Almost exactly a year ago, I posted a similar Grammar Giggle (Take a Peak At This) from a different local news station. It must be something about the season that brings this out in news stations. Again, peak is the top, peek is to look slyly at, and pique is resentment or to offend. I’m pretty sure they mean they are looking slyly at the Nutcracker (because they are behind the curtain).
I had to research the partner of the person from the Firm Bio Grammar Giggle earlier this week and you’ll never believe it, but this bio was worse! Not only are there numerous misspellings, but the bar association in Arizona is called the State Bar of Arizona NOT the Arizona State Bar Association. Those details are really important. This could very well be the first impression people get of you, make sure it is a good one.
I actually found this while researching a potential witness. Your online bio is really important and should be error free. This is my first impression of this professional and I must admit, it’s not a very good one.
A friend sent this to me. I actually missed the error the first couple of times I read through it quickly, but it is there. I also looked up “Oftentimes,” which, while correct, is archaic and could easily be replaced with “Often.” Our goal should always be to make our writing more readable.
I saw this sign at an event I was attending recently. “Complementary” means something that completes or makes perfect (which a massage always does for me, but that’s not what they mean here). “Complimentary” means free of charge (which IS what they mean here).
While trying to earn my country certification at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, I saw this screen:
It should be “Collaborations.”
A blog reader sent this to me from her local newspaper. This is another example of people not reading headlines–or headings in legal documents. And if you have the Word setting turned on to not check words in all caps, turn that off right now! That will help you find errors in headings and important documents that use all caps for titles.
If you find something that is Grammar Giggle-worthy, take a picture and send it to [email protected].
A reader shared this from a sign in an airport. This is something that spell check or reviewing quickly will not find because the word is not misspelled–it’s just the wrong word. But she did say that the “thing” actually sliced up an excellent sandwich!
I saw this sign on a recent trip. If you squeeze a lemon, mango, or strawberry, it is squeezed. If you just squeezed said lemon, mango, or strawberry, it is fresh squeezed.
A reader sent this to me from her research on the United States Patent and Trademark Office website.
According to Merriam-Webster online dictionary, a “tidal wave” is:
: a very high, large wave in the ocean that is often caused by strong winds or an earthquake
: a very large amount of something
while “title” is:
: the name given to something (such as a book, song, or movie) to identify or describe it
: a published book
: a word or name that describes a person’s job in a company or organization
so “title wave,” unless it is the name of a book, song, or movie (in which case it should be capitalized), is incorrect. The proper term in this case should be “tidal wave.”
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