Hello? Um, Do We Need a Good Proofread?
I was excited to find in this missive the new title for the final Harry Potter installment...release date to come. What I was horrified to find, however, were several godawful errors in the story.
When telling readers how to find the Hangman game on Rowling's site, the paragraph reads:
"In the mirror, you'll see a hallway. Click on the farthest doorknob and look for the Christmas tree. They click on the center of the door next to the mirror and a reef appears. Then click on the top of the mirror and you'll see a garland."
Obviously, the writer meant to say "then" instead of "they". But, "a reef"?! C'mon! I, for one, saw no coral, but rather a lovely holiday decorative item. Hrmph. Did I do something wrong?
posted by nerver @ 10:38 AM
10 Comments:
It's a horrible bit of writing too. Then this, then that...not much effort there.
My theory: As staffs shrink, editing suffers. What else would explain your example and the profusion of moldy cliches in the DMN these days? Newspapers used to be good places for newbies to learn skills. No more--beginners are left to flounder. And, too ofen, flounders they are.
Pedant mode: on
Surely "Rowling's"?
Pedant mode: off
Sorry, couldn't resist.
Maybe you had to smoke some reef to to see it.
nice catch, mr. atrocity. i was writing in a rage...should have caught that!
i have been owned fair and square...and i'm now going to correct it...but i'm leaving these comments as evidence that i need to practice what i bitch about.
The story reads like a "hot-off-the-press/so-hot-we-had-to-write-it-in-five-minutes" story. Like a blog entry! :-)
"Maybe you had to smoke some reef to to see it."
anyone want to proofread for me? irony is great.
i have been owned fair and square...and i'm now going to correct it...but i'm leaving these comments as evidence that i need to practice what i bitch about.
Editors make mistakes? :-)
indeed they do.
what have i been missing all day?!?! sheesh.
Everyone needs an editor. Everyone. And yeah, blogs are scary as hell because they are unedited. It's like getting your picture taken sans make-up. (I always felt bad for guys, who don't have that option. But they can piss standing up, so that makes up for it. No pun intended.)
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