions. If there was only one reporter, you need to say "a reporter's questions." "Media availability" is not a noun, nor is it even needed. You could just say after practice or workout session. If you want to use "media availability," you need to add something like session or event. Since NFL stands for National Football League, you don't need to say "football team." You can just say NFL team, or better yet, team. The word "yesterday" should be moved up in the sentence, since AP style calls for us to use time, date, then place.

[Beloit Fencer of Old]

Originally Posted by matt9476

Beloit, you're finding some good ones.
You don't need an apostrophe on "answers." I assume there were several reporters asking Seau questions, so it should be "reporters' questions. If there was only one reporter, you need to say "a reporter's questions." "Media availability" is not a noun, nor is it even needed. You could just say after practice or workout session. If you want to use "media availability," you need to add something like session or event. Since NFL stands for National Football League, you don't need to say "football team." You can just say NFL team, or better yet, team. The word "yesterday" should be moved up in the sentence, since AP style calls for us to use time, date, then place.

Thank you, Matt! And how is it that you're not writing for a major market paper yet? Clearly, reporters for some of the major outlets are way overpaid. Who would think you only need to be writing on a 5th grade level to score a job with the Boston Herald???

[matt9476]

Originally Posted by Beloit Fencer of Old

Who would think you only need to be writing on a 5th grade level to score a job with the Boston Herald???

Actually, reporters are supposed to dumb down their writing for newspapers. We must assume people reading the papers are stupid, so we avoid using big words. It's sad, but true.

[Beloit Fencer of Old]

Originally Posted by matt9476

Actually, reporters are supposed to dumb down their writing for newspapers. We must assume people reading the papers are stupid, so we avoid using big words. It's sad, but true.

I thought that was only USA Today.

[jBirch]

Originally Posted by Beloit Fencer of Old

I thought that was only USA Today.

Actually I think it's "USA Always".

[LTranter]

First off, I love this thread! I type/edit/proof for a living so it is a great exercise.

As to the last example, if the quote is exactly what Lieberman said, by using the quotes the writer must quote him verbatim. To get around that, the quote marks would have to be removed, and then the quote could be rephrased. This would be Lieberman's error, not the writer's.

L