Category Archives: misspellings

Grammar Giggle – Seperate

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This was on the packaging of a recent purchase. I even did a Google search to make sure it wasn’t a new word, but the definition I found said: “Separate is often misspelled as seperate, a word that has no meaning and is simply a misspelling.”

seperate

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Grammar Giggle – Who New?

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My daughter sent this to me from a CVS ad. I think they may be trying for a play on words, but I don’t think that works either. At least I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt that someone there didn’t just make a really dumb mistake.

whonew

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Grammar Giggle – Sectary

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I realize news stations are always wanting to be the first ones out with the headlines, but do they honestly think that being the first one out with a headline with typos makes them look good? This was in my important news alerts this past week:

sectary

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Grammar Giggle – Extremely Last Minute

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A one-sentence email that is this full of errors really concerns me. Merriam-Webster defines “last minute” as “the moment just before some climactic, decisive, or disastrous event.” I’m not sure how you could have an “extremely last minute” if last minute means “the moment just before.” Not even counting the other spelling errors in this email. Take time to slow down and actually read what you’re putting out there for all the world to see.

 

fooda

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Another Set Of Eyes

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eyesLast week was really “eye-opening” for me. As has turned into my usual style, I wrote a blog post late one night, proofread it, and set it up to be published the next morning. I know I have mentioned many times on this blog that it is easiest to draft something, walk away from it, and come back to proofread it. But that’s not what I did. I drafted, reviewed, and set it up to post–all in the span of a couple of hours with no break.

The next morning a good friend messaged me with an error she had found in the article. I fixed that on my cell phone and assumed all was good. And then another friend posted on my Facebook page link to the article for all the world to see that there were errors. I was devastated. But she was right. There were other errors–including a glaring one in the title that I think happened when I was using my phone to fix the first one. A day later she apologized profusely for posting that comment publicly and told me about the error she had seen.

Obviously, another set of eyes proofreading your work can be valuable. Or at least taking a break from it and coming back to proofread it can help. I know that, I preach that, and I ignored it. The result was sloppy work product, a damaged reputation (at least in my mind), and frustration. Was it worth it so that I could get an article about proofreading out by my self-imposed deadline? No way. Will I be more careful about drafting articles and going back to proofread them later? You bet. Can we all learn something from my mistake? Absolutely.

Proofreading is hard. It takes time, patience, and focus. You can’t do a good job of it if you are rushed or tired. So slow down, take breaks, work on something else, and come back to it with “fresh” eyes. If you can take a big break and come back to it, it will be easier because your brain isn’t lining up the words it read into the order it already thinks they belong. The work going out should be important enough to take the time to do it right.

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