BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors

Subject: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: DMcG
Date: 29 Sep 12 - 08:04 AM

I don't care in the least about mistakes in spelling in blogs, fora, personal emails, texts and the like. But what does irritate is when a big organisation can't make the effort (or is unwilling to spend a few pence to check). In the past hour I have come across two. Firstly a supermarket in which the labels above the aisles had spelling errors and secondly one of the biggest UK banks web pages, which proudly refers to an 'Insurar' (to be fair, the last may be a CSS error where they haven't checked text is all displayed, but to my mind that shows a similar lack of care).


How widespread is the irritation at such things? Has anyone every gone to the customer services of a supermarket and complained about spellings? (I was tempted, but not enough to queue!)

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: DMcG
Date: 29 Sep 12 - 08:06 AM

'Ever', not 'every'. And don't forget I said unofficial posts etc don't worry me :)

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: Ed T
Date: 29 Sep 12 - 08:08 AM

:)

;)

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: GUEST,999
Date: 29 Sep 12 - 08:28 AM

I don't see anything, worng.

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: Phil Cooper
Date: 29 Sep 12 - 08:31 AM

Yes, obvious errors and the misuse of quotation marks and apostrophes.

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: GUEST,Alan Whittle
Date: 29 Sep 12 - 08:37 AM

Just the sort of way society has gone. Cameron thinks Elgar wrote Rule Britannia. Milliband wouldn't know any better. A sort of dumbing up process of society.

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: GUEST,Alan Whittle
Date: 29 Sep 12 - 08:38 AM

On the other hand, they can all text - I can't.

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: Ed T
Date: 29 Sep 12 - 08:39 AM

Should one leave the Chinese "off the hook", in product directions?

Why not, as pirating, contamination, environmental issues and frequent inferior products seem to fall below the radar.

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: Bobert
Date: 29 Sep 12 - 08:48 AM

Yeah, I' don't much care if people on the inter-net don't spell correctly either but what really bugs me is when called journalists can't even write simple sentences that contain both a subject and a predicate...

Now that burns my buns...

B~

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: DMcG
Date: 29 Sep 12 - 08:49 AM

The nearest I've ever got to complaining officially about spelling was when I was sharing a table with the hotel manager where I was (don't ask why - it's not important). There was a card room in the place called 'Crichton' on the door, but 'Chrichton' on the directions next to the lifts, and I mentioned this to him. The next day I met him again and he said at the daily staff meeting he had asked people how it was spelt to draw attention to the error(after checking I was right, of course!)   But I've no idea if either set of notices was ever changed ...

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 29 Sep 12 - 08:57 AM

Geneology rather than Genealogy drives me ******* loopy
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: Jack Campin
Date: 29 Sep 12 - 08:58 AM

Both "Crichton" and "Chrichton" (and "Crighton", and "Creighton") occur in Scottish sources as far back as the 16th century. The leading branch of the family (owners of the castle near Gorebridge) didn't make their minds up about how to spell it until the 19th century. I'd guess that for centuries no Crytoune or Critton bothered with using a consistent spelling when signing their name.

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: John P
Date: 29 Sep 12 - 09:00 AM

It's even worse when it happens at school, like this one or this.

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: John P
Date: 29 Sep 12 - 09:23 AM

The local YMCA has a wheelchair accessible door with a big sign that says "Wheelchair Enterance".

I used to have a gas stove that lit when you turned the dial to "Lite". It pains me to think how many designers, executives, salesmen, administrative assistants, and technicians must have seen that before they started manufacturing them. It almost has to have been done on purpose, which pains me even more.

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: Jack the Sailor
Date: 29 Sep 12 - 10:07 AM

In the US and Canada when hotels have multiple conference rooms they name the rooms along a similar theme, eg, Washington Rm , Jefferson rm, or Quebec rm, Ontario rm etc.

I was thinking how much fun it would be for a hotel to name its rooms thusly.

Crytoune, Critton, Crichton and Chrichton

It would be a laugh riot! like living in a Monty Python sketch!

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 29 Sep 12 - 10:09 AM

Ways of spelling the author of Hamlet recorded during his lifetime:

Table 1. Non-literary references (1564-1616):

                                  Outside            In
                      Total         London          London
                      -----       -------          ------
Shakespeare             71             8             63
Shakespere             27             25               2
Shakespear             16             16               0
Shakspeare             13             9               4
Shackspeare             12             11               1
Shakspere                8             7               1
Shackespeare             7             7               0
Shackspere               6             5               1
Shackespere             5             5               0
Shaxspere                3             3               0
Shexpere                2             2               0
Shakspe~                2             0               2
Shaxpere                1             1               0
Shagspere                1             1               0
Shaksper                1             1               0
Shaxpeare                1             1               0
Shaxper                  1             1               0
Shake-speare             1             0               1
Shakespe                1             0               1
Shakp                   1             0               1


Table 2. Literary references (1593-1616):

                                                      Hand-
                      Total         Printed         written
                      -----         -------         -------
Shakespeare            119            107             12
Shake-speare            21             21               0
Shakspeare             10             5               5
Shaxberd                4             0               4
Shakespere               4             1               3
Shakespear               3             1               2
Shak-speare             2             2               0
Shakspear                2             0               2
Shakspere                1             0               1
Shaksper                1             0               1
Schaksp.                1             0               1
Shakespheare             1             1               0
Shakespe                1             0               1
Shakspe                  1             0               1

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 29 Sep 12 - 10:27 AM

Not so much grumpy-making, but rather - highly amusing.
Acknowledgements at the bottom of a well-known poster depicting a group of national literary giants reads "with greatful thanks to...."
A village known in the past as being rather rowdy appeared in a pamphlet (presumably thanks to Spellcheck) as Quietly instead of Quilty.
And locally; a road sign reading "Slow through village" was adapted with a few deft dabs of a paint brush to - "Low rough village"
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 29 Sep 12 - 10:31 AM

The Shakespeare (etc., ad nauseam) spellings are quite understandable*, in the 16th, 17th, and maybe 18th centuries, for at least two reasons:

1. English orthography had not yet been systematized (nor even systematised!); and

2. The divine William, the celebrated owner of that family name spelled it a number of different ways.

*"To understand all is to forgive all."

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: Dave MacKenzie
Date: 29 Sep 12 - 10:42 AM

I've got a ticket for a lecture by David Crystal in the Chester Literature Festival tied in with his latest book about the history of English spelling.

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 29 Sep 12 - 11:21 AM

"when hotels have multiple conference rooms they name the rooms ..."

The Massachusetts Courthouse named each courtroom with the name of a county, so there was considerable comment about the rooms that displayed signs - in sequence:

Men -- Middlesex -- Women

John

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: Bainbo
Date: 29 Sep 12 - 11:27 AM

Me! I complained!

I know misspellings are now traditional among greengrocers, but I was moved to comment when I saw one in the fruit and veg section of our local Asda (UK supermarket chain owned by Wal-Mart). Hanging from the ceiling was a properly printed board, with photographs, and in the corporate typeface, boasting about how many "cauliflour florets" made up one of your five a day*.

Like DMcG, I didn't fancy queuing at customer services, so I emailed. After a couple of phone calls from ther customer relations people - who didn't understand what the mistake was and had to have it explained - the sign was taken down and, I noted wilth a small feeling of satisfaction, replaced with a properly-spelled one.

*Five A Day - a British Government healthy eating campaign designed to get us eating more fruit and veg.

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: GUEST,DrWord
Date: 29 Sep 12 - 11:36 AM

Agree with DMcG, especially proofing by corporations. I can abide the spelling-challenged, and smile the spell-check substitutions. My goat is got when print journalists fuck up. In recent weeks heard a CBC [Canadian Broadcasting Corp] TV reporter uttering the word "pundint" and saw "pundant" in print a few days later. Even a crude spellchecker sees these! Of course the its|it's issue will never go away, although most ten-year-olds grasp the distinction. We could, of course, follow GBS's lead and simply toss the apostrophe.
Dave MacK : have fun at the Crystal lecture! Be interested in hearing a bit about it. When is the LitFest? I could troll around BS threads if you'd consider refreshing with a few highlights. I've nearly worn out my Crystal's Encyc of Lang. He should be a treat!

cheers
dennis

& thanx 2 all 4 yr inputs!

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 29 Sep 12 - 12:44 PM

Floret has one meaning to the florist and botanist, another in the grocery.
1. A tiny, reduced flower, grasses, composite plants such as the daisy.
2. A cluster of flower buds, cauliflower, broccoli, made up of many florets.

How many floorettes in a hed of cullyflour or brockolli? Lottes!

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 29 Sep 12 - 03:37 PM

Near where I live there's a signpost saying "Bovinger", with a road turning off.   A little way on there's another saying "Bobingworth", with another road turning off. Both roads off go to the same village.

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: gnu
Date: 29 Sep 12 - 03:55 PM

The Real Atlantic Superstore (a Lowblaws company) in Atlantic Canada often spells "Product of Chile" (or China or South Africa or...) as "Product of Canada" (or USA). And, when I say "often", I mean a LOT.

That REALLY pisses me off because people with impaired vision can read the price sign above the product but can't read the tiny label on the product.

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 29 Sep 12 - 04:24 PM

Gnu, I have gotten into the habit of reading labels, but some products packaged in Canada are not of Canadian origin. They technically are product of Canada. This is especially true of shrimp, etc.
I avoid them because I am afraid of their pesticide use.
Not a spelling error, but certainly misleading.
Also, nuts seldom labeled.

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: Don Firth
Date: 29 Sep 12 - 04:54 PM

Was it Mark Twain who said, "Anyone who can't think of more than one way to spell a word is lacking in imagination?"

There are many theories about the origin of the expression "okay," claiming it's Native American or African or any one of a dozen other derivations, but the one I like says that it started with an American president who couldn't spell for beans. He'd read something that was handed to him for his approval, and if he did approve it, he would mark it "OK," short for "Oll Korekt" (All Correct).

An English writer named Lynn Truss has a pretty funny book out entitled "Eats, Shoots, and Leaves" about the deplorable use of punctuation in both the UK and the US, giving all kinds of wild examples.

One of the funnier parts of the book is that it contains a number of unintended punctuation errors!!

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: Lizzie Cornish 1
Date: 29 Sep 12 - 05:33 PM

Well, Spain's underwater, 10 people so far are dead...The UK has been flooded out in Northern England, York's a mess, people can't afford insurance for their homes, are buggered, worn out, washed out, literally....and have nowhere to turn to....

But hey, don't let that put us off focussing on what's REALLY important, right?

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: gnu
Date: 29 Sep 12 - 05:38 PM

Q... by law, the packaging "must" indicate the country of origin... TO an extent. Sobeys grocery has an "accepted" policy. If it says Product of ******* on the front of the label, there it is. If it says, anywhere on the label, Packaged By or Prepared for, it comes from the US or Canada. If it says, anywhere on the label, Product of Canada or USA, there it is.

BTW... I have been waiting for Habitant green chow to come on sale. It did yesterday. Habitant Chow is now a product of USA? SOB! But it's better than the last bottle of Graves Chow I bought made in NS.... FAR better.

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: Don Firth
Date: 29 Sep 12 - 06:14 PM

What do you want us all to do, Lizzie? Break out our towels and household sponges and come dashing to the rescue?

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: Gurney
Date: 29 Sep 12 - 06:31 PM

A large ad. in our local paper has a photograph of a baby Orang-Utan with the caption 'Help stop her becoming extinct!'

Must be the only one left, eh.
(OK, not a spelling error.)

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: gnu
Date: 29 Sep 12 - 06:31 PM

Lizzie, take it easy, lass. You'll be fine if you take it easy. Just point me to your thread on the floods and how to help your cause.

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: JennieG
Date: 29 Sep 12 - 06:48 PM

Did you know it is possible to have a chest of draws, rather than drawers? Or that, according to many quilting blogs, some people make quilts with outer boarders on them.....mine have outer borders.

Cheers
JennieG

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: gnu
Date: 29 Sep 12 - 06:55 PM

Do the boarders pay high rent? I mean, if you got quilts it must be a high scale board and brakefast.

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 29 Sep 12 - 07:56 PM

Draws referring to those box-like things one finds in a chest of drawers shows up in advs on the internet, so its use is not rare.

Draw has many shades of meaning, including to pull, pull out, remove, etc., but I found no quotes (several pages in the OED, I may have missed something) using draw for drawer.

(When was draw for a small gully or valley first used?)

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: melodeonboy
Date: 29 Sep 12 - 08:21 PM

For some time, The ASDA store in Chatham (Kent) has had a section labelled "Stationary". This has been pointed out to them, but it appears that no one gives a toss!

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: GUEST,giovanni
Date: 30 Sep 12 - 02:57 AM

An estate agent bidding to sell a property for me handed me a brochure which told me of their "PROFFESIONAL SERVICE" in huge letters.

If there's one word you absolutely shouldn't get wrong.....!

g

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: DMcG
Date: 30 Sep 12 - 04:44 AM

Lizzie: of course you are right about the floods being important. No-one denies that here, as far as I am aware. But in other contexts you have strongly expressed yourself about the quality of education. The government - of all shades - has stressed the importance of literacy. So how does daily exposure to evidence that big companies, journalists and so on do not seem to care help that? And it goes further than that, because it says something to the child about what their teachers claim to be important and what the world regards as important.

There are different timescales for things being important. The floods are important in the here-and-now, and in the mid term for things like building flood defences. Literacy is important long term. The one does not deny the other.

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 30 Sep 12 - 05:31 AM

I have two confessions to make. 1) I read the Daily Mail (I'm cowering under the table as I type.) 2) I actually sit there and correct all the spelling mistakes with a red Biro. This is due to a lifetime as a primary teacher. I have Red Pen Syndrome.

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: Pete Jennings
Date: 30 Sep 12 - 07:40 AM

Is there room under the table for one more, Eliza?(!). I hate bad spelling in graffiti so much I've signed a partition about it...

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 30 Sep 12 - 08:17 AM

The best instances are those in which the pompous trip up. We had a senior English teacher at one school I taught at who was fond of putting notices on the staff room notice board which were written in unnecessarily-lofty tones. One of her favourite words was "liaise," which she always spelled "liase."

At another school, one of my colleagues (Mr W, who had better remain nameless!) was indignant to find that someone had scrawled "W..... is a bastard" on the wall outside his room, but misspelling his name, missing out a letter. He promptly found a matching pen and inserted the missing letter.

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 30 Sep 12 - 09:19 AM

"My goat is got when print journalists fuck up."

Now that's an example of something that irritates me. Surely a person who can spell 'journalist' knows better words than 'fuck up' to convey the idea of 'making an error.'

It's supposed to sound tough, but basically it's just being lazy. Also, I'm tired of hearing 'shit' and 'ass' used to convey any old kind of disapproval. And 'kick-butt.' What is it supposed to mean, actually?

These are the crutches once limited to dull people with no vocabulary.

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: GUEST,999
Date: 30 Sep 12 - 10:10 AM

"Geneology rather than Genealogy drives me ******* loopy"


I lose it with the misuse of its and it's. Years ago I saw on a teacher's classroom door a poster for a children's book the title of which was 'A Ferret in it's Garden' (not exact, but close). I asked the teacher if there was something wrong with that and s/he replied "No. Ferret is spelled correctly." The solution as to how to avoid the error would put many proofreaders out of work, so I won't post it here.

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 30 Sep 12 - 10:17 AM

One little girl (I remember her name to this day, it was Angela, aged 7) wrote out her wish-list for Father Christmas. She wanted 'a pair of tits'. I often wondered if she received them.

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: GUEST,999
Date: 30 Sep 12 - 10:35 AM

LOL. By the way, Eliza, I think you had a birthday two days back. Happy Birthday to you.

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: mayomick
Date: 30 Sep 12 - 11:17 AM

Not a spelling mistake, but what used to drive me bonkers was the loudspeaker announcements you had to listen to while waiting for the Staten Island Ferry a few years ago .Everybody was very serious in the aftermath of 9/11 , of course , but for me it didn't help to hear the incessant automated announcements about the canine dog patrol at the ferry terminal :
"The canine dog patrol is here for your protection …."

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: Lizzie Cornish 1
Date: 30 Sep 12 - 11:23 AM

gnu, it's called 'Support Chief Raoni'...it has over 23,000 people on it and over 10,000 'talking about it'....

Just so's you know, Brazil announced just the other day that they're going to be building a further 23 dams in the Rainforest shortly (over 60 planned in total)..that's on top of Belo Monte, of course, the third largest dam on the planet, being built *illegaly/ilegally/orevenillegally* by the corrupt government of Dilma Rousseff....

But hey, never mind, for when they've dammed the last river and cut down the last tree we can all sit around debating whether the guy with the Chainsaw yelled out "Fuck it's the last tree!" "Fuck it, its' the last tree" or "For FUKS SAYKE WHAT HAVE I DUN??!!!"

Sigh............

And here, just for the perusal of you all, red pens at the ready, is a translation from the desperate appeal by the 13 Fishermen who have been holding back the ferries taking equipment to blooy Belo Monte!

From Amazon Watch: Letter from the 13 fishermen

"We, 13 fishermen reunited on the Isle of Cotia, speak here of our resistance in defense of rights for all of us. We seek to once again urgently ask our fellow fishermen to unite with us and be present in person to give support in the struggle for their rights, as we have thus been fighting.

Through the love of God, we call to everyone so that they come to meet us and join us. For the love of their children and grandchildren, that they resist in defense of their right to fish, before it is too late and the Xingu no longer has fish.

We anxiously await your arrival to join with us, with the strength, the courage and the faith of everyone, to finally be able to act to guarantee that we are heard by Norte Energia, by the Belo Monte Construction Consortium and by the Presidency of Brazil.

We call also to the indigenous peoples throughout the region to unite with us in this important struggle. And to all those affected who are able to come to the Isle of Cotia, we ask that you come as quickly as possible. And that all of us stand together at this time.

We thank all those who have supported us and those who will support us in this cause, for all of us."


The 13 fishermen.

Altamira, September 28, 2012<<<<<

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: Lizzie Cornish 1
Date: 30 Sep 12 - 11:24 AM

bloody, not blooy, although blooy is quite a nice word...

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: Lizzie Cornish 1
Date: 30 Sep 12 - 11:31 AM

My translation of the above, which came through in Portuguese, and has been translated via Amazon Watch. I translated it via Google Translate (now THAT is something to complain about!)


"We, the 13 fishermen gathered on the island of Cotia, speak here of our strong desire to defend the rights of us all. We pray earnestly for our fishermen friends to join us and give us support in the fight for their rights, just as we are fighting for ours.

For the love of God, we call on everyone to come and meet with us and join us. For the sake of your children and grandchildren, you must react and defend the fishing rights for them, before it is too late and the Xingu has no more fish left.

We look forward to the arrival of many of you so that together, with the strength, courage and faith of us all we can finally act to ensure that we are heard by Norte Energia, the consortium that is building Belo Monte, and the President of Brazil.

We also ask Indians from across the region to join us in this important fight. And to all those affected who can head to the Isle of Cotia, please come ASAP, so that can all be together right now.

All of us thank everyone who is supporting us already and those who will come to help support us in this cause. We need you."
http://amazonwatch.org/news/2012/0920-fishermen-paralyze-construction-of-the-belo-monte-dam
MANY links here to the shocking story of The Belo Monte Dam, the REAL 'Avatar' in The Amazon Rainforest- and what you can do to help stop it: https://www.facebook.com/notes/support-chief-raoni/what-did-you-do-once-you-knew/403021629735575




And here is the Faceboook page, together with photo of the 13 Fishermen.....

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: Lizzie Cornish 1
Date: 30 Sep 12 - 11:38 AM

And yes, that is Mr. Tom Ghent in the 'comments' section....Perhaps a few more of you should hop on board the 'Bring Down Dilma Rousseff Express' for this insane woman is going to affect the *entire* world with her 'I Am The Woman Who Built The Rainforest Dams' obsession/obssesion/obssessssssssion....

And as to the comment about me speaking out about Education, yes I have, and I do and I will CONTINUE to do so until school TEACHES our children to Love Mother Earth FAR MORE than they love English Grammar, for whilst everyone is busy crossing out with red pens and expleting over punctuation mistakes, The Corporate Bastards are, quite literally, Bringing Down The World!