I have not shared Grammar Giggles from my European vacation because English is not their primary language so I was generous with any small errors I saw. However, on the Big Bus tour, I found this error. Since they are a large company with offices worldwide (including the US), I’m not so ready to cut them as much slack. So when I saw this one, the phone camera came out.
This I found on Twitter. The correct phrase should be “couldn’t have gotten.” I think the error happens because when you are actually saying the phrase out loud, it sounds like “couldn’t uv gotten” so people assume it is “of” instead of “have.” That is incorrect.
This is a pretty common error that I saw on a TV ad recently. The phrase “use to be” is incorrect. When you’re talking about something that happened in the past but doesn’t happen anymore, the correct phrase is “used to be.” In this sentence it means that in the past, surgery was the only option, but it is not the only option anymore, so “used to be” would be correct.
Here is an example of how spell check doesn’t always help. “Untied” is spelled correctly. Unfortunately, “untied” isn’t the correct word in this instance. #proofthatblog #proofreading #untiedvsunited
We found this error on a drink menu at a restaurant we recently visited. Perhaps if they’re going to abbreviate “glass” to be “gls,” they should abbreviate “pitcher” to be”pit.” That would at least fix this error.
I found this one on Twitter. It should be ASKING for immunity. It is nice to know that it isn’t just my news station that has these kinds of errors.
My news station of choice always keeps me in material. This time it was a story about Burger King’s plan to distribute toothpaste that tastes like a Whopper (it was an April Fool’s joke). While the name of the toothpaste here is correct, the headline on the screen is not. Whoops . . . I mean Whooper!
A loyal Proof That follower sent this to me. She says that the word “trustee” is spelled correctly on the reverse side of the sign.
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